Cummins Engine Company, Inc.

Simpson International (uk) Ltd.

Dennis R Tibbetts

Charles E Long

Ilya L Piraner

Alan H Zhao

David P Genter

Thomas E Reinhart

Jeffrey D Saueressig

An engine system with a gear train to provide engine timing. A technique to minimize backlash and noise caused by the gear train is included. An anti-backlash gear assembly useful to reduce backlash in the gear train is also disclosed. One disclosed gear assembly has at least two gear wheels with the circular thickness of the teeth of one gear wheel being less than the circular thickness of the other gear wheel. A gear assembly is also disclosed that has a bias torque of at least about 100 foot-pounds. A device carried on an anti-lash gear assembly to generally align teeth of the assembly for installation is also provided.

Anti-lash gear assembly

An engine includes a gear train to provide engine timing. There is a technique for minimizing the backlash and noise caused by the gear train. There is also an anti-backlash gear assembly useful to reduce backlash in the gear train. One gear assembly has at least two gear wheels with the circular thickness of the teeth of one gear wheel being less than the circular thickness of the other gear wheel. There is also a gear assembly having a bias torque of at least about 100 foot-pounds. There is also a device carried on an anti-lash gear assembly to generally align teeth of the assembly for installation.

An improved torsional vibration isolator assembly for an engine is provided which includes a non-linear spring device which effectively minimizes the transmission of torsional vibrations to the engine's gear train throughout all engine operating frequencies and conditions while limiting relative movement between the engine's crankshaft and crank gear so as to maintain timing error within acceptable limits. The improved torsional vibration isolator is designed to absorb torsional vibrations transmitted from the crankshaft so as to substantially isolate the entire engine gear train, including the crank gear, from the torsional vibrations throughout all engine operating conditions and frequencies, including at and below the natural frequency, i.e. crank resonance, of the crankshaft. The crank gear isolator includes resilient elements positioned in cavities formed between engaging projections formed on inner and outer rings of the assembly. The resilient elements and cavities are sized to create an expansion volume which is filled by the deforming resilient element during operation to limit further relative movement. The assembly may include a torsional vibration damper for dampening torsional vibrations transmitted from the crankshaft, especially during crankshaft resonance.

Crankshaft gear torsional vibration isolator assembly for an engine

An engine system with a gear train to provide engine timing is disclosed. A technique to minimize backlash and noise caused by the gear train is included. An anti-backlash gear assembly useful to reduce backlash in the gear train is also disclosed. One disclosed gear assembly has at least two gear wheels with the circular thickness of the teeth of one gear wheel being less than the circular thickness of the other gear wheel. A gear assembly is also disclosed that has a bias torque of at least about 100 foot-pounds. A device carried on an anti-lash gear assembly to generally align teeth of the assembly for installation is also provided.

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Columbus, IN, United States of America

Dennis R Tibbetts