AU2002100119A4 - Compact intake manifold with long individual runners for six-cylinder in-line engines - Google Patents

Description

Australia Patents Act 1990 Complete Specification Innovation Patent COMPACT INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH LONG INDIVIDUAL RUNNERS FOR SIX-CYLINDER IN-LINE ENGINES The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: Lloyd L. Slonecker COMPACT INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH LONG INDIVIDUAL RUNNERS FOR SIX-CYLINDER IN-LINE

ENGINES

This invention relates to a compact intake manifold of improved design for six-cylinder in-line engines, in particular a manifold that provides for a single plenum and six individual air intake passages that are commonly referred to as runners.

Intake manifolds of internal combustion engines transport combustion air or a combustible air/fuel mixture to the cylinders of the engine. A carburetor typically mounts over the plenum of the manifold, Air enters the plenum through the carburetor and travels to the individual cylinders through individual air ducts commonly referred to as runners. It has been shown that as plenum volume decreases and runner length increases, there is a positive effect on engine performance.

This is due to more consistent airflow at the engine intake port when runners are long, and the effect is commonly referred to inertia charging. Since this performance boosting effect has only been recently understood and applied, older vehicles do not have such manifolds and have little or no room under-hood for conversion to newer style manifolds. This is particularly the case for six-cylinder in-line engines because they are especially long compared to V style engines, and therefore difficult to fit With equal-length runners since there are large differences in the carburetor-to-intake-port distances when a carburetor is mounted close to the engine.

These problems have been overcome by the present invention. The present invention provides for an intake manifold with the benefits of long individual runners, while still being of such compact size and substantially single plane arrangement that it may be applied to older sixcylinder in-line engines with little or no modification to under-hood components or arrangements.

The manifold of this invention is also simple to produce by traditional metal casting methods.

In the following drawings, two applications of the invention are shown: Brief Description of the Drawings: Fig. 1 is a plan view of the intake manifold, Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of Fig. I at the surface of attachment to an engine, Fig. 3 is a plan view of another embodiment of the intake manifold, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation view of Fig. 3 at the surface of attachment to an engine.

Detailed Description of the Invention: An intake manifold for a six-cylinder in-line engine, said manifold having a single plenum and six individual air delivery runners, each runner being dedicated to an individual engine intake port.

A carburetor mounting base 1 is provided, with a plenum 2 directly underneath said mounting Page 1 base. Mounting base 118s centrally positioned along the longitudinal axis of the manifold, Six individual runners, each being substantially rectangular in shape throughout their length, have their points of origin at said plenum 2. Each runner has a straight beginning segment 3,4,5,6,7,8 which runs generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the manifold. Straight segments 3,4,5 begin on the longitudinally rearward side of the plenum and serve the three longitudinally rearward engine intake ports. Straight segments 6,7,8 begin on the longitudinally forward side of the plenum and serve the three longitudinally forward engine intake ports.

The runner with straight beginning segment 3 travels longitudinally rearward to a turn 13 of generally 90 degrees, continues along the changed path in straight segment 14 and through an integral attachment flange 16 to the endmost engine intake port. In a path~ generally parallel to straight segment 3, the runner with straight segment 4 travels longitudinally rearward to a turn 16 of generally 90 degrees, continues along the changed path in straight segment 17 and through an integral attachment flange 15 to the second-most rearward engine intake port In.a path generally parallel to straight segments 3 and 4, the runner with straight segment 5 travels longitudinally rearward to a turn 19 of generally 180 degrees, travels longitudinally forward along the changed path in straight segment 20 until reaching a turn 21 of generally 90 degrees, travels along the changed path towards the engine in straight segment 22 and passes through integral attachment flange 23 to the third-most rearward engine intake part. Runner segments 3 and 4 share a common wall 9, runner segments 4 and 5 share a common wall 36, and runner segments 5 and share a common wall 24.

The runner with straight beginning segment 6 travels longitudinally forward to a turn 25 of generally 90 degrees, continues toward the engine along the changed path in straight segment 26, and through an integral attachment flange 27 to the most forward engine intake port. In a path generally parallel to straight segment 6, the runner with straight beginning segment 7 travels longitudinally forward to a turn 28 of generally 90 degrees, continues toward the engine along the changed path in straight segment 29. and through an integral attachment flange 27 to the second-most forward engine intake port. In a path generally parallel to straight beginning segments 6 and 7, the runner with straight beginning segment 8 travels longitudinally forward to a turn 30 of generally 180 degrees, travels longitudinally rearward along the changed path in straight 31 until reaching a turn 32 of generally 90 degrees, travels along the changed path in straight segment 33, and passes through integral attachment flange 23 to the third-most forward engine intake port, Runner segments 6 an 7 share a common wall 34, runner segments 7 and 8 share a common wall 35, and runner segments 8 and 31 share a common wall 37.

The side elevation views of Fig, 2 and Fig. 4 illustrate the cross section of the runners where they Meet the engine intake ports. The substantially rectangular shape at this end of the runners is indicative of the substantially rectangular cross section throughout their length. Since one of the Page 2 intentions of this invention is to provide for smooth flow from runner to intake port, the ratio of the sidewall lengths of the substantially rectangular runners would be similar to the intake port proportions of the specific engine application, In the same way, the number of integral attachment flanges and their arrangement will vary as the current invention is applied to various engines.

Since different engine builders tend to have different intake port spacing and flange arrangements, it is not my intention to limit the current invention to the intake port spacing or attachment flange arrangements of Figures 1,2,3, and 4, but to show how the current invention is applicable to any six-cylinder in-line engine, old or new. For example, Fig. 1 shows the invention as it would apply to typical Jeep/Chrysler 4.2 and 4.0 liter engines while Fig. 3 shows the invention as it would apply to Toyota F and 2F engines. Thus anyone skilled in this area will understand the wide range of application of this invention.

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Claims (4)

1. An intake manifold with inertia charging benefits for six-cylinder in-line engines with: a single plenum that is centrally positioned along the longitudinal axis of the manifold, this longitudinal axis paralleling the longitudinal axis of the engine, six individually dedicated runners of substantially equal internal cross-section and substantially equal length, each of said runners beginning at a shared singular plenum of defined central location and ending at a designated corresponding individual cylinder intake port of the engine, the interior shape of the runners being substantially rectangular throughout their length and consequently able to share walls between runners to the most advantageous extent, the walls defining the bottom of the intake runners being substantially in the same plane, said plane being generally perpendicular to the longitudinally vertical plane of the engine, the end segments of the of the six individual intake runners being arranged in two oppositely disposed sets of three at their point of origin at the plenum, each set of three runner intakes is arranged as to begin generally equidistant from the transverse centerline of the plenum, one set of three runners originating on the longitudinally rearward side of the plenum serving the longitudinally rearward three engine intake ports, one set of three runners originating on the longitudinally forward side of the plenum serving the longitudinally forward three engine intake ports, the three runners and their paths on the longitudinally rearward side of the longitudinally rearward side of the plenum being substantially symmetrical to the three runners and their paths on the longitudinally forward side of the plenum.

2. The intake manifold according to claim 1 wherein the runner which begins furthest from the engine within each set of three oppositely disposed and substantially symmetrical runner sets. travels away from the plenum in a direction generally longitudinal with the longitudinal axis of the manifold, makes one turn of generally 90 degrees toward the engine, and travels along the changed path and through an integral attachment flange to the corresponding location of the individually designated endmost engine intake port.

3. The intake manifold according to claim 1 wherein the runner which begins second furthest from the engine within each set of three oppositely disposed and substantially symmetrical runn er Page 4 sets travels away from the plenum in a direction generally longitudinal with the longitudinal axis of the manifold, makes one turn of generally 90 degrees toward the engine and travels along the changed path and through an integral attachment flange to the corresponding location of the individually designated second endmost engine intake port.

4. The intake manifold according to claim 1 wherein the runner which begins closest to the engine within each set of three oppositely disposed and substantially symmetrical runner SetS travels away from the plenum in a direction generally longitudinal with the longitudinal axis of the manifold, makes one turn of generally 180 degrees, travels along the changed path in the general direction of the plenum makes one turn of generally 90 degrees toward the engine and travels along the changed path, and through an integral attachment flange to the corresponding location of the individually designated third engine intake port. AN APPLICANT: Lloyd L. Slonecker Page