Caterpillar Inc.

Viorel Petrariu

Jonathan Richard Chittenden

Jeff Allen Howard

John W Milem

Curtis John Graham

James Jay Cress

Douglas Edward Davis

Daniel S Brandt

Colin A Hawkins

Michael D Gough

Steven Ramey

A cylinder head includes a cylinder head casting having a top deck and a bottom deck, and a coolant cavity. The cylinder head also includes an igniter column including an upper section, and a necked-down lower section extending upwardly from the bottom deck. The igniter column includes an inner surface forming an igniter bore such as for a sparkplug, and an outer heat-dissipation surface. The outer heat-dissipation surface is exposed in circumferential uniformity to the coolant cavity and extends radially inwardly of the inner surface at locations axially between an igniter seat and a bottom deck cavity surface. In some embodiments, a cylinder head includes an enclosed as-cast cooling channel axially between an igniter seat and a bottom deck combustion surface.

Cylinder head configured for improved cooling performance and manufacturability

Cylinder head

A cylinder head assembly includes a cylinder head having a top deck, a fire deck, and an igniter post extending upward from the fire deck. An igniter sleeve is within an igniter bore in the cylinder head and includes a locating surface clamped against an upward facing stop surface of the cylinder head. A tip coolant clearance is defined axially between a sleeve tip and the fire deck, and a body coolant clearance is defined peripherally between the igniter sleeve and the cylinder head and is continuously circumferential of the igniter sleeve axially between the sleeve tip and a coolant cavity formed in the cylinder head.

Cylinder head assembly and axially located igniter sleeve for same

A cylinder head in a cylinder head assembly includes an upper deck, a fire deck, gas exchange conduits, and a coolant cavity extending peripherally around the gas exchange conduits. The cylinder head also includes an igniter socket having an igniter post, and a radially outward sleeve step continuously circumferential of an igniter bore center axis. A cooling moat is formed between the igniter post and the sleeve step. The coolant cavity includes a valve bridge through-channel and a valve bridge part-way channel each fluidly connected to the igniter socket to provide coolant flow into and out of the cooling moat passively.

Passive igniter cooling in cylinder head assembly

A prechamber sparkplug assembly includes a sparkplug, and a sparkplug housing having a prechamber tip. The sparkplug housing includes a plug bore centered on a longitudinal axis of the sparkplug housing and receiving the sparkplug, an inside radial wall extending around the plug bore, and an outside radial wall. A cooling cavity is formed between the inside radial wall and the outside radial wall. Coolant ports extend through the outside radial wall and fluidly connect to the cooling cavity to place the cooling cavity in fluid communication with a water jacket in a cylinder head.

Prechamber sparkplug assembly having sparkplug housing structured for liquid cooling

A cylinder head casting in a cylinder head assembly includes a coolant cavity upper surface and a coolant cavity lower surface forming a coolant cavity. The coolant cavity lower surface is contoured to form an igniter-support prominence and cast-in coolant channels through the igniter-support prominence to feed a flow of coolant through a cooling moat extending circumferentially around an igniter post supporting an igniter sleeve. The igniter sleeve abuts the cylinder head, radially outward of the igniter post, at a first contact location and a second contact location in an alternating arrangement with a first coolant feed opening and a second coolant feed opening. Related methodology relating to making a cylinder head is also disclosed.

Cylinder head having cast-in coolant passages arranged for passive igniter cooling

Cylinder head assembly and cylinder head having igniter cooling moat

A self-cleaning oil filter housing is disclosed. The self-cleaning oil filter housing includes a hollow elongated body. The hollow elongated body has a central axis and a transverse axis perpendicular to the central axis. The self-cleaning oil filter housing includes a first flange provided on an outer surface of the hollow elongated body. The first flange has a first through hole along a first tangential direction. The self-cleaning oil filter housing includes a second flange provided on the outer surface of the hollow elongated body. The second flange has a second through hole along a second tangential direction. An angle between the first tangential direction and the second tangential direction is pre-determined. The self-cleaning oil filter housing includes a rib portion extending between the first flange and the second flange.

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Lafayette, IN, United States of America

Viorel Petrariu