Eaton Corporation

Mechanical Technology Incorporated

Michael M Walsh

John A Corey

Roger P Worthen

Robert S Mueller

Lawrence L Meyer

In a reciprocating machine, there is provided a hollow piston including a dome portion on one end and a base portion on the opposite end. The base portion includes a central bore into which a rod is hermetically fixed in radial and angular alignment. The extending end of the rod has a reduced diameter portion adapted to fit into the central bore of a second member such as a cross-head assembly, and to be secured thereto in radial and axial alignment with the piston.

Lightweight piston-rod assembly for a reciprocating machine

A virtual balancing axis arrangement is described for multi-cylinder reciprocating piston machines for effectively balancing out imbalanced forces and minimizing residual imbalance moments acting on the crankshaft of such machines without requiring the use of additional parallel-arrayed balancing shafts or complex and expensive gear arrangements. The novel virtual balancing axis arrangement is capable of being designed into multi-cylinder reciprocating piston and crankshaft machines for substantially reducing vibrations induced during operation of such machines with only minimal number of additional component parts. Some of the required component parts may be available from parts already required for operation of auxiliary equipment, such as oil and water pumps used in certain types of reciprocating piston and crankshaft machine so that by appropriate location and dimensioning in accordance with the teachings of the invention, the virtual balancing axis arrangement can be built into the machine at little or no additional cost.

Means and method of balancing multi-cylinder reciprocating machines

A new and improved resonant free-piston Stirling engine and method of operation employing a novel virtual rod displacer is described. A rod is secured to and reciprocally moves with the displacer within the Stirling engine and has a rod piston area formed on the end of the rod remote from the displacer with the rod piston area also being subjected to the working gas periodic pressure wave. Suitable support bearings are designed within the Stirling engine housing for reciprocatingly supporting the displacer and rod assembly within the Stirling engine with a set of opposed acting gas springs being provided to act on the displacer end and rod assembly area end of the displacer and rod assembly. One end of the displacer is designed to have a greater effective area acted upon by the gas contained within the engine than the effective area of the opposite end whereby the unbalanced areas of the opposing displacer ends create a differential force when acted upon by a periodic pressure wave, causing reciprocating motion of the displacer and virtual rod assembly. In the preferred embodiment a displacer electrodynamic machine is provided for selectively driving or loading the displacer and rod assembly to thereby control the stroke and/or phase angle at which the displacer and rod assembly move relative to the output power piston or work member.

Resonant free-piston Stirling engine having virtual rod displacer and

A resonant free-piston Stirling engine having a new and improved start-up and control method and system. A displacer linear electrodynamic machine is provided having an armature secured to and movable with the displacer and having a stator supported by the Stirling engine housing in juxtaposition to the armature. A control excitation circuit is provided for electrically exciting the displacer linear electrodynamic machine with electrical excitation signals having substantially the same frequency as the desired frequency of operation of the Stirling engine. The excitation control circuit is designed so that it selectively and controllably causes the displacer electrodynamic machine to function either as a generator load to extract power from the displacer or the control circuit selectively can be operated to cause the displacer electrodynamic machine to operate as an electric drive motor to apply additional input power to the displacer in addition to the thermodynamic power feedback to the displacer whereby the displacer linear electrodynamic machine also is used in the electric drive motor mode as a means for initially starting the resonant free-piston Stirling engine.

Start-up and control method and apparatus for resonant free piston

A hydraulic drive system operating from the periodic pressure wave produced by a Stirling engine along a first axis thereof and effecting transfer of power from the Stirling engine to a load apparatus therefor and wherein the movable, or working member of the load apparatus is reciprocatingly driven along an axis substantially at right angles to the first axis to achieve an arrangement of a Stirling engine and load apparatus assembly which is much shorter and the components of the load apparatus more readily accessible.

Linear hydraulic drive system for a Stirling engine

A valve disabling and switch mechanism for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine is disclosed. One embodiment of the disabling mechanism is for an individually pivoted rocker arm; this disabling mechanism includes means which allow sliding movement of the rocker arm fulcrum to disable the valve, resilient means which ineffectively oppose sliding movement of the fulcrum, and stop means which prevent feedback of the force from the resilient means to the cam when the engine cam is in the dwell position. The switch mechanism is a spring loaded toggle switch which applies a force for switching the disabling mechanism between the disabling and non-disabling positions with a force effective to move the disabling mechanism only when the cam is in the dwell position. A second embodiment of the disabling mechanism is for a rocker arm pivoted about a rocker shaft; this disabling mechanism includes a two member rocker arm and includes the ineffective resilient means and the stop means.

Valve disabling mechanism

Disclosed is an improved valve selector assembly (10) for enabling and disabling the intake and exhaust valves of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine of the type having rocker arms (12 and 14) for opening and closing the valves in response to periodic forces pivoting the rocker arms about fulcrums (26 and 28) slidably mounted on studs (44 and 46). The selector assembly includes spring capsules (34 or 36) mounted on each stud and interposed between the associated fulcrum and a latch (38). The spring capsules are formed by stamping from sheet metal stock and the latch is a flat plate linearly movable between a valve enabling position preventing collapse of the spring capsules and a valve disabling position allowing collapse of the spring capsule.

Valve selector assembly

A fluid flow regulating valve is inserted in line with a fluid conducting medium to regulate the flow therethrough over a widely varying range of pressure differentials across the valve. The valve is constructed of a body portion having a fluid passageway therethrough terminating at one end in a land having an empirically derived, compound curved section. A compliant reed is affixed to the body portion adjacent the land and operates to press against and conform with the land in response to increasing fluid pressure differential across the reed whereby the rate of fluid flow through the valve remains substantially constant. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, a second similarly shaped land is provided adjacent the reed and opposite the other land to provide bidirectional flow control. The lands are integral portions of the body portion of the valve which is constructed of molded plastic or the like. The reed comprises thin metal shimstock or the like which has been heat staked to the body portion.

Fluid flow regulating valve and system

A device for disabling a poppet valve in an internal combustion engine. The engine includes a valve actuating drive train having an overhead camshaft, a hydraulic lash adjuster, and a rocker arm which pivots at one end about the lash adjuster. The disabling device is secured to the valve stem and is drivingly interposed between the valve and the other end of the rocker arm. The disabling device includes a cap and drum or first drive means moveable with the rocker arm and relative to the valve stem, first and second springs concentric to the valve stem and respectively apply a biasing force to the first and second drive means and a rotatable latch. The latch is moveable between a valve enabling position and a valve disabling position. The valve is enabled for normal opening and closing when the latch is in the valve enabling position; in this position the latch prevents relative movement between the first and second drive means and both springs bias the valve closed. The valve is disabled when the latch is in the valve disabling position, in this position the latch allows relative movement between the first and second drive means and the first spring biases the first drive means into contact with the rocker arm and the second spring biases the valve closed.

Valve selector

An improved load brake mechanism for hoists allows free movement of load supporting means connected with the hoist. The mechanism will stop the supporting means whenever the means achieves a predetermined velocity or acceleration. The braking mechanism allows the convenience of a free chain mode without the risk of an uncontrolled load on the hoist.

Hoist load brake

A device particularly adapted to transmit torque to a lever operated hoist for moving a load and including a torque transmitting toggle linkage mechanism biased to an operative position for transmitting the torque required to move loads not exceeding a predetermined magnitude upon movement of the hoist input lever and moveable to an indicating position upon movement of the input lever against a load in excess of the predetermined value. In some embodiments the movement of the toggle linkage to its indicating position occurs suddenly as in a snap action and a stop is provided on the input lever for arresting the movement of the linkage to create an audible indication of the movement of an overload. In other embodiments, means are provided to disengage the device from the hoist upon movement of the linkage to its indicating position.

Growing community of inventors

Schenectady, NY, United States of America

Michael M Walsh