Seal for a joint or juncture – Seal between fixed parts or static contact against... – Contact seal between parts of internal combustion engine
Utility Patent
1998-07-02
2001-01-02
Knight, Anthony (Department: 3626)
Seal for a joint or juncture
Seal between fixed parts or static contact against...
Contact seal between parts of internal combustion engine
C277S594000, C277S593000
Utility Patent
active
06168167
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
The present invention relates to a metal laminate gasket with a common plate support area used for an internal combustion engine. The gasket is especially useful as a manifold gasket disposed between a cylinder head and a manifold.
In an internal combustion engine, when the engine is actuated, the engine generates high power. Namely, when the engine is actuated, a high temperature and pressure exhaust gas is generated at combustion chambers of a cylinder head and is exhausted through the manifold. Since the high temperature and pressure exhaust gas passes through the manifold, when the engine is operated, the manifold deforms extremely. Especially, the manifold is deformed in a specific way such that the outer sides of the manifold branches open outwardly. Therefore, large forces different from each other are applied to a manifold gasket disposed between the cylinder head and the manifold.
Since a metal or metal laminate gasket is strong against high temperature and pressure, the metal or metal laminate gasket has been used widely as a manifold gasket as well as a cylinder head gasket.
A typical manifold gasket G is shown in
FIG. 1
, which is used for an engine with four combustion chambers. The manifold gasket G includes four exhaust holes
10
and bolt holes
11
to fix the manifold to the cylinder head through the manifold gasket. Beads
12
are formed around the respective exhaust holes
10
to securely seal therearound.
In one manifold gasket G
1
as shown in
FIG. 2
, the gasket G
1
is formed of two outer plates
13
and two inner plates
14
with beads
14
a
situated between the outer plates
13
. The outer plates
13
are formed of a relatively soft metal plate, while the inner plates
14
are formed of a relatively hard and strong metal plate with a spring ability. The exhaust holes are sealed by the beads
14
a.
In case the manifold does not deform largely, the gasket G
1
as shown in
FIG. 2
operates properly. However, if the deformation of the manifold in the lateral directions is relatively large, the beads can not follow or absorb the deformation of the manifold. Accordingly, the gasket G
1
as shown in
FIG. 2
can not properly seal around the exhaust holes.
In view of above problems, a gasket G
2
as shown in
FIG. 3
was made, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-88266. The gasket G
2
includes two plate sections
15
on both sides of a center plate
16
. Each plate section
15
is formed of metal plates
17
,
18
with inclined portions or half beads
17
a
,
18
a
oriented in the opposite directions. The inclined portion
17
a
is defined by bent portions
17
b
,
17
c
, while the inclined portion
18
a
is defined by bent portions
18
b
,
18
c
. The gasket G
2
has sufficient compressibility at the half beads to absorb the deformation of the manifold.
In the gasket G
2
, since the inclined portions
17
a
,
18
a
orient in the opposite directions, as long as the bent portions
17
c
,
18
c
align or abut against each other, the sufficient compressibility is formed by the inclined portions
17
a
,
18
a
. However, in case the bent portions
17
c
,
18
c
do not align together when the gasket G
2
is compressed due to deformation by heat, assembly tolerance, manufacturing error and so on, portions of the plates
17
,
18
other than the bent portions
17
c
,
18
c
are bent irregularly. As a result, the sufficient compression ability, especially recovery ability, can not be obtained by the bent portions
17
c
,
18
c
. Accordingly, the gasket can not securely seal around the exhaust holes.
In order to solve the above problems, the plates
17
,
18
may be fixed together precisely, additional plate may be situated between the plates
17
,
18
, or additional plate section
15
may be further added to the gasket G
2
to increase compression ability of the gasket. However, such remedies increase the manufacturing cost, the thickness or weight of the gasket.
On the other hand, a metal laminate gasket as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,378,001 has two plates with half beads bent in the same direction. This gasket operates as intended, but does not have a large compressible thickness to absorb a large deformation of an engine part.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the invention is to provide a metal laminate gasket, which can provide a large compressible thickness or large spring recovering ability in the thickness direction of the gasket.
Another object of the invention is to provide a metal laminate gasket as stated above, which can securely seal around a hole even if the plates for the gasket are deformed largely by a high temperature.
A further object of the invention is to provide a metal laminate gasket as stated above, which has durability and does not creep easily.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A metal laminate gasket of the invention is used for an internal combustion engine having a hole to be sealed. The gasket may be used as a cylinder head gasket, but it is especially useful as a manifold gasket. The gasket is basically formed of a first metal plate and a second metal plate laminated with the first metal plate.
The first metal plate includes a first hole corresponding to a hole of the engine, a first inner plain portion around the first hole, a first inclined portion around the first inner plain portion, and a first outer plain portion around the first inclined portion. The second metal plate includes a second hole corresponding to the hole of the engine, a second inner plain portion around the second hole, a second inclined portion around the second inner plain portion, and a second outer plain portion around the second inclined portion. The first and second inclined portions orient in the same direction and form half beads.
The second inner plain portion has a length such that a part of the first outer plain portion is placed over a part of the second inner plain portion to form a support area therebetween. Thus, the first and second inclined portions or half beads can obtain the sufficient compressible thickness to securely seal around the hole of the engine.
The second inner plain portion has a sufficient length to form the support area with the first outer plain portion when the first and second plates are laminated and are used as the gasket. Namely, the first and second inclined portions do not overlap together when the gasket is assembled and used. Accordingly, even if the first and second metal plates are laterally displaced or moved by heat expansion, vibration of the engine and so on, the support area is surely established to provide a large compressible thickness or ability by the first and second inclined portions. Thus, the gasket can securely seal a large gap between two engine parts.
In the invention, therefore, when the gasket is assembled, it is not required to precisely align the first and second plates. It is possible to provide a metal laminate gasket which can provide a large compression ability with a low cost.
The width of the support area or a portion where the second inner plain portion and the first outer plain portion contact together is between 0.5 and 2.00 mm, preferably between 0.6 and 1.2 mm, when the gasket is assembled.
Preferably, the gasket further includes a base member placed on one of the first and second metal plates. The base member may include a base metal plate with a flange portion around the hole of the engine disposed on the base metal plate to provide a high surface pressure around the hole of the engine. The base member may further include a second base metal plate laminated over the base metal plate. The second base metal plate may have a bead to surround the hole of the engine.
Also, the gasket may further include third and forth metal plates corresponding to the first and second metal plates, respectively. In this case, the first and third metal plates form outer plates a
Ishikawa Gasket Co. Ltd.
Kanesaka & Takeuchi
Knight Anthony
Peavey Enoch
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