Lubrication system for a pin joint of an engine piston, an engine piston, and a method of lubricating a pin joint of an engine piston

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12385447-B2
Application number	US-202318535887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 11, 2023
Priority date	Feb 13, 2023
Publication date	Aug 12, 2025
Grant date	Aug 12, 2025

Abstract

Systems and apparatuses include a lubrication system having an engine piston defining a gudgeon pin aperture, a piston pooling cavity extending radially outward from the gudgeon pin aperture, a piston cooling gallery, and a piston lubrication passage. The piston lubrication passage is in fluid communication with the piston cooling gallery and the piston pooling cavity. The piston further includes a pin journal received in the gudgeon pin aperture of the engine piston and defining a journal aperture in fluid communication with the piston pooling cavity and a journal pooling cavity in fluid communication with the journal aperture. A gudgeon pin is received within the gudgeon pin aperture adjacent the pin journal, which provides fluid communication between the journal pooling cavity and the gudgeon pin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lubrication system comprising:
an engine piston comprising:
a piston body defining:
a gudgeon pin aperture;
a piston pooling cavity extending radially outward from the gudgeon pin aperture;
a piston cooling gallery; and
a piston lubrication passage in fluid communication with the piston cooling gallery and the piston pooling cavity;

a pin journal received in the gudgeon pin aperture of the piston body and defining:
a journal aperture in fluid communication with the piston pooling cavity; and
a journal pooling cavity in fluid communication with the journal aperture; and

a gudgeon pin received within the gudgeon pin aperture adjacent the pin journal to provide fluid communication between the journal pooling cavity and the gudgeon pin.

2. The lubrication system of claim 1 , further including a piston cooling nozzle configured to provide lubricant to the piston cooling gallery.

3. The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the piston pooling cavity defines a convex profile in cross-section.

4. The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the piston pooling cavity extends along a wrist axis defined by the gudgeon pin aperture.

5. The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the piston body defines a plurality of piston lubrication passages, and the plurality of piston lubrication passages provide fluid communication between the piston cooling gallery and the piston pooling cavity.

6. The lubrication system of claim 5 , wherein the piston pooling cavity defines a volume that is larger than a volume defined by the plurality of piston lubrication passages.

7. The lubrication system of claim 1 , wherein the gudgeon pin defines a pin bore that is in fluid communication with the journal pooling cavity.

8. The lubrication system of claim 7 , further comprising a connecting rod defining a rod bore therethrough, the connecting rod fluidly coupled to the pin bore by a check valve.

9. An engine piston assembly comprising:
a piston body defining:
a gudgeon pin aperture;
a piston pooling cavity extending radially outward from the gudgeon pin aperture and defining a channel that extends parallel to a wrist axis defined by the gudgeon pin aperture;
a piston cooling gallery extending in a circumferential direction about a piston axis of the piston body; and
a piston lubrication passage extending between the piston cooling gallery and the piston pooling cavity; and

a pin journal received in the gudgeon pin aperture of the piston body and defining:
a journal aperture in fluid communication with the piston pooling cavity; and
a journal pooling cavity in fluid communication with the journal aperture.

10. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston lubrication passage extends radially away from the piston pooling cavity.

11. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston lubrication passage extends from an end of the piston pooling cavity proximate to a circumferential edge of the piston pooling cavity.

12. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston lubrication passage extends axially away from the piston cooling gallery relative to the piston axis.

13. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston pooling cavity is a semi-circular groove having a constant radius of curvature that extends between two circumferential positions along the gudgeon pin aperture.

14. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston lubrication passage is one of a plurality of piston lubrication passages that extend from the piston cooling gallery toward the wrist axis.

15. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston pooling cavity is one of a plurality of piston cooling cavities disposed at different circumferential positions along the gudgeon pin aperture.

16. The engine piston assembly of claim 9 , wherein the piston pooling cavity is spaced axially apart from opposing axial ends of the gudgeon pin aperture relative to the wrist axis.

17. A method of lubricating a pin joint of an engine piston, the method comprising:
receiving, by a piston cooling gallery of the engine piston, a lubricant;
providing, by a piston lubrication passage of the engine piston that extends from the piston cooling gallery, the lubricant to a piston pooling cavity of the engine piston that extends radially away from a gudgeon pin aperture of the engine piston; and
providing the lubricant to a gudgeon pin disposed within the gudgeon pin aperture by passing the lubricant through a journal lubrication aperture of a journal disposed within the gudgeon pin aperture.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein providing the lubricant to the gudgeon pin further comprises distributing the lubricant across a journal pooling cavity in fluid communication with the journal lubrication aperture and extending radially away from a journal aperture that is coaxial with a wrist axis of the gudgeon pin.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising providing the lubricant to the gudgeon pin through a connecting rod that is coupled to the gudgeon pin by passing the lubricant through a check valve that is positioned in a feed bore of the gudgeon pin.

Assignees

• Cummins Inc

Inventors

• Arumugam Raghuvaran

Classifications

• F01M2001/086

  for lubricating gudgeon pins · CPC title

• F01P3/10

  Cooling by flow of coolant through pistons · CPC title

• F01M1/16

  Controlling lubricant pressure or quantity (rendering machines or engines inoperative or idling on lubricant pressure failure F01M1/22) · CPC title

• F01M1/08 Primary

  Lubricating systems characterised by the provision therein of lubricant jetting means · CPC title

• F02F3/22 Primary

  the fluid being liquid · CPC title