EP0275265B1

EP0275265B1 - Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines

Info

Publication number: EP0275265B1
Application number: EP87903395A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Roberto Longobardi; Raffaele Longobardi
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-05-26
Filing date: 1987-05-21
Publication date: 1990-04-04
Also published as: EP0275265A1; WO1987007198A1; IT1191923B; AU7435187A; IT8648062A0

Abstract

Equipment which permits of supporting the cylinder head (50) of an internal combustion engine on a rotatable work table (5) pivoted about a given horizontal axis (6), at the same time anchoring it rigidly way of hinged arms (12) to a rail (8) that can be rotated either as one with the work table, about the same axis (6), or independently, about its own longitudinal axis (9); the equipment disclosed also features means (2) that are able to traverse a mobile feed mechanism (3) through two dimensions within a horizontal plane, and a vertical shaft (4) which is worked by the feed mechanism and can be brought into axial alignment with and located in the valve seats (52) of the cylinder head (50) in order to compress the valve springs and thus facilitate removal and refitment of the valves.

Description

The invention relates to equipment designed to support and position the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, petrol and diesel alike, to the end of facilitating, simplifying and speeding up engineering, repair and servicing operations. In conventional internal combustion engines, the cylinder block is sandwiched between the sump at bottom, which contains lubricating oil, and a head uppermost; the head is a one-piece casting generally comprising combustion chambers, inlet and exhaust ports, seats for the spark plugs, or the injectors in a diesel engine, and seats for the rocker gear (valves, springs and guides) and the camshaft, etc. In practice, the most common major engineering or servicing work is that carried out on the cylinder head, which must be separated from the block and then manoeuvred such as to enable a number of single operations that require its being set in a variety of positions, tilted, angled, and so forth; as those skilled in the art will know, the average cylinder head is a component of not inconsiderable weight. The operations carried out most frequently are those involving removal of the camshaft and of the valves. and their springs, grinding of the valves, cleaning of combustion chambers and valve ports, and of the head as a whole, and refitment, followed by final adjustment of the rocker gear and camshaft. Currently, there are no means or equipment found in the ordinary workshop designed to facilitate major engine jobs, which call for the cylinder head to be manoeuvred and positioned by hand and man-handled from one resting place to another, as may be most convenient for the single operations, and oblige the mechanic to perform what are no less than physical contortions in order to work on the less accessible and the more acutely angled parts and seats. Such a situation not only dictates that several hands may be needed at any given moment, but significantly lengthens the time required to complete a job and involves the mechanic in a considerable expenditure of physical effort, all of which has a negative effect on the quality and the cost of the work. Document FR-A-1524396 discloses a support for a cylinder head comprising a frame with means designed to pivot a shaft, a pivotable work table, and hinged arms to clamp the cylinder head. The object of the invention is to embody equipment designed to accommodate and support the cylinder head of an internal combustion, holding it fast in one set position and enabling a single mechanic to carry out all of the operations mentioned above in a much shorter time than possible hitherto, aided by systems for manoeuvring the head and its component parts.
A further object of the invention is to embody equipment that will angle, lift and rotate a head rigidly associated with it into whichever positions are most suitable or most convenient for the various operations in hand.
Another object of equipment embodied according to the invention is to facilitate work on single parts of the head by providing additional means that will permit of effecting their removal and refinement with ease, and with no more than one person required.
A no less important object of the invention is that of embodying means designed to reduce the physical effort required of the mechanic by affording ready access to the more hidden recesses of the head from a comfortable stance, thereby cutting the man hour requirement by more than 50% and obtaining notably enhanced quality in the work carried out.
The stated objects, and others besides, are achieved by the invention as defined in the independent claim.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail, by way of example, with the aid of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective of equipment according to the invention, supporting a cylinder head;
Fig. 2 is a side view of the equipment in Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a partly-exploded perspective showing the embodiment and application of a hinged arm forming part of the equipment;
Fig. 4 shows a set of schematic representations that illustrate certain of the positioning possibilities afforded with the head supported by the equipment.

With reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, 1 denotes a substantially parallelepiped framework which, in a preferred embodiment, will be fabricated from single members 101 fitted together with removable fastening means 102 such as screws or bolts, but could equally well be a one-piece construction, enclosed or open, or whatever.
The top side of such a framework 1 is fitted with permanently attached but movable means 2 designed to travers an axial feed mechanism 3, together with a vertically disposed shaft 4 operated by the feed mechanism, moving them as one through a horizontal plane lying at right angles to the shaft 4; such traversing means 2 might be power-driven by suitable means (not illustrated), or hand-operated.
5 denotes a work table 5 of quadrangular (preferably rectangular) shape located beneath the traversing means 2 and the shaft 4, attached via its opposite ends to the framework 1 at points coinciding with a horizontal axis 6, by way of rotating and clamping means 7. The work table 5 is rotatable about the horizontal axis 6 through a complete revolution, and can be made fast at any given angle within the full 360° by applying the clamping means 7.
8 denotes a rail located at one side of the work table 5, disposed parallel with the axis 6 about which the table 5 pivots, and rotatable through 360° about its own longitudinal axis 9; the rail 8 is suspended between a pair of rotating and fastening means 10 by way of which its ends are journalled to a pair of bearers 11 that project sideways from the two opposite ends of the work table 5.
Equipment according to the invention also features at least one pair of hinged arms 12 each of which comprises at least two hinges 13 that interconnect an end section 14, at least one middle section 15, and a base section 16 (see Fig. 3). The end, middle and base sections 14,15 and 16 can be separated one from the other by removing the cylindrical pins 17 from the hinges 13; by the same token, the single sections can be rigidly associated one with the next at a given mutual angle by applying conventional fastening means to the selfsame cylindrical hinge pins 17, e.g. futs or the like.
In the drawings, 50 denotes the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine (petrol in this instance, though the application remains identical for diesel) resting on the work table 5 and connected rigidly to the rail 8 by way of two arms 12 as described above, the rigid connection being effected by screwing the end section 14 of each arm 15 into one of the spark plug, or injector seats 51 offered by the head 50. To enable such a connection, the end section 14 is embodied in two parts 114 and 115. The first such part 114, which is hollow and internally threaded, exhibits one end 116 with an external thread of size and pitch to match that of the seat 51, whereas the remaining end 117 is enlarged to form a nut; one end 118 of the second part 115 is threaded to enable its being screwed into the first part 114, and provided with a thread and locknut 119 to enable tightening the two parts 114 and 115 together. The remaining end of the second part 115 is embodied in such a way as to create one of the hinges 13, in conjunction with the corresponding end of the middle section 15. One end of the base section 16 exhibits a socket 161 for acceptance of an ordinary fastener, e.g. a screw or bolt, denoted 18; slotted through the rail 8 into the socket 161 and tightened, such a fastener 18 ultimately produces the rigid connection between the rail 8 and a head 50 occupying the work table 5.
The work table 5 is rotatable about its axis 6 in rigid association with the rail 8, as discernable from Fig. 4. Rotation is produced by the rotating and clamping means 7 located at each end, each set of which, in a preferred embodiment, takes the form of a pair of coaxial friction discs 71, one rigidly associated with the table 5 and the other with the framework 1, and a clamp lever 72.
Likewise in a preferred embodiment, one of the pairs of discs 71 will be provided with a graduated scale 73 giving usual indication of the angle assumed by the work table 5 in relation to either a horizontal or a vertical reference plane.
Rotating the work table 5 serves to bring the valve seats 52 in the head 50 into axial alignment with the vertical shaft 4, the bottom end of which is fitted with a plunger 19 (Fig. 2); the shaft can then be lowered and located in each seat 52 in turn so as to compress the valve springs and thus render the removal operation simple and effortless (Fig. 1). The shaft 4 is brought into vertical alignment with the single seats 52 by way of the traversing means 2, which can be moved through a single horizontal plane such that the axial feed mechanism 3 operating the shaft 4 occupies any given position internally of the framework 1 while remaining disposed at right angles to the traversing plane (Figs. 1 and 2).
In a preferred embodiment, the traversing means 2 consist in a flat body 20 the two opposite parallel ends of which afford sliding means (not illustrated for simplicity's sake) permanently engaged in and running back and forth horizontally between a pair of parallel cross members 21 of the framework 1 that are provided with respective longitudinal tracks 22 to accommodate the sliding means. The length of the tracks 22 is such as to enable movement of the feed mechanism 3 across almost the entire corresponding distance encompassed by the framework. The flat body 20 in its turn exhibits a substantially rectangular opening 23 the two longer opposite parallel sides of which permanently engage a cross slide 24 capable of traversing back and forth along the opening 23 on sliding means, similar to those mentioned above, through a horizontal path at right angles to the path traversed by the flat body 20. Like the tracks 22, the opening 23 is of length such as to enable movement of the cross slide 24, hence of the axial feed mechanism 3 carried by the cross slide, across almost the entire corresponding distance encompassed by the framework 1.
The axial feed mechanism 3 that operates the shaft 4 will be seen to consist in an internally threaded support 25 integral with the cross slide 24 and mating with a continuous thread 26 occupying almost the total length of the vertical shaft 4, and a hand operated control, embodied as a handwheel 27 in Figs. 1 and 2 which, when rotated, turns the shaft 4 in the cross slide 24 and thus permits of raising and lowering it in axial alignment with the seats 52 in the head 50 below.
The shaft 4 must shift axially, within the confines of the framework 1, between a position in which its bottom end is adjacent to the cross slide 24, and a position in which the same end can be inserted and pressed into the seats 52; such a facility might also be achieved with means other than the simple feed mechanism illustrated, for example hydraulic, pneumatic or electric.
Where operations other than removal and refitment of valves and springs are effected, e.g. cleaning and grinding of valve ports, combustion chambers etc., the rail 8 is rotated in its bearers 11, which are also adjustable inasmuch as the length projecting from the work table 5 can be increased or shortened; more exactly, two or more holes 31 are provided at each end of the table 5, aligned with a respective longitudinal slot 32 in the bearer 11 beneath, in which two or more conventional fasteners 28 such as screws or bolts can be located and tightened, having selected the position of the bearers 11 in relation to the table 5 (Fig. 1). The ends of the rail 8 are carried by the respective bearers 11 via rotating and fastening means 10 consisting in bearings that ensheath journal bosses offered by the rail ends, and wrench or lever operated means 29 (Fig. 4) that lock the bosses into whatever angular position is produced by rotation of the rail 8.
Fig. 4 illustrates a succession of just three amongst the many possible positions that a cylinder head 50 may assume by virtue of the rigid connection created with the rail 8 using two arms 12, and of subsequent rotation of the rail about its axis 9; it will be appreciated from the illustrations how engineering work, repairs and servicing operations are rendered simple and effortless by the extreme versatility of equipment according to the invention.
Lastly, the rail 8 in a preferred embodiment will be provided along its length either with a continuous through slot, or with a plurality of such slots 30 arranged in regular succession, designed to receive the fasteners 18 of the hinged arms 12 in whichever positions match those of the spark plug or injector seats 51 in the cylinder head 50 (Fig. 3).

Claims

1. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, whereby it comprises:

-a substantially parallelepiped framework (1) the top side of which incorporates permanently attached but movable means (2) designed to traverse an axial feed mechanism (3) together with a vertical shaft (4) operated by the mechanism, moving them through a single horizontal plane lying at right angles to the shaft in such a way as to cover substantially the entire area encompassed by the framework;

-a work table (5) of substantially quadrangular shape located beneath the traversing means (2) and attached via its opposite ends to the framework at points coinciding with a horizontal axis (6); and rotating and clamping means (7) by which the table can be rotated about the horizontal axis (6) and made fast at any given angle assumed as a result of such rotation;

-a rail (8), located at one side of the work table (5), disposed parallel with the horizontal axis (6) about which the table pivots, rotatable about its own longitudinal axis (9), and suspended between a pair of bearers (11) attached to and projecting from the two relative ends of the work table; and a pair of rotating and fastening means (10) by which the rail can be rotated about its longitudinal axis (9) and made fast at any given angle assumed as a result of such rotation;

-at least one pair of hinged arms (12), each one of which comprises at least two cylindrically pivoted hinges (13) interconnecting an end section (14), designed for rigid connection to the single spark plug or injector seats (51) of a cylinder head (50) occupying the work table (5) at least one middle section (15), and a base section (16) designed to connect rigidly with the rotatable rail (8);

-and whereby: the end, middle and base sections (14, 15, 16) of each arm (12) can be separated one from the other by removing the cylindrical pins (17) from the hinges (13), and rigidly associated one with the next at given mutual angles by applying conventional fastening means to the selfsame pins (17);

the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine can be positioned on the work table (5) and connected rigidly to the rotatable rail (8) by way of at least two hinged arms (12), whereupon the work table and the rail can be rotated as one about the horizontal axis (6) and made fast at an angle such as will bring the vertical shaft (4) into axial alignment with the valve seats (52) in the head (50) and enable its insertion therein; and

-the rail (8) remains rotatable about its longitudinal axis regardless of the angular position of the worktable, such that the hinged arms (12) and cylinder head (50) rigidly anchored to the rail can be set and clamped in a plurality of positions for working purposes.

2. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the work table (5) is rotatable about the horizontal axis (6) through 360°.

3. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the rail (8) is rotatable about its longitudinal axis (9) through 360°.

4. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the traversing means (2) consist in a flat body (20) the two opposite parallel ends of which afford sliding means engaged permanently in and running horizontally back and forth between a pair of parallel cross members (21) of the framework that are provided with respective longitudinal tracks (22) to accommodate the sliding means; wherein the flat body (20) in turn exhibits a substantially rectangular opening (23) the two longer opposite parallel sides of which permanently engage a cross slide (24) capable of traversing back and forth along the same two parallel sides through a horizontal path lying at right angles to the path traversed by the flat body (20); and wherein the cross slide (24) affords support to the axial feed mechanism (3), and the vertical shaft (4) operated by the mechanism is disposed at right angles to the two sliding paths.

5. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 4, wherein the length of the tracks (22) offered by the parallel cross members (21) is such as to enable movement of the axial feed mechanism (3) across almost the entire corresponding distance encompassed by the framework (1), and the two longer opposite parallel sides of the opening (23) in the flat body (20) are likewise of length such as to enable movement of the cross slide (24), hence of the axial feed mechanism (3) carried by the cross slide, across almost the entire corresponding distance encompassed by the framework.

6. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the embodiment of the axial feed mechanism (3) is such that operation of the vertical shaft (4) shifts the bottom end of the shaft within the confines of the framework (1) between a position adjacent to the cross slide (24), and a position in which it can be located in and pressed into the valve seats (52) of a cylinder head (50) occupying the work table (5) beneath.

7. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 6, wherein the feed mechanism (3) consists in an internally threaded support (25) integral with the cross slide (24) that mates with a continuous thread (26) occupying almost the entire length of the shaft (4), and a hand operated control which rotates the shaft (4) in the threaded support (25), screwing it one way and the other.

8. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 6, wherein the feed mechanism (3) consists in hydraulic, pneumatic or electric power driven means impinging on the shaft (4).

9. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the end of the vertical shaft (4) is fitted with a plunger (19) by which single valve springs in a cylinder head (50) are engaged and compressed axially when the shaft is impinged upon.

10. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the sets of means (7) by which the work table (5) is rotated and clamped incorporates a graduated scale (73) giving visual indication of the angle assumed by the work table, in relation to a horizontal or vertical reference plane.

11. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein each of the sets of means (7) by which the work table (5) is rotated and clamped consists in a pair of coaxial friction discs (71), one rigidly associated with the table (5) and the other with the framework (1), and a lever (72) serving to clamp the discs together.

12. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the pair of bearers (11) supporting the rail (8) are attached to the underside of the work table (5) in such a way as to provide for an adjustment of their projecting length effected by bringing two or more holes (31) located at each end of the table (5) into alignment with a longitudinal slot (32) in each bearer (11), and inserting conventional mechanical fasteners (28) through the slots and into the holes.

13. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein means (10) by which the rail is rotated and fastened consist in bearings that ensheath journal bosses offered by the rail ends, and wrench or lever operated means (29) that serve to lock the bosses in position.

14. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the rail (8) is provided along its length with a con- tinuousthrough slot, or with a plurality of discrete through slots (30) arranged in regular succession, designed to accommodate conventional fasteners (18) for the hinged arms (12).

15. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the end section (14) of each hinged arm (12) is embodied in two parts:

-an internally threaded hollow first part (114), one end (116) of which exhibits an external thread of size and pitch to match the internal thread of a spark plug or injector seat (51) in the cylinder head (50), the remaining end being enlarged to form a nut (117);

-a second part (115), one end of which exhibits a thread (118) that screws into the first part (114), and a further thread and locknut (119) that permit of tightening the two parts (114-115) together, the remaining end being embodied in such a way as to create a hinge (13) in conjunction with the matching end of the middle section (15);

and wherein the base section (16) of each hinged arm (12) exhibits a socket (161) in which an ordinary fastener (18) slotted through the rail (8) can be located and tightened.

16. Equipment for engineering work and servicing carried out on the cylinder heads of internal combustion engines, as in claim 1, wherein the framework (1) is fabricated from single members (101) fitted together by way of removable fastening means (102).