Stirling Thermal Motors, Inc.

Benjamine Ziph

Roelf J Meijer

Ted M Godett

An improved construction for a thermal engine, particularly a Stirling engine, comprising a two-part drive shaft. One part of the drive shaft contains the swashplate mechanism and is journaled on the engine housing so that the component of force acting on the swashplate which induces bending of the drive shaft is reacted on the housing by the journaling of the one part of the shaft. The second shaft part is separate from but operatively coupled with the first-mentioned shaft part and has its own journal mounting on the housing. The operative coupling in the disclosed embodiment is by means of a spline connection between the two shaft parts which are in coaxial alignment. The second shaft part is journaled on a housing part which is separable from other parts of the housing on which the first shaft part is journaled. A pressure seal between the rotating drive shaft and the housing is provided between the second shaft part and its housing part, and in this way the seal is substantially isolated from the effect of bending loads imparted to the drive shaft by the swashplate mechanism.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Benjamine Ziph