Internal-combustion engines – Cooling – Plural materials
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-22
2001-05-01
Wolfe, Willis R. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Cooling
Plural materials
C123S041800
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223702
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an internal combustion engine including an engine block with a cylinder head disposed thereon and including liquid cooled cylinders formed by cylinder sleeves extending up to the cylinder head and being surrounded by a coolant jacket.
DE 40 29 427 shows such an internal combustion engine, wherein the coolant jacket is part of the cylinder crankcase and the cylinder sleeves are inserted into the coolant jacket. In this arrangement, the force generated by the cylinder head bolts is transmitted to the crankcase at least partially by way of the coolant jacket.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an internal combustion engine with a reduced weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In an internal combustion engine comprising an engine block consisting of a crankcase, at least one cylinder sleeve extending from the crankcase, a coolant jacket disposed around the cylinder sleeve or sleeves and a cylinder head mounted on the engine block, the coolant jacket is a separate component consisting of a material lighter than the normally used cast iron jacket and is firmly engaged between the crankcase and the cylinder head which is mounted onto the cylinder sleeve or sleeves.
In the internal combustion engine according to the invention, the coolant jacket is separate from the crankcase and the forces generated by the cylinder head bolts are not transmitted through the coolant jacket, but through the cylinder sleeves. It is therefore possible to provide a coolant jacket of a lightweight material since no forces are transmitted through the coolant jacket, but the coolant jacket only delimits a coolant space around the cylinder sleeves. The coolant jacket may therefore consist of a plastic material such as a polyamide, a metal foam or another material of a lower specific weight than that of cast iron, which is normally used. As a result, the weight of the internal combustion engine is substantially reduced. Since the materials used for the coolant jacket generally also have a relatively low heat conductivity, very little heat is transferred through the coolant jacket.
Preferably, the coolant space is—like in the arrangement shown in DE 40 29 427—formed by an open channel disposed at the inner surface of the coolant jacket adjacent the outer surface of the respective cylinder sleeve. However, the open channel could basically also be formed in the outer surface of the cylinder sleeve and be delimited by the inner surface of the coolant jacket.
The invention can be used advantageously with an internal combustion engine having two or more cylinders arranged in line. In this case, the coolant jacket extends around the cylinder sleeves of all the cylinders, that is, the jacket has a number of cylindrical or partially cylindrical openings corresponding to the number of cylinder sleeves. In this way, the coolant jacket delimits a coolant space with the cylinder sleeve of each individual cylinder and the coolant spaces may have individual coolant supply connections at the top and individual coolant return connections at the bottom of the coolant jackets. As a result, individual cooling of the various cylinder sleeves is possible.
The cylinder sleeves may be arranged separate and spaced from each other in which case the coolant jacket may include separate cylindrical openings for the cylinder sleeves. Coil-like coolant flow passages may be formed around the cylinder sleeves between the coolant jackets and the cylinder sleeves. For the cooling of the webs between adjacent cylinder sleeves, the coolant jacket may include transverse passages, which are in communication at one end with a coolant supply and at the other end, with the beginning of a coolant flow passages.
In a particularly space saving arrangement, the cylinder sleeves are cast together integrally or arranged closely together. In this arrangement, the coolant jacket includes a number of partially cylindrical cavities whose inner surfaces extend around the respective cylinder sleeves up to the web disposed between the adjacent cylinder sleeves. In order to achieve an individual cylinder sleeve cooling in spite of the fact that in this arrangement the coolant jacket does not completely surround the individual cylinder sleeves, each inner surface area includes a coolant space in the form of a cooling passage which extends zig-zag-like from one side of the web around the cylinder sleeve to the other side. At the upper end of the coolant jacket, the cooling passage is in communication with a coolant supply and at the lower end of the coolant jacket, the cooling passage is in communication with a coolant return. For the cooling of the web, the web includes transverse passages which are arranged each between the beginning of a meander- or zig-zag-like cooling passage and a coolant supply.
The coolant jacket may include openings through which the cylinder head bolts extend. If these openings are used at the same time for returning the lubricant from the cylinder head back to the oil sump, it is possible to cool the lubricant in a simple manner by providing in the coolant jacket a chamber through which the lubricant flows and in which an oil cooler may be disposed for improved cooling of the oil returning to the oil sump. The oil cooler may be disposed in communication with the engine cooling circuit so as to be cooled thereby. Such an oil cooler may, for example, include at least one plate which is in heat transfer relation with a coolant supply pipe.
The invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a particular embodiment thereof shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings.
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Achenbach Karl-Jorg
Bertsch Ulrich
Betsch Jochen
Hardt Thomas
Schnupke Hubert
Bach Klaus J.
Daimler-Chrysler AG
Huynh Hai
Wolfe Willis R.
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