Hollow valve spring retainer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690021-B2
Application number	US-201816000293-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2018
Priority date	Jun 5, 2018
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for a valve spring retainer of a valvetrain assembly. In one example, valve spring retainer may be at least partially hollowed and include inner cavities forming channels within a material of the valve spring retainer. Air inside the inner cavities may be fluidly coupled to air surrounding the valve spring retainer through channels. A mass of the valve spring retainer may be decreased and a cost and speed of fabrication of the valve spring retainer may be reduced by additive manufacturing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A valvetrain of an engine comprising;
a valve spring; and
a disc-shaped valve spring retainer having a central aperture and a plurality of inner cavities concentric with the central aperture, the retainer engaging with a first end of the valve spring;
wherein the plurality of inner cavities includes a first cavity positioned closer to the central aperture and a second cavity positioned closer to an outer edge wall of the disc-shaped valve spring retainer.

2. The valvetrain of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inner cavities forms continuous air channels encircling the central aperture of the valve spring retainer, each of the inner cavities further including a channel coupling an air channel of the corresponding inner cavity to ambient air surrounding the retainer.

3. The valvetrain of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of inner cavities is spaced apart from one another, separated by a material of the valve spring retainer.

4. The valvetrain of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of inner cavities has upwardly curving ceilings and downwardly curving floors, the ceilings and floors of the inner cavities coupled by side walls.

5. The valvetrain of claim 1 , wherein the valve spring is coupled to a valve stem of a valve, and a position of the valve spring retainer along the valve stem is maintained via secure attachment of the retainer to the valve stem, the secure attachment including a welded joint.

6. The valvetrain of claim 5 , wherein the first end of the valve spring is away from a cylinder head, the valve spring further including a second end, opposite the first end, the second end in contact with a surface of the cylinder head, and wherein the valve spring exerts a spring load on the valve spring retainer at the first end of the valve spring and on the surface of the cylinder head at the second end.

7. The valvetrain of claim 6 , wherein the valve spring retainer is welded to the valve stem so that the valve spring retainer resists displacement from the valve spring and the spring load of the valve spring is translated to motion of the valve.

8. The valvetrain of claim 1 , wherein the valve spring retainer has a planar top face and a stepped lower face, the stepped lower face forming a thickest portion of the valve spring retainer proximate to the central aperture and a thinnest portion proximate to an outer edge of the valve spring retainer.

9. A hollow valve spring retainer, comprising;
a toroid unit with a central aperture for receiving a valve stem; and
a first and a second hollow cavity, each concentric with the central aperture, the first cavity positioned within the toroid unit at a different distance from the central aperture than the second cavity;
wherein the central aperture extends from a top face to a bottom face of the toroid unit and wherein the first cavity is positioned within the toroid unit closer to the central aperture while the second cavity is positioned within the toroid unit closer to an outer edge wall of the valve spring retainer.

10. The valve spring retainer of claim 9 , wherein the bottom face of the toroid unit is stepped, a diameter of the toroid unit at the outer edge wall being larger than a diameter at a circumference of an inner-most step, the diameter decreasing from the top face to the bottom face in a step-wise manner.

11. The valve spring retainer of claim 10 , wherein the stepped toroid unit includes a first step with a first diameter at the top face, a second step with a second diameter at the bottom face, and a third step with a third diameter intermediate of the first and second steps, and wherein the first cavity is located within the first step and the second cavity extends across both the first and second steps, with a first portion of the second cavity located within the first step and a second portion located within the second step.

12. The valve spring retainer of claim 11 , wherein a first stepped region of the valve spring retainer forms a thickest portion of the valve spring retainer, the first stepped region proximate to the central aperture.

13. The valve spring retainer of claim 12 , wherein a second stepped region of the valve spring retainer forms a region adjacent to and encircling the first stepped region that is thinner than the first stepped region.

14. The valve spring retainer of claim 13 , wherein a third stepped region is arranged between the second stepped region and the outer edge wall of the valve spring retainer, the third stepped region forming a thinnest portion of the valve spring retainer.

15. The valve spring retainer of claim 14 , wherein the first cavity is disposed within the thickness of the first stepped region and includes one or more channels extending from the first cavity to a bottom surface of the first stepped region.

16. The valve spring retainer of claim 15 , wherein the second cavity is disposed in a region, extending across both the first stepped region and the second stepped region and within thicknesses of the first and second stepped regions, and includes one or more channels extending from the second cavity to the bottom face of the valve spring retainer.

17. The valve spring retainer of claim 16 , wherein the one or more channels of the first cavity fluidly couple air inside the first cavity to ambient air surrounding the valve spring retainer and the one or more channels of the second cavity fluidly couple air inside the second cavity to ambient air surrounding the valve spring retainer.

18. The valve spring retainer of claim 9 , wherein the valve spring retainer is fabricated by additive manufacturing.

19. A method for a valvetrain, comprising;
3D printing a hollow valve spring retainer, the hollow valve spring retainer configured with one or more concentric inner cavities, the inner cavities concentric to a central aperture of the valve spring retainer, wherein the inner cavities include a first cavity positioned closer to the central aperture and a second cavity positioned closer to an outer edge wall of the hollow valve spring retainer; and
adapting the valvetrain with the hollow valve spring retainer, the hollow valve spring retainer coupled to a valvestem of a valve, secured to the valvestem by a welded joint, and arranged above and in contact with a top end of a valve spring.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Cornell John
• Madin Mark
• Forsmark Joy

Classifications

• F01L1/205

  by means of shims or the like · CPC title

• F01L2303/01

  Tools for producing, mounting or adjusting, e.g. some part of the distribution · CPC title

• F01L3/10 Primary

  Connecting springs to valve members · CPC title

• F01L2301/00

  Using particular materials · CPC title