Caterpillar Inc.

Brian K Kruse

Allyn P Bock

A one piece piston for an internal combustion engine has a piston skirt that is connected to a flange portion and a supporting portion of a piston body. The piston skirt provides support to the flange portion and a piston ring belt portion disposed about and connected to the piston body. The one piece piston has a closed piston cooling gallery defined by the piston body, the flange portion and piston ring belt portion.

One piece piston with supporting piston skirt

A compact one piece piston for use in an internal combustion engine has a compression height (&ldquo;CH&rdquo;) of between 55 percent and 70 percent the piston diameter (&ldquo;D&rdquo;) and a closed piston cooling gallery defined by a piston ring belt welded at spaced locations to a piston body and to a flange portion of the piston body. The flange portion supports a second end of the piston ring belt and resists deflection of the piston ring belt. The closed piston cooling gallery is configured to promote heat transfer and piston cooling by facilitating shaking of a cooling fluid located within the closed piston cooling gallery during reciprocal piston movement. A piston skirt extending from the flange provides additional strength and rigidity.

Compact one piece cooled piston and method

Past pistons have been susceptible to reduced longevity due to increased forces of combustion thereon during operating cycles of an engine. The present two piece unitary piston increases the longevity of pistons used with increased forces of combustion. For example, a head member has a bottom surface and a support surface. And, a skirt member defines an upper outer support surface and an upper inner support surface. The head member and the skirt member have a preestablished material strength being generally the same. The head member and the skirt member are joined at an interface of the bottom surface and the upper outer support surface and the interface of the support surface and the upper inner support surface respectively by a welding process. The force of combustion acting on the crown portion is resisted by the upper outer support surface being in contacting relationship with the bottom surface. Thus, the skirt member structure supports and resists the bending moment of the combustion forces on the head member.

Method and apparatus for making a two piece unitary piston

An internal combustion engine comprises a housing including a combustion cylinder, a piston including a piston skirt reciprocally disposed within the combustion cylinder and having a piston pin, the piston skirt defining a bottom surface and having a lubrication passage therein, the lubrication passage having an inlet in the bottom surface of the piston skirt and an outlet adjacent the piston pin, a connecting rod including an eye pivotally disposed about the piston pin, the eye having a lubrication bore oriented to provide at least intermittent fluid communication between the piston pin and the outlet of the lubrication passage, and a lubrication applicator adapted to apply lubricant to the inlet of the lubrication passage.

Internal combustion engine piston pin lubrication

A cooled one piece piston for use in an internal combustion engine has a piston body with piston cooling gallery disposed annularly in the piston body and a flange portion extending radially from a supporting portion of the piston body. A piston ring belt portion is connected to the piston body and to the flange portion by welding to provide strength and rigidity, to close off the piston cooling gallery and to define a closed piston cooling gallery. The closed piston cooling gallery has a preselected longitudinal length sufficient to provide a maximum amount of fluid shaking space for improved piston cooling.

Cooled one piece piston and method

A piston assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising an upper piston member, a piston skirt, and an insert which is fastened together. The insert is tapered and urges the piston skirt towards the upper piston member. The principle use is for light weight pistons having a skirt made of a lighter weight material, however any two piece piston assembly will benefit from this invention.

Internal combustion engine piston assembly and method

An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder block with a cylinder bore. A cylinder liner within the cylinder bore has a distal end with an outside diameter. A cooling ring has a first inside diameter, a larger second inside diameter and a plurality of radial coolant passages. The first inside diameter is positioned closely adjacent to the outside diameter at the distal end of the cylinder liner. The second inside diameter is radially spaced apart from and defines an annular coolant channel with the outside diameter of the cylinder liner. The radial coolant passages are in fluid communication with the annular coolant channel.

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Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Brian K Kruse