GB2494718A

GB2494718A - Segmented connecting rod with an energy storing element

Info

Publication number: GB2494718A
Application number: GB1116497.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Luciano Danilo Lissiak
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2011-09-16
Filing date: 2011-09-16
Publication date: 2013-03-20
Also published as: GB201116497D0

Abstract

An engine con rod with separate upper 2 and lower 5 connecting rod elements, wherein the two or more sections will perform at times as one. The con-rod comprises an element of compressibility 3 where the energy from around the top of the piston stroke will be stored and later released at a more advantageous crankshaft angle, the previously stored energy will be released more gradually and over a longer expandable connection. The energy storing element may take the form of a spring 3 or some other suitable material or substance.

Description

A segmented connecting rod with additional torque capacity

Background

Connecting rods or more commonly known as Con Rods can be very small or several feet in length, they are used to transfer the vertical motion of a piston to a rotating motion.

By enlarge internal combustion engines have a fixed defined volume where the fuel and air mixture burns to give power.

The fuel is normally ignited at a crankshaft angle of about 10 degrees before top dead center (TDC).

Unfortunately at that precise moment, the mixture begins to burn, hot gases are being formed and the pressure begins to increase acting against the piston as it reaches the top of the cylinder head, so that the pressure of the gases are acting against the piston, frying to push it in an unwanted direction.

At top dead center again there is no useful work being done when the piston and the crankshaft are all lined up, at zero degrees (TDC) and the pressure in the chamber is substantially higher, pressure is exerted in all directions, so that no useful work is being done yet.

When the piston begins to move in a down wards direction, after having passed TDC, that is when work is being done with increasing efficiency.

There will be a time when all the the! is all but spent, and the gases finally stop expanding and exerting useful pressure.

The idea of the invention is to store the compressive energy from around the top of the piston stroke by allowing a spring or other material to compress and store that energy.

The energy involved in compressing this element (spring or other suitable material/substance) will at a later stage release that stored energy sometimes later in the downwards power stroke.

It is thought that the larger the connecting rod the more useful this invention could be.

It is envisaged that large sea going vessel such as ships, tankers, liner and the like would benefit from this application especially where the engines are very large and the revolution of the crankshaft is slower than the conventional internal combustion petrol engines, where this invention might not be suitable.

A basic illustration of a connecting rod is shown without the restraining bolts in Fig 1, where (1) is a con rod and (2) is the top half of con rod, (3) is the spring element (or other material) and (4) will be crankshaft position, attached to the bottom half of the con rod (big end).

The invention will allow the piston to reach the required compression pressure at the top of the cylinder see Fig 2 where another version of a design is shown where (2) is the the upper part of the con rod. (3) is the spring element, (4) is the crankshaft position. (5) is the bottom section of the con rod (6) is a chamber, where (7) is the crankshaft shell bearing (8) is the retaining bolt, (9) are the lubrication channel or land pressure relief avenues (10) is the top gudgeon pin through the small end and is shown in a side profile.

Fig 2 also shows the configuration in a compressive mode (far right).

Figures 3,4, 5 depict alternative methods of connectivity between the upper and lower elements in a more enclosed environment.

Hydraulic or lubrication channels are only shown for illustration purposes, and their actual size and position will be dependent on the design adopted, it is envisaged that the connecting rod (rods) will be of a cylindrical shape which should be position as near as possible and towards the top of the piston, it may also be possible to retain the more conventional "H" cross sectional area shape at the base of the con rod, if sufficient space allows for this transitional shape change.

Figure 3 (LUS) shows a cross sectional area of the upper part of a con rod with suggestive sizes, figure 4 shows a more slender design where the spring or (substance) is slightly compressed.

Figure 5 shows how the con rods elements might appear at the somewhere during a "power stroke" phase.

A vague analogy for an explanation of the invention one could think as a cyclist pedaling and turning a crank.

If the cyclist tries to push the pedal when in TDC position, then nothing will happen and his/her energy will go in tying to compress all those metal components and nothing else will happen, it is only when a small forward momentum is established that a little power is given to the pedals in order to turn the crankshaft, however the cyclist will only push harder until he/she consider that the effort required will be rewarded with the required forward motion, in other words the pedals will only be pushed more effectively over a narrow degree of crank angle.

Claims

<claim-text>Claims 1. A two part connecting rod capable of retaining an energy storing element, where the energy stored at a certain crankshaft angle will be released at a more favorable power stmke crankshaft angle.</claim-text> <claim-text>2. A two or more part connecting rod elements where according to claim 1 the energy storing element would be a spring or springs of any size or othersuitable material.</claim-text> <claim-text>3. A connecting rod as described according to claim I and 2 where the lubrication and! or hydraulic chambers and/or oil runs may be of any shape or volume, situated in any position or angles in order to facilitate an increase in efficiency of the system.</claim-text> <claim-text>4. A chamber as illustrated may or may not contain oil or hydraulic fluid, which may also house an energy storing element as described from the diagrams.</claim-text> <claim-text>5. The connecting rod components may be of any shape or length in order to facilitate an improved performance of the invention.</claim-text>