U.S. patent application number 17/442412 was filed with the patent office on 2022-06-02 for beam-like crosshead for a valve train of a heavy-duty internal combustion engine.
This patent application is currently assigned to Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG. The applicant listed for this patent is Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG. Invention is credited to David Lang, Oliver Witter.
Application Number | 20220170392 17/442412 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006198206 |
Filed Date | 2022-06-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220170392 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Witter; Oliver ; et
al. |
June 2, 2022 |
BEAM-LIKE CROSSHEAD FOR A VALVE TRAIN OF A HEAVY-DUTY INTERNAL
COMBUSTION ENGINE
Abstract
A beam-like crosshead for a valve train of an internal
combustion engine is proposed for the transmission of a cam lift to
two gas exchange valves. The crosshead has two side walls which are
connected by a transverse wall, and, on an upper side of the
transverse wall at its longitudinal center, a contact surface for a
cam follower, and, on an underside of the transverse wall at each
of its longitudinal ends, a valve contact surface. The crosshead is
a reversed bowl-like hollow body which is produced from steel sheet
using stamping/bending technology. From the transverse wall the
side walls and, transversely at each longitudinal end, end walls
hang in a finger-like manner. Cut edges between the side and end
walls, starting from the transverse wall, form cut-outs.
Inventors: |
Witter; Oliver; (Westhausen,
DE) ; Lang; David; (Bubenreuth, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG |
Herzogenaurach |
|
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
Schaeffler Technologies AG &
Co. KG
Herzogenaurach
DE
|
Family ID: |
1000006198206 |
Appl. No.: |
17/442412 |
Filed: |
March 10, 2020 |
PCT Filed: |
March 10, 2020 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/DE2020/100173 |
371 Date: |
September 23, 2021 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F01L 1/26 20130101; F01L
2301/00 20200501; F01L 1/18 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F01L 1/26 20060101
F01L001/26; F01L 1/18 20060101 F01L001/18 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Apr 3, 2019 |
DE |
10 2019 108 651.5 |
Jun 13, 2019 |
DE |
10 2019 116 143.6 |
Claims
1. A crosshead for a valve train of an internal combustion engine
for a transmission of a cam lift to two gas exchange valves, the
crosshead comprising: a body forming an inverted U-shape
cross-sectional profile via bending of steel sheet, the body
having: a first side wall connected to a second side wall via a
transverse wall, a contact surface configured to engage a rocker
arm or a camshaft, the contact surface formed on an upper side of
the transverse wall, and a first valve contact surface and a second
valve contact surface formed on an underside of the transverse
wall, a first end wall configured as a first finger extending from
a first longitudinal end of the transverse wall, and a second end
wall configured as a second finger extending from a second
longitudinal end of the transverse wall, and the first end wall is
cut and separated from the first and second side walls such that
first respective cut edges of the first end wall and the first and
second side walls form first and second cut-outs, and the second
end wall cut and separated from the first and second side walls
such that respective second cut edges of the second end wall and
the first and second side walls form third and fourth cut-outs.
2. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein the crosshead has a wall
thickness of 2-10 mm.
3. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein the transverse wall includes a
first plateau, a second plateau, a first rising section, a second
rising section, and a longitudinal center section, and the first
valve contact surface is formed on the first plateau, the second
valve contact surface is formed on the second plateau, the contact
surface is formed on the longitudinal center section, the first
plateau is connected to the longitudinal center section via the
first rising section such that a first elevation of the first
plateau is different than an elevation of the longitudinal center
section, and the second plateau is connected to the longitudinal
center section via the second rising section such that a second
elevation of the second plateau is different than the elevation of
the longitudinal center section.
4. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein at least one of the contact
surface or the first and second valve contact surfaces are formed
via a coining process.
5. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein the first and second side
walls each define a respective first free edge and a second free
edge, the first and second free edges facing away from the
transverse wall, and at least a portion of the first and second
free edges has a constant elevation.
6. The crosshead of claim 5, wherein the first, second, third, and
fourth cut-outs extend from the transverse wall.
7. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein the first and second end walls
are formed via bending of sheet steel.
8. The crosshead of claim 1, wherein the first and second end
walls, the first and second side walls, and the transverse wall
form an inverted bowl.
9. The crosshead of claim 8, wherein the first end wall is arranged
directly adjacent to the first valve contact surface, and the
second end wall is arranged directly adjacent to the second valve
contact surface.
10. The crosshead of claim 8, wherein the first and second end
walls extend orthogonally relative to the contact surface.
11. The crosshead of claim 3, wherein the first and second end
walls extend orthogonally relative to the longitudinal center
section.
12. A crosshead for a valve train of an internal combustion engine
for a transmission of cam lift to two gas exchange valves, the
crosshead comprising: a body forming an inverted U-shape
cross-sectional profile via cutting and bending of a single piece
of sheet steel, the body having: a transverse wall having: an upper
side formed with a contact surface configured to engage a rocker
arm or a camshaft, an underside formed with a first valve contact
surface and a second valve contact surface, a first side wall
extending in a first direction from a first longitudinal side of
the transverse wall, a second side wall extending in the first
direction from a second longitudinal side of the transverse wall, a
first end wall cut and separated from the first and second side
walls, the first end wall extending in the first direction from a
first longitudinal end of the transverse wall, and a second end
wall cut and separated from the first and second side walls, the
second end wall extending in the first direction from a second
longitudinal end of the transverse wall.
13. The crosshead of claim 12, wherein the first end wall is
directly adjacent to the first valve contact surface, and the
second end wall is directly adjacent to the second valve contact
surface.
14. The crosshead of claim 12, wherein first respective cut edges
of the first end wall and the first and second side walls form
first and second cut-outs, and second respective cut edges of the
second end wall and the first and second side walls form third and
fourth cut-outs.
15. The crosshead of claim 14, wherein the first, second, third,
and fourth cut-outs extend from the transverse wall.
16. The crosshead of claim 12, wherein the transverse wall further
comprises a first plateau and a second plateau, and the first valve
contact surface is formed on the first plateau, and the second
valve contact surface is formed on the second plateau.
17. The crosshead of claim 16, wherein the transverse wall further
comprises a longitudinal center section, and the contact surface is
formed on the longitudinal center section.
18. The crosshead of claim 17, wherein the transverse wall further
comprises a first rising section and a second rising section and,
the first plateau is connected to the longitudinal center section
via the first rising section such that a first elevation of the
first plateau is different than an elevation of the longitudinal
center section, and the second plateau is connected to the
longitudinal center section via the second rising section such that
a second elevation of the second plateau is different than the
elevation of the longitudinal center section.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is the U.S. National Phase of PCT
Application No. PCT/DE2020/100173 filed on Mar. 10, 2020, which
claims priority to DE 10 2019 108 651.5 filed on Apr. 3, 2019 and
DE 10 2019 116 143.6 filed on Jun. 13, 2019, the entire disclosures
of which are incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The disclosure relates to a beam-like crosshead for a valve
train of a heavy-duty internal combustion engine for the
transmission of a cam lift to two identically acting gas exchange
valves.
BACKGROUND
[0003] A generic crosshead emerges from DE 10 2010 011 455 A1. This
is designed as a solid part using casting or forging
technology.
[0004] Another crosshead, here with hydraulic lash adjuster
elements, is disclosed in DE 10 2015 211 124 A1.
[0005] A "heavy-duty internal combustion engine" is to be
understood as a machine such as is used in particular to drive a
truck, van, light transporter, agricultural implement, ship, mining
or construction site equipment, etc.
SUMMARY
[0006] The object is to create a crosshead as mentioned above that
is inexpensive and easy to build.
[0007] According to the disclosure, this object is achieved in that
the crosshead is a reversed bowl-like hollow body which is produced
from steel sheet using stamping/bending technology. From the
transverse wall thereof, side walls and, transversely at each
longitudinal end, end walls hang in a finger-like manner. The end
walls either have a course which is planar or is bulged in a half
ring-like manner. There are cut edges between the side and end
walls, starting from the transverse wall, with the respective cut
edges forming cut-outs.
[0008] Thus, there is a crosshead that can be achieved
inexpensively by punching and bending, especially for an
application in a valve train of a commercial vehicle internal
combustion engine or another heavy-duty work machine, which has the
required rigidity. Alternatively, the hollow crosshead body can
also be extruded or embossed-extruded.
[0009] As the end walls are separated from the side walls,
comparatively little stress can be expected in the bent material.
Inner surfaces of the end walls, along with adjacent inner surfaces
of the side walls, serve as a valve stem guide. By varying the
cutting height between the side and end walls, differently spaced
bending edges can be achieved for the end walls on the transverse
wall, so that the crosshead can be adapted to different valve
spacings with otherwise the same dimensions, or the end walls can
have a different height than the area of the adjacent side
walls.
[0010] According to a further development of the disclosure, the
crosshead can have a wall thickness in the range from 2-10 mm. For
a range between approximately 3 and 6 mm, thick sheet metal is
used.
[0011] Compared to cast or forged variants according to the prior
art, the necessary reworking of the contact surface on the upper
side and the valve contact surfaces on the underside is no longer
necessary or is noticeably reduced.
[0012] As already mentioned, the cold-formed crosshead can be
installed without any further mechanical post-processing.
Alternatively, at least one of their functional surfaces mentioned
in the last paragraph can be coined, so that the surface quality is
improved here and/or one of these surfaces can be slightly crowned
so that edge loading or the like is avoided during use.
[0013] The inverted bowl-like structure of the crosshead according
to the disclosure, which thus has an inverted U-profile in
cross-section, gives it the necessary rigidity with comparatively
little material usage. The crosshead itself, which is now
comparatively intricate with regard to its specific use, and this
is also an essential feature of the disclosure, rests "freely" on
the valve stems without any further components. There are no
cross-members connected to the cylinder head to guide them or
anything similar.
[0014] According to a further development of the disclosure, the
end walls of the crosshead can either be shaped like a half ring or
also be smooth-walled and straight.
[0015] The "hollow" crosshead can be present as a simple
rectangular or elongated hole cup, the raised cut edges of which
are open and unconnected between the side and end walls, as
explained. The middle section of the crosshead can also be raised
in a roof-like manner, which under certain circumstances gives it
more rigidity and/or is a requirement for the necessary
installation conditions.
[0016] The crosshead has a simplified geometry when the "lower",
free edge of the side walls is completely flat. This also
facilitates its handling and transport. Alternatively, this edge
can be arched in the central area, which leads to greater side wall
height and thus to improved rigidity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] In the drawings:
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a spatial view of the crosshead from above,
and
[0019] FIG. 2 shows the crosshead as mentioned above in a view from
below.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The figures disclose a beam-like crosshead 1 for a valve
drive of a heavy-duty internal combustion engine, produced from
thick-walled steel sheet (4-6 mm) using stamping/bending
technology. The crosshead 1 is used to transmit a cam lift to two
identically acting gas exchange valves that are located
therebelow.
[0021] The inverted bowl-like, hollow crosshead 1 has two side
walls 3 connected by an "overhead" transverse wall 2. On an upper
side 4 of the transverse wall 2, at a longitudinal center of the
crosshead 1, there is a flat and coined contact surface 5 for a
rocker arm. On an underside 6 of the transverse wall 2, at each of
its longitudinal ends 7, the crosshead 1 has a re-stamped or coined
valve contact surface 8.
[0022] It can be seen that end walls 9 hang on the transverse wall
2 in a finger-like manner. These are designed separately from the
side walls 3, wherein cut-outs 11 are present in the area of
"upright" cut edges 10 between the side and end walls 3, 9,
starting from the transverse wall 2. The end walls 9 have an
approximately planar course and can be bent separately to form the
side walls 3 when the final shape of the crosshead 1 is shown.
[0023] FIG. 2 best shows that the crosshead 1, seen in a side view
and starting from both longitudinal ends 7, consists of a plateau
12 on each transverse wall 2, on the respective underside 6 of
which the valve contact surface 8 is located. In the direction of
the longitudinal center, the plateaus 12 each continue in a
roof-like rising section 13, which sections 13 end in front of the
longitudinal center and are connected via a flat piece 14 having
the contact surface 5 on the upper side 4.
[0024] As finally shown in FIG. 1, a free edge 16 of the side walls
3 facing away from the transverse wall 4 is provided with a
stiffness-increasing elevation 17 in the region of the longitudinal
center. Areas of the edge 16 opposite the plateaus 12, on the other
hand, are planar and run approximately parallel to the plateaus
12.
LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS
[0025] 1) Crosshead
[0026] 2) Transverse wall
[0027] 3) Side wall
[0028] 4) Upper side
[0029] 5) Contact surface
[0030] 6) Underside
[0031] 7) Longitudinal end
[0032] 8) Valve contact surface
[0033] 9) End wall
[0034] 10) Cut edge
[0035] 11) Cut-out
[0036] 12) Plateau
[0037] 13) Section
[0038] 14) Flat piece
[0039] 15) Embossing
[0040] 16) Edge
[0041] 17) Elevation
* * * * *