Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Larry Van Reatherford

Oludele Olusegun Popoola

Robert C McCune

Ronald Paul Cooper

Eddie Lee Cartwright

Stephen George Russ

Jialin Yang

Daniel Edward Wilkosz

Armando Mateo Joaquin

Arnon Wexler

Gordon Krauss

Jan Birger Skogsmo

Edgar De Vries

An apparatus for ultrasonically welding workpieces that reduces sonotrode adhesion during the ultrasonic welding process. The sonotrode tip has a specific surface configuration, including a curvilinear shaped outer surface combined with a plurality of grooves and lands. Due to the curvilinear surface, the depth of the grooves gradually decreases near the outer edge or periphery of a contact surface of the sonotrode tip. Further, such a groove and land combination also provides a sharp edge or corner that reduces sliding of the tip on the workpiece and correspondingly reduces sticking. In addition, various types of coatings or inserts may also be used to reduce sticking of the sonotrode tip to the workpiece.

Ultrasonic welding apparatus

An apparatus and a method for producing homogeneous charge compression ignition within a cylinder by the controlled introduction of material into the cylinder when the piston reaches a top dead center position. The material may have a relatively high temperature and pressure and may comprise superheated water.

Method and apparatus for creating homogeneous charge compression ignition

A method of making valve guides by thermal spraying a wear-resistant layer onto a rotating mandrel that is subsequently built up by thermal spraying steel on the wear-resistant layer. A flame spray polymer lubricant may be applied to the wear-resistant layer to improve self-lubricating properties of the engine valve guide. The mandrel and applied layers are then cut off and the remaining segment is further processed in a machining operation to remove the mandrel from the inside of the engine valve guide. The mandrel is preferably cooled as the thermal spray is applied preferably by routing a cooling fluid such as air through the mandrel.

Methods for manufacturing multi-layer engine valve guides by thermal spray

Method of making valve seats by thermally spraying bulk material. The method includes the steps of: (i) preparing a cylindrical polymeric mandrel having an outside dimension not greater than the desired inside dimension of the desired insert, the mandrel having no means to provide for separation of the sprayed material from the mandrel, (ii) thermal spraying separate particles of one or more types of steel or nickel alloys in the presence of a controlled oxidizing medium under conditions that allow firstly, melting of the mandrel and its infiltration into the sprayed material and secondly to form a subsequent polymer free dense metallic bulk composite material (iii) after cooling, machining and cutting into discrete seat shapes for implanting into the final product.

Method of making spray-formed articles using a polymeric mandrel

A method of manufacturing a metal and polymeric composite article by the following steps. Droplets of spray deposited metal and spray deposited polymeric material are combined to form an article having the polymeric material interspersed within the metal. A carrier or form that shaped to receive the metal and polymeric layers is provided. The carrier may be made either stationary or movable. Layers of spray deposited metal and spray deposited polymeric material are applied atop the carrier. The spray deposited metal is between 90 and 95 percent by volume of the article. The polymeric layers do not completely cover the metal layers. Succeeding spray deposited metal layers contact bond to previous metal layers. The polymeric material between imbedded between the interconnected metal layers.

Method of manufacturing a metal and polymeric composite article

A HCCI engine includes a cylinder block with a cylinder head closing off a cylinder, a power piston slidably contained within the cylinder, and a boost piston for initiating timed combustion of fuel within a combustion chamber. The boost piston is housed within a wall of the combustion chamber such that when the boost piston moves from a base position to an extended position, the heat increase within the combustion chamber is sufficient to cause fuel within the combustion chamber to ignite.

Homogeneous charge compression ignition internal combustion engine

Transmission torque converter reactor thrust washer segments (,) comprising a surface hardenable aluminum alloy are subjected to electrical discharge machining (EDM) using an electrode (,) and under conditions effective to impart a hydrodynamic bearing surface profile to the segment surfaces (,), reduce segment surface roughness, and increase segment surface hardness. Torque converter reactors (,) having integrated thrust washer segments machined in this manner exhibit improved wear resistance and hydrodynamic lift when compared to as cast thrust washer segments.

Shaped and finished metallic torque converter reactor

A method of defining valve seats on valve seat supports of an internal combustion engine head. The method includes steps of; (a) roughening the exposed surface of the valve seat support to a finish of 10-50 .mu.m RA; (b) thermally spraying a stream of composite particles onto the roughened support surface, using gaseous propellants with sufficient heat and force to produce a dense adherent composite coating of metal and metal oxide particles and to a thickness no greater than 1-1.5 mm; and (c) finish machining if necessary, the sprayed coating to define the valve seat surface. The composite coated product consists of a metal/metal oxide mixture that possesses one or more of the following characteristics: a surface porosity of 2-5%, a density of 6.5-8 grams/cc, a Vickers hardness of about 280 kg/mm.sup.2 at 450.degree. C., high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance.

Method of making adherently sprayed valve seats

Method of making seat inserts by thermally spraying bulk material. The method includes the steps of: (i) preparing a mandrel having an outside dimension not greater than the desired inside dimension of the desired insert, the mandrel having a part to provide for separation of the sprayed bulk material from the mandrel, (ii) thermal spraying separate particles of one or more types of steel or nickel alloys in the presence of a controlled oxidizing medium to form a bulk composite material on the mandrel with a density of at least 99% and, (iii) after cooling the bulk material, removing such material from the mandrel and slicing it into discrete seat shapes for implanting into the final product.

Method of making spray-formed inserts

A pressure-wave supercharger for an internal combustion engine is incorporated into the engine flywheel. The supercharger includes a rotor with a plurality of cells extending axially of the rotor and arranged circumferentially about the rotor, an exhaust tube for introducing exhaust gas into the cells at one end of the rotor during rotation thereof, an ambient air inlet tube for introducing air into the cells at another end of the rotor during rotation thereof, the air introduced into the cells being compressed by the exhaust gas introduced into the cells. A compressed air inlet tube feeds the compressed air to the engine. The cells or channels of the rotor are formed within the flywheel itself such that the flywheel operates as the supercharger mechanism.

Pressure-wave supercharger

A roller camshaft for actuating cylinder poppet valves of an internal combustion engine includes a carrier shaft adapted for rotation by an engine crankshaft. The camshaft may be equipped with more than one cam lobe, with each lobe having a base circle portion, an acceleration ramp, a deceleration ramp, a tappet contacting roller housed in a socket positioned at a nose of the lobe, a leading transition ramp located adjacent both the acceleration ramp and the roller, and a trailing transition ramp located adjacent both the deceleration ramp and the roller.

Roller camshaft for internal combustion engine

Method of attaching an insert to a valve seat location of an engine involves forming an engine valve seat location with a circular conical face surface constituted of a light metal; forming an insert with a circular conical bonding surface for mating with the face surface, the bonding surface being constituted of a metal dissimilar to the light metal and having a higher hardness and a higher melting temperature than the light metal of the face surface; aligning the axes of the face surface and bonding surface and gradually rotationally driving the insert into the valve seat with sufficient pressure and for a controlled period of time frictionally melt or plasticize a film of the face surface; and thereafter ceasing the rotational driving while holding the surfaces together with sufficient forging pressure and for a period of time to allow the melted film to recrystallize and create a metallurgical bond between the surfaces.

Friction welded valve seats

A cylinder head and spark plug assembly for mounting on an engine block to create a combustion chamber for burning fuel and method for assembling the same are disclosed. A cylinder head has an end wall with an exterior surface and an interior surface and a spark plug bore extending downstream from the exterior surface to the interior surface. The spark plug bore has a seal surface adjacent the interior surface and external threads disposed upstream from the seal surface. A spark plug includes a body terminating in an end portion having a seal surface thereon, a nut and external threads disposed between the nut and the seal surface. The external threads of the spark plug are threadedly retained within the internal threads of the spark plug bore with the spark plug seal surface cooperating with the cylinder head seal surface in an interference fit eliminating any crevice between the end portion of the body and the spark plug bore downstream of the interference fit. Therefore, combustible fuels cannot reside in crevices between the body and the bore and escape being ignited during fuel burning in the combustion chamber.

Growing community of inventors

Clarkston, MI, United States of America

Larry Van Reatherford