US2053603A

US2053603A - Air cleaner

Info

Publication number: US2053603A
Application number: US16196A
Authority: US
Inventors: Frank A Donaldson
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-04-13
Filing date: 1935-04-13
Publication date: 1936-09-08
Anticipated expiration: 1953-09-08

Description

Sept. 8, 1936. F. A. DONALDSON AIR CLEANER Filed April 13, 1955 /fwf/vme Ffa/1k A Dona/daan Patented Sep't. 8, 193e AmcnmimmL rmx a. nomma, manon, man. i Animation -Anru "13,1935, serai No. 16.196

9 cum. (c1. iss-15) My present invention relates to air cleaners and has for its object to improve the same in various important particulars, whereby the emciency of the same is increased and the manufacture thereof facilitated, and especially the invention is adapted for use in connection with internal combustion engines. The improved air cleaner is of very compact formation, has no parts to get out of order or require frequent cleaning, and in actual use has been found highly eflicient as used in connection with internal combustion engines designed to run at very high as well as low speeds.

A commercial -i'orm of the improved air cleaner is illustrated in the accompanying' drawing, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in elevation but chiefly in vertical section showing the improved air cleaner;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the-air cleaner, some parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 isa horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, .some parts being broken away.

Carburetors used in connection with internal combustion engines, such, for example, as the Ford automobile engine, have air intake tubes to which theair cleaners are adapted to be attached. For attachment to such carburetor intake tubes, the present air-cleaner is provided with an axial clean air delivery tube 5, which, as shown', is provided at a point considerably above its lower end, with a Isecured inner flange 8 that holds a pliable gasket I adapted to rest upon the intake tube of the carburetor, when the latter is telescoped into the lower end of said tube 5. An annular plate' 8 is secured to the lower portion of the tube 5 at a point above the lower end thereof and is provided with an upstanding flange or inverted skirt 9. This bottom plate and flange, as will presently appear, afford an oil well, and the top of the air cleaner is closed by a hoodforming plate i that is rigidly but detachably secured, by a nut-equipped stud II, to a crossbar I2, which, in turn, is rigidly secured within and extends diametrically of the upper portion of the tube 5.

Preferably and as shown, the under surface of the plate I0 is provided with' a silencing lin ing I3 held in place by a woven wire frame I l. An approximately cylindrical inner skirt I is secured at I6 to the outer portion of the hood Ill and depends within the outer skirt or ange 9 from which it is inwardly spaced, so as to leave. an annular air intake passage I'I that leads downwardly to the outer portion of the oil welly I8 formed by the bottom plate 8. An annular baille plate I9 having large air passages 20, is secured to the upper portion of the air tube 6 and its outer edge is secured to the upper` edge of the inner skirt I5 and to the hoodforming plate I0. 10 As an important feature, the upper edge of the skirt I5 and the\outer edge of the plate I9 have outturned marginal flanges that are interlocked to the plate I0 by a clinch joint formed at I6 by rolling the immediately adjacent portion of the plate I 0 around and in air-tight engagement with the said out-turned flanges of said elements I5 and I9. This rolled clinching rib is thus made approximately U shaped in radialssection and it is preferably formed at a considerable distance inward from the extreme outer edge of said plate I0, so as to form an cave 2i that overlies the annular air intake channel I'I, and preferably extends slightly inward of the inverted outer skirt 9. The extreme upper edge of said inverted skirt 9 is bent inwardly at 22 for a purpose which will presently appear. Inasmuch as the plate, together with the parts attached thereto, is detachable from the clean air tube 5, the plate I9 is made detachable from said tube 5; and this 30 as shown, is accomplished by providing said plate I9 at its inner edge with a downturned cylindrical hub flange I9a that preferably is of the same diameter as the tube 5 so that it aligns therewith. As a further feature, a sleeve 23 is telescoped onto the tube 5 and the hub ange Isa is telescoped into the extreme upper end of said sleeve 23.\ As a further important feature, the sleeve 23 is provided near its upper portion below the hub flange I9a with circumferentially spaced perl forations 23a, the important purpose of which will appear in the description of the operation. The annular space between the sleeve 23 and the inner skirt I5 is filled in with an oil and dustintercepting screen y, which may take various forms, but will preferably be of a character disclosed and claimed in an application of William H. Schulz, entitled Air cleaner screen and method of producing the same, S. N. 725,515, filed May 14, 1934. n

To further hold this annular screen illler in position in -respect to the removable part of the air cleaner, the lower end of the sleeve 23 is shown as provided with an outwardly projecting flange 23h, and the lower edge of the inner skirt 55 lis Ii is provided with an inwardly projecting annular flange Ila. With this structure, when the hood or plate II is detached and removed, the sleeve 28, skirt I and screen y will be removed therewith and, of course, the said elements will be simultaneously replaced.

In the air cleaner illustrated, the bottom plate l is shown as provided with an upstanding annular cup-forming flange 24 with circumferentinlly` spaced perforations or oil passages 25; but the structure involving this cup-forming element. and the well formation are not herein claimed, since the same are the subject matter of an application filed of even date herewith by Wilfred W. Lowther, entitled Air cleaner.

Operation Under the suction produced by the engineto which the cleaner is applied, vacuum or suction will be produced in the axial air delivery tube Iandthiswillcauseailowofairtotheair cleaner, iirst downward through the annular air intake passage l1. thence to the outer portion of the oil well, and from thence over the upper edge of the cup-forming ange 2l up through the oil and dust-intercepting screens and thence to the engine through the delivery tube 5. The air thus delivered against the surface 'of the oil in the outer portion of the well, will violently agitate the oil and will dash the same into a spray or foam that will carry the oil upward into the screens.

The dust-laden air carried into the screens will be carried upward therethrough to an extent depending on the degree of suction, but will not be carried completely through the same. In fact, the oil under any normal operation, will not be carried to an altitude above the air ports or perforations 23a of the sleeve 2l. As the air releases the oil, it will run back through the screens chieily into the cup formed on the bottom plate by the ilange 24. Also, with the cup formation, the oil overilowing the upper edge of the flange 24 and-running out through the oil ports or passages 2i, will deliver directly into the incoming dust-laden air so that there will be a continuous tendency of the oil to ilow outward to meet the incoming air; but as above indicated, this cup feature action is not herein claimedper se. Of course, the oil that is delivered to the screen will ilow over`the screen surfaces and will intercept the dust-laden oil and will be, by the latter, carried back to the oil well, while the clean air will be delivered through the air ports 2li, under the hood I0 and through the clean air delivery tube l to the carburetor. When the engine is idle, the oil will -settle back into the oil well to a normal altitude which will usually be approximately the lower portions of the screens or the upper edge of the aange 24, when said flange is employed.

'111e tube l is not telescoped around the sleeve 28 in such tight lit as to absolutely-prevent the e of air between the two.

In practice, it is not feasible to make an air- .tight joint between the sleeve 2l and tube 5,

and hence in practice it has been found that'the vacuum produced in the tube 5 and hence through the screens and theair intake passage will cause some flow of oil between said sleeve 23 and tube I with the result that some oil will be delivered to the carburetor, which, for obvious reasons, is a lfeature not desired. I have rfoundthaiibyplacingtheairports 23ainthe upper portion of the sleeve 23 nearthe top thereof, but below `the joint between the upper edge of the tube I and the hub flange Ila, the vacuum or suction between the saidr elements 23 and 5 will be broken and no oil will be delivered' tothe carburetor by passage between the sleeve 2l and tube i. even when there is a considerable clearance or looseness of ilt between said elements 23 and l.

By the use of the clinched joint Il between the elements i0, i5 and I9, the said three elements are very rmly united and, in practice, I have found that this may be accomplished by a properly designed rolling mechanism at a very small cost. Moreover, this kind of joint is capable of being produced at a place considerably inward from the extreme outer edge of the hoodforming plate, thereby providing a projecting eave at no noticeably additional cost.

By reference particularly to Fig. 3, which best sho'ws the joint I8, it will be noted that the anged edges of the elements l5 and l! would .ilrst be placed together and against the plate I0 and the latter then rolled and clinched around the marginal ilanges of the said elements Il and l. f

In case of a backre from the engine, there would be a violent rush of air backward through the air cleaner, which might in some instance, tend to splash some of the oil from the well upward against the inner surface of the inverted skirt 9. Hence, said skirt 9 is provided with the inwardly and downwardly curved upper edge flange 22 which would tend to stop and deflect downward any oil thus violently thrown upward against said outer skirt.

A preferred commercial form of the air cleaner has been illustrated, but itv will be understood that various features thereof are capable ot various modifications within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.

What I claim is:

1. An air cleaner comprising an axial air delivery tube, an oil-well-iormng bottom plate extended outward from the lower portion of said.

axial tube and provided at its rim with an inverted outer skirt, an inner skirt spaced from said outer skirt and bottom plate to form a downwardly leading annular air intake passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial tube and inner skirt, and a hood-forming plate supported above said intercepting means and the upper end of said axial tube and rigidly secured to the upper edge of said inner skirt and provided with an eaveforming flange extended above the annular air passage formed between said inner and outer skirts',

2. A n air cleaner comprising an axial air delivery tube, an oil-well-forming bottom plate extended outward from the lower portion of said axial tube and provided at its rim with an inverted outer skirt, an inner skirt spaced from said outer skirt and bottom plate to form a downwardly leading annular air intake passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial tube and inner skirt, a hood-forming plate supported above said intercepting means and the upper end of said axial tube and rigidly secured to the upper edge of said inner skirt, and provided with an eaveforming flange extended above the annular air passage formed between said inner and outer skirts, and av perforated baille plate applied to the upper end of said axial tube and having its 15 a,oss,eos

outer edge rigidly secured to said hood and to the upper edge of said inner skirt.

3. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said hood-forming plate, inward of its outer edge, is formed with an integral annular crimp that embraces and rigidly engages the upper edge of said inner skirt and supports the latter.

4. 'I'he structure defined in claim 2 in which said hoodforming plate, inward of its outer edge, is formed with an integral annular crimp that embraces and rigidly engages the upper edge of said inner skirt and the outer edge of said baille plate and supports said inner skirt.

5. An air cleaner comprising an axial air delivery tube. an oil-well-forming bottom plate extended outward from the lower portion oi' said axial tube" and provided at its rim with an inverted outer skirt, an inner skirt spaced from said outer skirt and bottom plate to form a downwardly -leading annular air intake passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial tube and inner skirt, and a hood-forming plate supported above said intercepting means and the upper end of said axial tube and rigidly secured to the upper edge of said inner skirt, the upper edge of said outer skirt being inwardly turned to form a downwardly deflecting oil stop.

6. An air cleaner comprising an axial air delivery tube, an oil-well-i'orming bottom plate extended outward from the lower portion of said axial tube and provided at its rim with an inverted outer skirt, an inner skirt spaced from said outer skirt and bottom plate to form a downwardly leading annular air intake passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial tube and inner skirt, a hood-forming plate supported above said f intercepting means and the upper end of said axial tube and rigidly secured to the upper edge of said inner skirt, and a sleeve telescoped around said axial air delivery tube and perforated in its upper portion for the purpose stated.

'1. An air cleaner comprising an axial air delivery tube, an oil-well-forming bottom plate extended outward from the lower portion oi said axial tube and provided at its rim with an inverted outer skirt, an inner skirt spaced from said outer skirt and bottom plate to form a downwardly leading annular air intake passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial tube and inner skirt, a hood-forming plate supported above said intercepting means and the upper end of said axial tube and rigidly secured to the upper edge of said inner skirt, a perforated bame plate applied to the upper end of said axial tube and having its outer edge rigidly secured to said hood and to the upper edge of said inner skirt, and a sleeve telescoped around said axial air tube, said intercepting means being secured between said sleeve and inner skirt and being removable with said sleeve, inner skirt and hood plate.

8. An-air cleaner comprising a casing having concentric walls forming an axial air passage and an outwardly spaced annular air passage, an air pervious dust and oil-intercepting means in the space between said axial air tube and surrounding annular air passage, said axial and annular air passages being connected i'or the passage of air through said intercepting means, and a sleeve telescoped around said axial `air tube in loose irictional contact therewith and perforated in its upper portion for the purpose stated.

9. The structure defined in claim 8 in which said sleeve is interposed between said axial air tube and the dust and oil intercepting means.

FRANK A. DONALDSON.