US2241339A - Cylinder construction - Google Patents

Description

May 6 1941- K. A. BRowNE y 2,241,339

CYLINDER CONSTRUCTION I original Filed My 1s, 1937 i s sheets-sheet s l 1NVENTOR. KEA/Mm www QRNEY.

Patented May 6, 1941 2,241,339 MINDER-CONSTRUCTION Kenneth Browne,l Westwood, J., assignor to Wright Aeronautical Corporation, a corporation @NewWin-f lo1ignwt1 axiilicau'on, May 15,: iesafseriai No. 142,754. Divided and this application Septemher 2L, liltogserial No. 293,260

' 14 claims; (c1. 12s-193) This invention relates to int'ernahcornbustion engines, being` particularly concerned. with..im provements in a cylinder constructiongandfassociated sleeve valve mechanism. `Although the invention is particularly" adapted` for aircraft engines of the radial cylinder type, it is also suitable for various other types of engines. The

present appli-cation is a division of application Serial No. 142,754, filed May -15, 1937. l

A particular object of theinvention isto1pro vide a sleeve valve and sleeve driving organization in an engine which will permit of a minimization in the overall height of the cylinder assembly, and an associated object is .to provide a sleeve valve and porting organization wherein theport openings will all be at the same level along the axis of the cylinder. An associatediobject is to provide a novel form of exhaust and intake manifold, permitting the use of a plurality of intake and exhaust ports. Still another o bject is to utilize a single set of ports in a valveV sleeve having rotary and reciprocatory` motions which are registerable sequentially ,with 4intake and exhaust ports in the'cylinderWalls.k A ifur ther object is to provide a valve and; manifold organization which will permit of a-large cooling fin area uponrt'he cylinder exterior, making the construction particularlysuited for; engines of the air-cooled type. Y

Another objectmis to organize` porting arrangements in4 such a manneruthatthe cylinder per se may be fabricated by simplejrnafchining operations, Without recourse towcomplex miling operations and distorted` masses of metal in the structure. This results also in `tliepro- Vision of a cylinder which is relativelyfree fijonfl unusual and unforeseen stresses.` V

A further object is to ,provide a novel Aforrnof sleeve valve operating mechanism, providing ,an

Fig. 1 is an axial section through an internal vcombusticn engine and a portion of the crankcaseangl associated structure, ,y showing.-A the pro- 'visions4 @f ,the invention: L

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C .rlieetshwiae :the leevegeeratins gals:

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through a part of the cylinder and sleeve actuating crank; `lig.`l is, a developed diagrammatic View of 4the cylinder ports and sleeve ports, showing the orbit-.of movmentoi the sleeve and the various events of valve opening and closing with respect to" crankshaft position;

lig..5 is, a developed diagrammatic View of the valve orbit,Y showing the valve operation events; lFig. 6 isa plan of the intake and exhaust manifoldsy for ,the cylinder; and

'l Fig. 'Zis a side elevation of the upper portion of this cylinder with the manifolds installed.

.A in Figi, aicylinder I0 is provided with concontric cooling fins Il, a, port band l2 intermediate its height, andan attachment ange 3,seating Aupon a, crankca-se structure ld. A cylinderheadA I5, provided with cooling fins I6, is seatedu'pon the top ofthe cylinder lil, and is fastened thereto by means of a union nut I overlapping a flange on the cylinder head and engaging screw threads I8 formed at the top of the cylinderwl. Said` cylinder head has clearancewith'respect to the cylinder at i9, and is provided with junk rings 20 engaging the bore of avalve `sleeve 2| extending below the bottom end jof, the cylinder. A boss 22 is formed at the Aloyverend "of `the sleeve. 2| and is provided with `internal gear 35 fixed at 36 to the crankcase.

Presuming a multi-cylinder engine of, say, nine cylinders, there will be a .gear 28 and a shaft 26 foreach cylinder, while a single annular gear 29 and driving mechanism therefor serves to drive allof the Aseveral gears 28, thus providing a single driving mechanism lfor all the valve gears.

It ,be noted that the center of the ball socket,,23 `is radially inboard of the surface of thevalve sleeve 2|, which, to the best of applicantls knowledge, isV a distinctly novel arrangement permitting of valve motions, as Will be described later, much more favorable to compact engine design than has been accomplished heretofore. In prior constructions, it has been the conventional practice to have the driving boss yfor the hvalve sleeve radially outboard of the sleeve and the minor axis being vertical. 'Thiselliptical path'is attained inthe following manner: 'I'he vertical travel, or minor axis of the-ellipse in Fig.

5, results from the eccentricity of the crankpin' YV- 10 2 5 as represented by the dimension A. The horizontal path of the sleeve is greater tl'fian"i.lfie l crankpin eccentricity A by virtue ofthe fact that the sleeve surface is radially morereniote from the cylinder axis thanis'the center' 'oftheA ball socket 23, the circumferential travel of the sleeve being represented byl the" dimension 1B.'

Expressing this in another'way', the horizontal` the dimension A as the sleeve radius bearsto the' Vports 38 which coact with cylinder ports 39 and 40 connected respectively tofintakeand Yexhaust manifolds 4I and 42, there being a plurality of ports 39 and a plurality of ports 40 equal in number to the plurality of ports 38 in thesleeve 2|. *n

The action of the sleeve 2| is timed according to the diagrams of Figs. 4 and 5..` In Fig. 4, the sleeve port 38 is indicated in various positions, in dotted lines, with V'respect to the intakeand exhaust ports 3S and 40. The several valve lcombinations are marked in accordance with accepted terminology, as I. O. (intakeopens) T. C.

(top center); B. C. (bottom center); I.' C. (intake closes); T. C. (top center) O. (exhaust c opens) B. C. (bottom center) and E. C. (exhaustl closes) The intake manifold 4I consists of two symmetrical halves 44 and 45 bolted together at 46, each half having inwardly extending conduits' 41 terminating in arcuate faces for fitting engagement with the valve band l2 on the cylinder, registering with the severalports 39. The exhaust manifold 42 is of forked form, beingprovided with conduits 49 terminating in pads in lfitting engagement with the valve band I2 on the cylinder. Extensions 5i) are tted to the ends of the forked elements of the manifold 42, having pads for engagement with the valve band I2, suoli yeating with a pressure chamber 51 of a supercharger 58 ydriven by the engine crankshaft 30 in the conventional manner. Said engine crankshaft is carried on ball bearings 59 and 60 in the l-'crankcasdthe crankpin 6I having a conventional connecting rod system 62 upon which a piston 63 is borne to reciprocate in the cylinder I0, bearing `.upon the boreY of the sleeve 2 I While I have described my invention in detail travel B of the sleeve bears the same relation to extensions being applied separately to permit of assembly of the manifold upon the cylinder.

Both manifolds are held tightly against the valve band I2 by means of a hoopv 52 bearing upon projections 53 on each of the several valve port engaging conduits, this hoop having a turnbuckle 54 for tightening all the manifolds simultaneously. The turnbuckle is located diametrically opposite the terminals of the manifolds, and is supported away 'from the cylinder by a bridge Velement 55 bearing upon the valve band I2. In the arrangement shown, there are five exhaust ports 49 and six intake p orts 39 in the cylinder, the segment of the cylinder opposite one of the exhaust ports 40 being covered bythe bridge element 55, so that the compressive stress imposed by the hoop `52 is equally distributed throughout the periphery of the cylinder for Vminimizing warping stresses thereon.

Referring to Fig.l 1, the space I'between the cylinder Iii and cylinder head I5 :is provided for vertical movement ofthe valvesleeve 2I, Wherein its present preferred embodiment, it Will be obvious to those skilled in the art, after understanding my invention, that various changes and modications may be made therein without departing from lthe spirit or scope thereof. I aim in the Yappendedrclaims to cover all such modifications' and changes. Y

I claim as my invention:

1. In a sleeve valve engine comprising a cylinder having a plurality of circumfe'rentially disposed ports therearound, a continuous circumferential seat around said cylinder and embracing the several ports, intake and "exhaust manifolds each embracing more than half of the cylinder circumference and having conduits registering with respective ports,'the conduit ends engaging said seat, and a hoopy embracing said `conduits for holdingsame against said seat.

2. In a sleeve valve engine comprising a cylinder having a plurality cf circumferentially disposed ports therearound, a continuous circumferential seat around said cylinder and embracing the several ports, intake and exhaust manifolds each embracing more than half lof the cylinder circumference and having conduits registering withrespective ports, the conduit ends engaging said seat, a hoop embracing said conduits for holding'same against said seat, and means for tensioning said hoop;

3. In a sleeve valve engine, a cylinder having a plurality of intake ports and a plurality of exhaust portsalternately arranged around the cylinder, the several ports all being at substantially the-same distance from the end of the cylinder,

`a cylinder embracing intake manifold having i 4 4. In a sleeve valve engine, a cylinder having a plurality of intake ports and a plurality of exhaust ports alternately arranged farofund the cylinder, the several ports all being at substantially the same distance from the' endof the cylinder, a cylinder embracing intake manifold havin g conduits registering with respectiveintake ports, a cylinder embracing exhaust manifold having conduits registering with respective exhaust ports, and unitary means for holding both said manifolds in assembled relation on said cylinde'r.`

5. In a sleeve valve engine, a cylinder having a plurality of intake ports Aand a plurality of exhaust ports alternately arranged aroundthe cylinder, 'the several ports all being atsubstantially the same distance from the end of the cylinder, a cylinder embracing intake manifold having conduits registering with respective intake ports, a cylinder embracing exhaust manifold having conduits registering with respective exhaust ports, and means embracing both said manifolds for holding them in assembled relation on said cylinder.

6. In a sleeve valve engine cylinder comprising a plurality of substantially coplanar ports arranged around the cylinder, a conduit seating upon the cylinder adjacent each port, each conduit having an abutment, the several abutments being coplanar and spaced substantially the same distance outwardly from the cylinder wall, and a unitary member embracing the several conduits and engaging the abutments to secure the conduits against the cylinder.

7. In a sleeve valve engine cylinder comprising an annular port belt having ports therethrough, conduits for inlet and exhaust manifolds seating on the belt at respective ports and comprising elbows curved upwardly for one manifold and downwardly for the other manifold respectively from the plane of the port belt, a shelf on each conduit substantially on the central plane of the Aport belt annulus, and a tensionable wrapping member embracing the several conduits and resting upon respective shelves thereof.

8. In a sleeve valve engine cylinder comprising an annular port belt having ports therethrough, conduits for inlet and exhaust manifolds seating on the belt at respective ports and comprising elbows curved upwardly for one manifold and downwardly for the other manifold respectively from the plane of the port belt, a shelf on each conduit substantially on the central plane of the port belt annulus, a tensionable wrapping member embracing the several conduits and resting upori respective shelves thereof, and a manifold embracing the cylinder with which said conduits communicate.

9. In a sleeve valve engine cylinder comprising an annular port belt having ports therethrough, conduits for inlet and exhaust manifolds seating on the belt at respective ports and comprising elbows curved upwardly for one manifold and downwardly for the other manifold respectively from the plane of the port belt, a shelf on each conduit substantially on the central plane of the port belt annulus, a tensionable wrapping member embracing the several conduits and resting upon respective shelves thereof, said conduit elbows being alternately upwardly and downwardly facing, a manifold around the cylinder below the port belt with which said downwardly facing conduit elbows communicate, and a manifold around the cylinder above the port ybelt with which said upwardly facing conduit elbows communicate.

10. In a sleeve valve engine cylinder comprising an annular port belt having ports therethrough, the belt comprising a seat, a plurality of conduits each having an arcuate face engaging the belt at one of said ports, manifolds joining certain of the conduits, and unitary means engaging the several conduits exteriorly of the belt and urging the conduits against the belt with substantially equal pressure on each.

ll. In a cylinder member having a plurality of substantially coplanar ports spaced thereabout, the member surface adjacent the ports comprising a seat, a conduit having an inner face engaging the seat at each port, the several conduits together embracing substantially more than half of the cylinder circumference and means wrapped around the several conduits and bearing thereon for holding the conduits in contact with the seat.

12. In an engine cylinder having a plurality of ports exposed to the outside of the cylinder, a gas conduit for each port seated against the outside of the cylinder and covering its port, said conduits together embracing substantially more than half of the cylinder circumference and unitary means embracing the cylinder and engaging the conduits to hold the latter against the cylinder.

13. In an engine cylinder having a plurality of ports spaced around and exposed to the outside of the cylinder, gas conduits seated against the outside of the cylinder and covering each port and together embracing substantially more than half of the cylinder circumference, unitary means embracing the cylinder and engaging the conduits to hold the latter against the cylinder, and a manifold secured to and communicating with said conduits.

14. In an engine cylinder having a plurality of ports exposed to the outside of the cylinder and comprising an annular cylinder surface embracing said ports, a plurality of conduits each having an end face complementary to said annular surface and overlying one port, and a band embracing the cylinder and conduits and in contact with each of the latter for holding the conduits in cylinder contact.

KENNETH A. BROVVNE.

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