JPH03260362A - Internal-combustion engine and its factors - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To positively prevent damage due to surface erosion and surface crack by integrally applying thine coatings or films of synthetic diamond material to the top face etc., on which high-temperature combustion gas acts during the operation of an internal combustion engine. CONSTITUTION: A piston assembly 16 of an internal combustion engine consists of a piston 11, and a piston pin 15 extending between opposed parts of the cylindrical side wall 13 thereof. With the piston pin 15, a piston 11 is connected to the crank side through a connecting rod 18. The piston pin 15 is slidably supported by snap rings 16A, 16B in bosses 14A, 14B extending inward from the piston walls. In this case, in order to increase the resistance to abrasion, heat erosion, pitting (micro pore generation), and cracking damage, thin coatings of aynthetic diamond material are integrally applied to the top face 12 of the piston 11, the piston pin 15, the connecting pin 18, piston ring, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the structural improvement of internal combustion engine components such as engine pistons, piston rings, piston rods, bearings and crankshafts, especially those that are subject to deformation as well as wear and hot corrosion. All surfaces or selected surface portions of the elements are precipitated from carbon atoms liberated from a gas or other fluid containing carbon atoms disposed in close proximity to the elements by beaming microwave energy to the fluid. It relates to coating thin films of synthetic diamond material.

It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved structure for internal combustion engine components that resists hot corrosion and erosive effects during operation.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved structure for internal combustion engine elements that resists failure due to surface erosion and surface cracking.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved structure for internal combustion engine elements that has increased resistance to failure due to shock loads during fuel ignition.

Increases resistance to wear and tear due to friction,
such as crankshaft bearings, bearing sleeves, etc., including composite synthetic diamond surface coatings and protective overlapping coatings of chrome.
It is another object to provide a new and improved bearing for use in internal combustion engines.

It is another principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved structure for an internal combustion engine piston assembly.

It is a further object to provide a new and improved piston for an internal combustion engine that is coated on at least the top wall portion with a synthetic diamond material that is capable of resisting erosion and corrosion during operation of the internal combustion engine.

To provide a piston for an internal combustion engine having one or more grooves or depressions in a side wall for receiving and retaining one or more piston rings, the walls of the depression being coated with a hard synthetic diamond material. This is another purpose.

It is another object to provide an internal combustion engine piston ring or ring assembly having one or more surfaces subject to abrasion and erosion coated with hard synthetic diamond material.

It is a further object to provide a new and improved element of an internal combustion engine piston assembly coated with a hard synthetic diamond material coated with a layer of dry lubrication, such as a thin layer of chromium.

It is a further object to provide an improved piston for internal combustion engines whose entire surface is coated with hard synthetic diamond to protect against corrosion, erosion and abrasion.

In view of the foregoing and other objects which will become more fully apparent below, the present invention comprises the novel structures, product configurations and methods described in the following specification and illustrated in the drawings. Without departing from the essence and spirit,
It will be appreciated that variations and modifications may be made that fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

FIGS. 1 and 2 show some details of an internal combustion engine piston assembly (10), including a piston pin (15) extending between opposing portions of the cylindrical side wall (13) of the piston. , a connecting rod (23) connecting a crankshaft (23) to the piston assembly, which is rotated by the longitudinal movement of the piston within the cylinder bore in cooperation with one or more other pistons of similar construction.
The piston assembly (10) includes a piston (11) having a piston pin (15) supporting a piston pin (18).

The piston pin (15) is slidably supported by a snap ring within bosses (14A, 14B) extending inward from the piston side wall, and is supported by a snap ring (16).
The person 16B) is frictionally secured in a groove in each of the cylindrical walls of the piston boss.

The piston (11) has three circumscribed circular grooves (13^13
B, 13C1 is formed in which a piston ring assembly (25) of the type shown in FIG. 3 is retained to seal the piston and cylinder wall to prevent pressure loss during engine operation. At the end of the piston rod (j8) there is an assembly (20) containing a bearing (2I) that attaches it to a selected part (22) of the crankshaft (23) of the engine.

In FIG. 3, each piston ring assembly (25) includes a central oil paddle ring (26) and upper and lower steel rails or rings (27, 28) strapped thereto.

The piston (11
), on the entire external part of the piston pin (15), the connecting rod (18), the oil paddle ring (26), the steel rail or ring (27, 28), or on selected parts of each of these elements,
A coating of hard synthetic diamond material formed by an apparatus such as that disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,493, such coating having a thickness of approximately
n~10 lin or more (0.25μ~25.4μ or more)
and changes. In one embodiment, the outer surface of the top wall (12) of the piston (11) is subjected to considerable thermal and chemical corrosion during operation of the internal combustion engine, as well as the action of impact waves, resulting in a thickness, HO
] in ~, 0Qlin or more (2,5μ to 25.4μ or more) contains a coating of artificial diamond material (30 people), while the wall of Miso (13A, 13B, +3C) connects the piston rod to the crankshaft (23 ) can likewise be coated with synthetic diamond material to the same depth or less as the rotationally supporting insert (22) or bearing. Similarly, the collars or inserts surrounding these parts of the crankshaft (23) can also be coated in whole or in part with such synthetic diamond material to withstand wear and tear, corrosion and the effects of shock waves and shocks during operation. .

Oil paddle ring (26) forming the piston ring assembly
and/or the cable rails (27, 28) may be coated with a synthetic diamond material, such material being coated with the rings (26, 27) that engage the inner surface of the cylinder wall during reciprocating movement of the piston within the cylinder. , 28). If such a cylinder wall is defined by a cylindrical sleeve inserted into a metal casting, the insert can also be coated with synthetic diamond material to resist sliding friction wear and hot corrosion.

All of the synthetic diamond material coatings described herein are
To protect against chemical attack, abrasion, etc., a hard wear protective lubricant, such as chromium, chromium alloys, or similar materials, can be overcoated on the outer surface of the diamond coated material.

The number (30A) refers to the part of the artificial diamond material that is attached and coated on the top surface of the piston (11), but other parts of such diamond material (3N, 30C30)
1)) of the side walls (133) of the piston, respectively, in order to strengthen the surface and protect it from hot corrosion and surface defects and crack enlargement or elongation, which can ultimately lead to piston failure. The outer surface of the cylinder, the circumscribed groove of the piston in which the piston ring assembly is held (13A, 13B,
+3c) inner surface, and piston pin boss (14^, 14
B) is applied to the inner surface of the piston, including the inner surface of the piston.

In engine applications where the outer surface of the end wall (12) or It is only necessary to coat the top surface. The method is by application of suitable radiation, such as microwave radiation, passed through the gas in a coating chamber that houses the piston or exposes selected portions of the piston to the gas.

In other applications, the end wall (12) and adjacent side wall portions containing one or more piston ring receiving grooves may be plated or vapor deposited over their entire surface with chromium or the like for lubrication and surface protection. This may require coating the synthetic diamond material with or without coating. Similarly, the combustion chamber or cylinder or cylinder lychee (29)
All or selected portions of the internal surface of the engine are coated with synthetic diamonds, chromium, etc. to protect against friction abrasion, chemical and thermal corrosion, and elongation or propagation of surface cracks due to fluctuating loads and impact forces during engine operation. Such a coating (30D) on the inner surface of the piston can be applied at the same time as the outer surface of the piston or in a separate operation. Although the illustrated piston rings (25) include one or more coatings as described above, the oil or pressure culling rings (27, 28) may or may not include such coating materials. be.

Although the pistons and displacers of a Stirling engine are not exposed to hot combustion gases, they are exposed to similar Coatings can similarly protect against erosion and/or impact damage.

If fuel injection is used in such internal or external combustion engines, the injection nozzles and elements subjected to the high temperatures and shock loads of combustion may likewise be coated with a thin layer of synthetic diamond material and, if necessary, A protective overcoat such as can be applied.

FIG. 4 shows structural details of the synthetic diamond coating, the protective overcoat, and the substrate to be coated.

The substrate (50), which can be in any of the aforementioned forms, is made of a suitable metal, metal alloy, ceremmet or ceramic, fabricated by casting, molding, extrusion, cutting, forging or one or more of such processes. made from materials or combinations thereof. Gases such as methane or other hydrocarbons, vaporous hydrocarbons, or carbon atom-containing gases, preferably mixed with suitable hydrogen gas to provide a suitably effective deposition and formation of a synthetic diamond layer of the required thickness. The synthetic diamond coating (51) can be deposited as carbon atoms extracted from molecules of substances, combinations of gases and vaporous carbon-containing substances. The required thickness is 000001 inch
~,010 in (.025μ to 254μ), and in most applications ranges from a few millionths of an inch to a few tenths of an inch (.025×few μ to 25.4×few μ). The illustrated chromium overcoat (52) completely covers the synthetic diamond coating and is applied by electroless or electrolytic plating, vapor deposition, detonation, or plasma welding.

The thickness of such overlapping coatings ranges from 0,001 inch to several tenths of an inch or more (2.5 μ to 25.4× several μ or more), preferably in the range of several tenths of an inch or less (25,4× several μ or more). It is.

Hard synthetic diamond material or diamond applied to the whole or selected parts of a product that is subject to failure due to frictional loss, weathering, high temperature or chemical corrosion effects, and propagation of surface defects such as surface cracks formed during fabrication. Coatings of material such as
Patent Application No. 32,307 of the present applicant has a thickness that varies from 1/1000n or more (02SX several μ to 25.4 μ or more).
(U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,493), the apparatus illustrated and described in U.S. Pat. It can be formed from carbon atoms precipitated from molecules. , 0001in~, 00
Thicker films of 1 inch or more (2.5 to 25.4 μ or more) can also be provided to significantly increase the tensile and compressive strength of the product or element. In the case of products or elements that are subjected to frictional abrasion due to movement during use, the abrasion or abrasion of which could have catastrophic consequences for the diamond film or coating, a diamond coating may be applied on the substrate or on selected portions of the outer surface of the substrate. After forming, a thin film of a solid lubricant protectant such as chromium, chromium alloys, etc. can be applied thereon. Such ROM is a composite layer of carbon and chromium atoms, or
or one or more layers of chromium atoms, i.e., one or more layers of carbon atoms interposed between the coatings.
Chromium atoms present in the gas, vapor or liquid adjacent to the outer surface of the product can be deposited simultaneously with the carbon atoms or subsequently after the carbon atoms have been deposited.

According to operational requirements, said protective coating material can be applied based on the following teachings and restrictions: a) The entire piston (11), including the outer and inner surfaces, is coated only with synthetic diamond, or said another suitable coating; A composite multilayer coating of synthetic diamond overcoated with chromium as a protective solid lubricant can be included.

b) Only the top surface of the piston, which is exposed to the direct heat and shock pressure of combustion, can be coated with synthetic diamond or the above-mentioned overcoating material.

C) A portion of the cylindrical side wall of the piston adjacent to the piston top surface (30A) can thus be coated and protected. Adjacent sidewall portions may include one or more grooves or circular recesses (13) for retaining piston rings to be assembled on the piston, and the lower sidewall portion, i.e. the entire sidewall with the inner surface of the piston removed.

d) The coating on the top surface (30A) of the piston (11) can be formed as described above only there to a greater thickness than the coating on the side walls.

0 To protect against wear, corrosion and surface crack damage,
Said coating can extend into the cylindrical bore or through hole (14) of the boss (14^, 14B) and can also be applied to the entire outer surface of the piston pin (j5).

1) The entire external surface or selected parts of the external surface of the connecting rod (18) can likewise be coated with synthetic diamond, with or without the protective overcoating described above.

g) Bearings or bearing inserts at one or both ends of the connecting rod (18), as well as machined parts of the crankshaft that rotate in such bearings or inserts, shall also be protected against wear due to rotation during operation of the crankshaft. Synthetic diamond materials can similarly be coated with or without the protective overcoating materials described above for protection.

h) The cylinder wall (29) of FIG. 3 can be defined by a sleeve, ie a liner of a suitable material, which is press-fitted into the bore of the engine casting.

Chromium, chromium alloys, or chromium, to a thickness sufficient to protect the piston, piston rings, and the underlying coating of the synthetic diamond from the erosive effects of the combustion gases and particles contained in the lubricating oil used during engine operation. A thin layer of synthetic diamond, which can be overcoated with one or more of the following metals or alloys: vanadium, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum or tungsten, can be coated as described above on the inner surface of the cylindrical sidewall of the liner.

) The combustion chamber is defined in part by the cylinder head, including the exhaust and intake ports formed or mounted therein, which is also subject to thermal and chemical corrosion, the impact forces of combustion, and prior to engine operation. Chromium etc. and/or synthetic diamonds can be used in the configurations described herein and by the devices described herein to protect against damage or pitting due to expansion and contraction during and subsequent heating and cooling. can be similarly coated.

”) Elements such as valves and valve stems of exhaust and intake valves also
The chromium and/or synthetic diamond material can be coated as described above to protect against deterioration and failure due to thermal and chemical attack, as well as combustion and impact forces during operation.

Some variations on the structure and method for making coatings are described in my patent application Ser. No. 32,307 (U.S. Pat.
．． No. 493) and Patent Application No. 03 filed on March 31, 1987
No. 2,352, which is incorporated herein by reference directly. Other modifications are described below.

1 scanning selected parts of the illustrated surface of the product with one or more radiation beams of laser and/or electronic radiation to the exclusion of other areas for functional and/or economical reasons; This is done to apply the coating to selected areas of the outer surface of the product. Such electron beams or laser beams are used in combination with microwave radiation and passed through a gas containing carbon atoms, such as methane, surrounding all or part of the product or assembly to be coated to form a synthetic diamond coating. and/or to heat the substrate to cause or increase the rate of deposition of carbon atoms and/or to bond the deposited material to the substrate.

2. Operation of the radiation beam generator, changing the beam intensity and frequency, beam direction and focus, flowing and replenishing the reaction chamber with carbon atom-containing gas and hydrogen gas,
When used, the flow of gas in one or more streams within said chamber in the vicinity of the surface to be coated, the movement and/or prepositioning of the product or material to be coated into and out of the reaction chamber, and the reaction chamber. and the flow of any additional material to the product surface being coated to combine with the carbon atoms in the coating. Automatically controlled by a computer with or without feedback signals generated by one or more sensors of the variable.

3. The synthetic diamond coating can be overcoated with a protective coating of chromium, chromium-containing alloys, metal alloys containing metal atoms such as vanadium, tungsten, titanium, molybdenum, and/or the metals themselves. This overcoat serves to protect and/or lubricate the surface of the synthetic diamond coating to resist abrasion and abrasion during operation and use of the coated product. In many applications, engineered diamond coatings serve to electrically insulate products. In other applications, the surface to be coated is protected from thermal and/or chemical attack;
The surface coating increases resistance to abrasion and abrasion. A hard artificial diamond coating applied as a single or multiple layer can also prevent surface wear due to impact forces and loads during use.
Alternatively, one or more layers of said metals and/or alloys can be reduced or eliminated by a hard synthetic diamond coating that is combined or superimposed to lubricate and protect the surface of the synthetic diamond coating.

4. A coating formed from multiple layers of artificial diamond material, formed as described above, between respective layers of the same or different metals, metal alloys and/or ceramic materials improves the mechanical and chemical resistance of said product. Can be used to enhance electrical properties. Such multiple coatings can also be used to significantly increase the strength and stiffness of the product.

5. Metals, various ceramic materials, or both, along with fine particles of synthetic diamond, produced, for example, as described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,859,493, and used to strengthen composites. By compressing particles of a mixture of materials, the products described above can be made. Short filaments of synthetic diamond or composites thereof, such as those described in the above-mentioned patents, can also be mixed with the particulate material to form products of the above-mentioned type with excellent substrate strength and corrosion resistance. Simultaneously and/or subsequently heating the mixture is compressed between molds with or without the addition of a resin binder to sinter, i.e. form metal particles into a defined shape. After hardening, the coating of synthetic diamond material can be applied.

6. The desired product can also be formed by compacting the particulate material with resinous binder particles and then sintering at high temperatures to burn off the resin and leave behind a porous substrate of the desired shape. By placing the porous substrate in a chamber containing a mixture of hydrocarbon and hydrogen gases under pressure, the mixed gas molecules flow into the pores or interstices of such substrates. Thus, by generating suitable microwave energy and passing it through the gas and substrate, carbon atoms are extracted from the gas molecules containing them, forming an artificial diamond material or diamond-like material on the surface of the walls of the internal gap. of the selected shape, thereby being internally reinforced with synthetic diamond material and externally coated with a material that provides a hard shell with a high degree of resistance to erosion, surface abrasion, abrasion and chemical attack. Gives a new strong structure.

7 As used herein, the term engineered diamond material refers to a strong coating, filament, or particle of carbon that exhibits the chemical and physical properties (eg, strength) of diamond. In the products and applications mentioned above, the carbon atoms extracted from molecules of hydrocarbon gases such as methane by microwave energy are hard enough to be used for many applications, although they do not have the hardness of diamond. A hard and strong coating can be formed.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 is a side view of an internal combustion engine piston assembly showing the piston, connecting pin, connecting rod, and the portion of the crankshaft to which the connecting rod is pivotally connected; FIG. 2 is a side view of an internal combustion engine piston assembly and a cylindrical shape; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the cylinder wall and a portion of the piston ring assembly that slides over the cylinder wall; FIG. 1
3 is a side sectional view of a portion of the substrate surface of the piston or connecting rod of FIG. 2 or of the assembly of FIG. 3; FIG. 0... Piston assembly 1... Piston 2... End wall 3... Piston side wall 3ABC... Groove 5... Piston pin 8... Connecting rod 21... Bearing 23... Crankshaft 25...Piston ring assembly 29...Cylinder side wall

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A top surface is formed on which hot combustion gases act during operation of the internal combustion engine, and said top surface includes a thin coating of synthetic diamond material adhered thereto and bonded together. , pistons for internal combustion engines. 2. A piston for an internal combustion engine according to claim 1, having a cylindrical sidewall portion, and wherein the coating of synthetic diamond material extends from the top surface of the piston to at least a portion of the sidewall. 3 formed from aluminum or aluminum alloy;
3. A piston for an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 2, having at least one circular recess in a side wall, the walls of said recess including said synthetic diamond material coating it. 4. A piston for an internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 3, including a piston ring retained within the circular recess of the piston sidewall, the piston ring being coated with a synthetic diamond material formed thereon. 5. The circular peripheral surface of the piston ring is coated with a solid lubricant protecting the diamond coating, the solid lubricant being selected from the group of metals, alloys, nitrides, carbides and oxides of chromium, vanadium, titanium and aluminum. 5. The piston of claim 4, wherein the piston is selected. 6. The piston of claim 1, wherein the artificial diamond material coating the top surface of the piston has an overcoating selected from the group of metals and alloys of chromium, vanadium, titanium, and tungsten. 7. A thin coating of chromium is deposited on the outer surface of the artificial diamond material, and both coatings have a thickness of . 0000
1~. 3. The piston of claim 2, wherein the piston is in the range of 0.25 to 127 microns. 8. A piston ring for use in assembly with a piston adapted for longitudinal movement within the cylinder of an engine, such as an internal combustion engine, compressor, fluid pump, etc., which: a) has a substantially circular configuration; , a deflectable hollow metal ring-like formation having a substantially cylindrical outer surface that corresponds to the cylindrical inner surface of an engine cylinder in which said piston is adapted to reciprocate; b) said deflectable member; c) a first coating of synthetic diamond material integrally bonded to said cylindrical outer surface of the free ring-shaped formation; c) a first coating of synthetic diamond material selected from the group of metals and alloys of chromium, vanadium, titanium and tungsten; A piston ring having an integrally bonded solid lubricant coating. 9. The piston ring according to claim 8, wherein the artificial diamond coating and the lubricant coated thereon completely cover the surface of the empty metal ring-shaped formation. 10 at least one combustion chamber having a cylindrical sidewall and adapted to reciprocate within said chamber during operation of the internal combustion engine;
a piston that is exposed to varying forces and high temperatures due to combustion, the piston having an end wall and a cylindrical side wall portion, the end wall and at least a portion of the piston side wall adjacent the piston end wall; The first artificial diamond material
a second layer of synthetic diamond material covering at least a portion of the cylindrical side wall of the combustion chamber that is exposed to combustion gases during operation of the engine. 11 The piston has a groove formed in a side wall thereof and a piston ring supported within the groove and slidingly engaged with the cylindrical side wall of the combustion chamber, and the artificial diamond material is formed in the wall of the groove. The internal combustion engine according to claim 10, wherein the internal combustion engine is coated with. 12 a crankshaft, a connecting rod connecting the piston to the crankshaft, a device for pivotally supporting one end of the connecting rod to the piston, and a connecting rod for protecting the piston from wear and mechanical damage during operation of the engine. 10. A layer of synthetic diamond material coating selected portions of the device.
The internal combustion engine described. 13. said pivoting support device at one end of said connecting rod includes a cylindrical bearing device, said bearing device having a coating of synthetic diamond material to protect said bearing device from wear and tear during operation of the engine; Has a chrome overcoat,
The internal combustion engine according to claim 12. 14 a bearing device attached to one end of the connecting rod; and a cylindrical portion of the crankshaft rotatably supported by the bearing device, wherein at least one of the bearing device and the crankshaft is 13. The internal combustion engine of claim 12, wherein the internal combustion engine is coated with synthetic diamond of sufficient thickness to protect against abrasion and impact damage. 15 Chromium, vanadium, molybdenum, titanium,
15. The internal combustion engine of claim 14, further comprising a protective layer overlying the synthetic diamond material of a material selected from the group of metals and alloys including aluminum and tungsten. 16. said combustion chamber has end wall and side wall portions which are respectively aligned or misaligned with said piston during operation of the engine and which are subject to the heat, forces and corrosive effects of combustion during operation;
a layer of synthetic diamond material operable to protect against deterioration and damage due to the heat, corrosion and pressure of combustion is coated over all surfaces of the end wall and side wall portions of the combustion chamber;
The internal combustion engine according to claim 10. 17. The combustion chamber includes a cylinder head including an intake, an exhaust port, and a valve device assembled for introducing and discharging a working fluid into the combustion chamber, and the combustion chamber includes a cylinder head that includes an intake port, an exhaust port, and a valve device assembled to introduce and discharge a working fluid to the combustion chamber, and the 11. The internal combustion engine according to claim 10, further comprising a coating of artificial diamond material. 18. Claims include intake and exhaust valve elements assembled to the cylinder head and extending into the intake and exhaust ports, and at least selected portions of the exhaust valve elements are coated with an artificial diamond material. The internal combustion engine according to item 17. 19. A cylindrical insert that is assembled to a side wall of the combustion chamber to form an inner lining, in which the piston moves, the artificial diamond material is coated on the inner surface of the insert, and the artificial diamond coats the inner surface of the insert. 11. Internal combustion engine according to claim 10, characterized in that the material is overcoated with a thin layer of chromium.