Caterpillar Inc.

Jeffrey J Krieger

Scott F Shafer

Ziedonis I Krauja

Craig A Kroeger

Eric J Hopkins

James R Corn

Keith D Grondines

Keith B Kreider

A torque converter may be inspected and verified using non-destructive testing methods so that the torque converter may be reused in a remanufacturing operation. The methods will permit a torque converter to be verified without needing to cut open the torque converter's housing to perform a close visual inspection. Rather, the methods make non-destructive inspection and verification possible.

Torque converter non-destructive inspection and verification for remanufacturing

A direct drive transmission includes clutches for driving a gear box and a shift controller in providing for improving the shifting of gears within the gear box. The gear box includes a first input countershaft and a second input countershaft. The shift controller includes a motor which is connected between the input countershafts to maintain the speed of the countershafts during shifting of the gears.

Direct drive transmission apparatus and method for controlling shift

Conventional direct-injection internal combustion engines having a fuel injector with multiple fuel spray orifices will not completely ignite and burn relatively lower-cetane-number alternative fuels such as 100 percent methanol or ethanol. That is because the fuel spray injection pattern, per se, usually cannot carry or propagate a flame to all the injected fuel which is typically made up of individual fuel streams which are separated by sectors of fuel-deficient intake air. The present fuel combustion system (10) includes a multiple-orifice fuel injector (22), a baffle (138) having a concave surface (146), and a fuel ignition-initiating device (22) such as glow plug positioned generally in spaced relation between the fuel injector (22) and the concave surface (146). The baffle (138) intercepts and temporarily maintains a stoichiometric preselected portion (34,38) of at least one, and preferably two, fuel streams (102,106) in ignitable proximity to the fuel ignition-initiating device (26) to positively start a localized flame (42) of burning fuel. The baffle (138) controlledly reflects and rapidly directs the resultant expanding flame (42) of burning fuel to all of the remaining fuel streams (110) so that they are interconnectedly bridged with the flame (42) and thereby positively ignited.

Flame incubating and propagating apparatus for a fuel combustion system

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Peoria, IL, United States of America

Jeffrey J Krieger