Abstract:
A cylinder for an internal combustion opposed-piston engine includes a bore, either as part of the cylinder directly or of a liner. The bore has a surface for guiding a pair of pistons disposed for opposing movement in the cylinder. The cylinder bore has three zones of surface finishes: an inner zone extending between and including exhaust and intake ports, where only piston compression rings travel on the bore surface; two instances of an outer zone where only piston oil control rings travel on the bore surface; and two instances of a port zone where both types of rings travel on overlapping paths in the same bore surface portion. Each zone may have a particular surface finish that is tailored to specific requirements including oil control, ring wear, and scuff resistance relevant to the zone.
Abstract:
In a turbocharged, uniflow-scavenged, two-stroke cycle, opposed-piston engine, transient changes in engine operating conditions initiate modes of air handling operation during which reversal of EGR flow in a high pressure EGR loop of the air handling system is prevented by operating one or more air handling devices to increase resistance to exhaust flow in the engine.
Abstract:
An air handling arrangement in a two-stroke cycle, opposed-piston engine with unif!ow scavenging and constructed for heavy-duty operation includes sequentially arranged turbochargers in series with a supercharger, in some aspects, the air handling system is equipped with an EGR channel.
Abstract:
A multi-speed drive (25) for a supercharger, comprising: a stationary shaft (30, 65, 165): a planetary gear mechanism with a sun gear assembly (83, 183) a plurality of planet gears (130, 230) mounted on a planet carrier (118, 218), and a ring gear (107, 207), all mounted for rotation on the stationary shaft; a rotary-mechanical drive input being received by either the ring gear or the planet carrier, and a rotary-mechanical drive output being provided by the planet carrier when the ring gear receives the input, or by the ring gear when the planet carrier receives the input; a one-way roller clutch (87, 187) disposed coaxially with the planetary gear mechanism, between the sun gear mechanism and the stationary shaft; and, a hydraulically-actuated, clutch assembly (150/152, 250/252) mounted coaxially with the planetary gear mechanism on the stationary shaft, and operably engaging the sun gear and the ring gear to change a gear ratio of the multi-speed drive.
Abstract:
A combustion chamber for an opposed-piston engine has an elongated asymmetrical shape in longitudinal section that runs along a chamber centerline, between diametrically-opposed openings of the combustion chamber through which fuel is injected. The asymmetry apportions combustion chamber volume to provide additional clearance on a side of the chamber centerline toward which swirl is directed, thereby giving a fuel plume space to swing without hindrance in response to swirl.
Abstract:
An engine structure for a multi-cylinder, opposed-piston engine includes a cylinder block with a plurality of inline cylinders. Each cylinder has ends with an outside diameter and an intermediate portion between the ends of a relatively larger outside diameter than the ends. The cylinder block includes a bearing web structure that positions bearing web elements outside of a plane that iongitudinally bisects all of the cylinders. The cylinder block is split into two sections so as to permit cylinder liners to be inserted into and removed from cylinder tunnels in the cylinder block.
Abstract:
An engine structure for a multi-cylinder, opposed-piston engine includes a cylinder block with a plurality of inline cylinders. Each cylinder has ends with an outside diameter and an intermediate portion between the ends of a relatively larger outside diameter than the ends. The cylinder block includes a bearing web structure that positions bearing web elements outside of a plane that iongitudinally bisects all of the cylinders. The cylinder block is split into two sections so as to permit cylinder liners to be inserted into and removed from cylinder tunnels in the cylinder block.
Abstract:
An opposed-piston engine includes an inline cylinder block with an open exhaust chamber that contains all of the engine's exhaust ports. Exhaust outlets open from the exhaust chamber through opposing sides of the cylinder block. A turbocharger is positioned on each side of the cylinder block and has an inlet closely coupled with a respective exhaust outlet. The exhaust chamber is divided into separate collector sections, each collector section containing the exhaust ports of one or more cylinders, and each turbocharger has a first inlet closely coupled with a first collector section and a second inlet closely coupled with a second collector section. The engine has a cylinder firing sequence which alternates between the cylinders in the first and second collector sections.
Abstract:
A ported cylinder for an opposed-piston engine has a bore to support movements of a pair of opposed pistons and longitudinally-spaced intake and exhaust ports that are controlled by movements of oppositely-disposed pistons in the bore. The bore includes a central portion where combustion occurs and respective end portions. Each end portion extends from an inner edge of a port to the nearest open end of the cylinder. In the central portion the bore has a standard diameter throughout. The bore has a second, larger diameter in each end portion. When the cylinder liner is cold, the bore diameter transitions continuously in size, from the standard diameter to the larger diameter, in an area running from the central portion to an inner edge of a port. From the inner edge, the bore is of the larger diameter throughout the end portion.
Abstract:
A quiet-running, multi-layer gear assembly a gear assembly comprises a center member sandwiched between a pair of outer members. The members are joined on a central hub with their outer peripheral surfaces aligned so as to form a gear assembly. The center member is formed of a first material having a first rigidity and includes an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon. Each outer member includes an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon, and at least one of the outer members is formed of a second material having a second rigidity which is the inverse of the first rigidity. For instance, the first material may be a stiff material and the second material may be a compliant material. In other instances, the first material may be a compliant material and the second material may be a stiff material.