Caterpillar Inc.

Ryan Michael Heinbuch

Travis Thomas Petry-Johnson

Philip Christopher Millward

Jonathan Richard Chittenden

An engine includes a camshaft supported in a housing for rotation about an axis of rotation. A cam gear is attached to one end of the camshaft and includes a first thrust bearing surface. A thrust ring is attached to the cam gear and includes a second thrust bearing surface. A thrust ring retainer is attached to the housing with a plurality of bolts and includes a pair of thrust surfaces trapped between the first thrust bearing surface of the cam gear and a second thrust bearing surface of the thrust ring. The thrust ring retainer also defines a portion of a lubrication connection passage that facilitates pressure equalization among a plurality of lubrication galleries arranged in parallel adjacent the camshaft.

Cam shaft/cam gear assembly and thrust strategy for engine using same

In one aspect, a machine includes an engine supported on a machine body. The engine includes a housing and a gear train that includes a crank gear meshed with a cam gear that is meshed with at least one powered gear. The cam gear is attached to a cam shaft by a drive coupler. The cam shaft is rotationally supported in the housing on a plurality of bearings, and the cam gear is rotationally supported on a stub shaft with an inner surface that is out of contact with the cam shaft. The stub shaft is attached to the housing of the engine.

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Novi, MI, United States of America

Ryan Michael Heinbuch