Engine component seal assembly and method of sealing a coolant passage from an engine component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9382887-B2
Application number	US-201213558159-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2012
Priority date	Sep 23, 2009
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

An engine component seal assembly and method of sealing a coolant passage from an engine component are provided. The seal assembly includes a sealing sleeve sized and dimensioned to slip fit into an engine component mounting bore and a retaining ring sized and dimensioned to be axially inserted into the sleeve. The ring contacts the sleeve and applies a radial force sufficient to create an interference fit and to move or yield an interface portion of the sleeve radially outward into sealing abutment against a wall forming the mounting bore to create a secure and reliable annular fluid seal.

First claim

We claim:

1. An engine component seal assembly for insertion in a mounting bore having a longitudinal axis formed in a portion of an engine, comprising:
a sealing sleeve including an outer surface sized and dimensioned to be positionable in the mounting bore adjacent a bore sealing surface, said sealing sleeve further including an inner surface having an inner diameter at a ring interface portion; and
a retaining ring sized and dimensioned to be positionable within said sealing sleeve adjacent said ring interface portion, said retaining ring having an outer annular surface with an outer diameter, wherein the outer diameter of the retaining ring is greater than the inner diameter of said sealing sleeve before the retaining ring is positioned within the sealing sleeve such that the outer annular surface of the retaining ring applies a radially outward sealing force against said interface portion to create a fluid seal between said sealing sleeve and the bore sealing surface when the retaining ring is positioned within the sealing sleeve.

2. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said outer surface of said sealing sleeve is sized and dimensioned to not form a fluid seal against said bore sealing surface without said radially outward sealing force.

3. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said sealing sleeve is formed of a first material and said retaining ring is formed of a second material different than said first material, said first material being resistant to corrosion.

4. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said second material has thermal expansion characteristics at least comparable to a material forming said portion of the engine.

5. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said outer surface of said sealing sleeve at said interface portion is devoid of one or more grooves.

6. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said sealing sleeve includes an annular groove formed in said outer surface and positioned at spaced axial distance from said interface portion, and further including a seal positioned in said annular groove.

7. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said interface portion has a radial width greater than a portion of said sealing sleeve adjacent said interface portion.

8. The seal assembly of claim 1 , wherein said retaining ring includes a predetermined axial extent along the longitudinal axis to position the engine component in a predetermined axial position relative to the mounting bore.

9. A method of sealing a coolant passage from an engine component, comprising:
providing an engine component mounting bore;
providing a coolant passage in communication with said mounting bore;
positioning a sealing sleeve in said mounting bore, the sealing sleeve having an inner surface having an inner diameter;
positioning a retaining ring in said mounting bore and within said sealing sleeve at said inner surface, the retaining having an outer annular surface with an outer diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the sealing sleeve;
applying an axial force to said retaining ring prior to inserting an engine component into said mounting bore wherein the difference between the inner and outer diameters causes the outer annular surface of the retaining ring to expand the inner diameter of the sealing sleeve and apply a radial force against said sealing sleeve when the retaining ring is positioned within the sealing sleeve, and wherein the radial force causes said sealing sleeve to sealingly abut a sealing surface in said mounting bore to create a fluid seal between said sealing sleeve and said sealing surface to seal a portion of said coolant passage from said mounting bore; and
inserting the engine component into said mounting bore and said sealing sleeve while
maintaining said retaining ring in said sealing sleeve.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said sealing sleeve is formed of a first material and said retaining ring is formed of a second material different than said first material, said first material being resistant to corrosion.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said second material has thermal expansion characteristics at least comparable to a material forming said wall.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein said engine component is a spark plug.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein said retaining ring includes a predetermined axial extent along the longitudinal axis to position the spark plug in a predetermined axial position relative to the mounting bore.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein said sealing sleeve includes an interface portion having an outer surface to sealingly abut said sealing surface, said positioning of said sealing sleeve in said mounting bore not forming a fluid seal between said outer surface of said interface portion and said sealing surface.

15. An engine, comprising:
an engine body including a spark plug mounting bore including a longitudinal axis and a sealing surface;
a sealing sleeve positioned in said mounting bore, the sealing sleeve having an inner diameter;
a retaining ring mounted in said sealing sleeve, said retaining ring having an outer diameter that is greater than the inner diameter of the sealing sleeve before the retaining ring is mounted in the sealing sleeve, the retaining ring sized to apply a radially outward sealing force against said sealing sleeve to create a fluid seal between said sealing sleeve and said sealing surface when the retaining ring is mounted in the sealing sleeve, the radially outward sealing force being applied based on the difference between the inner and outer diameters when the retaining ring is mounted in the sealing sleeve; and
a spark plug mounted in said mounting bore adjacent said retaining ring.

16. The engine of claim 15 , wherein said sealing sleeve includes an inner sleeve surface having an inner radial extent, said retaining ring having an outer ring surface with an outer radial extent greater than said inner radial extent of said inner sleeve surface of said sealing sleeve to create an interference fit.

17. The engine of claim 15 , wherein said sealing sleeve is formed of a first material and said retaining ring is formed of a second material different than said first material, said first material being resistant to corrosion.

18. The engine of claim 15 , wherein said retaining ring includes a predetermined axial extent along the longitudinal axis to position the spark plug in a predetermined axial position relative to the mounting bore.

19. The engine of claim 15 , wherein the engine further includes a coolant passage in communication with said mounting bore, and an annular seal positioned between said sealing sleeve and the sealing surface, said sealing sleeve including an interface portion in contact with said retaining ring, said coolant passage positioned axially along said spark plug between said interface portion and said annular seal.

20. The engine of claim 15 , wherein said sealing sleeve includes an interface portion in contact with said retaining ring, said interface portion having a radial width greater than a portion of said sealing sleeve adjacent said interface portion.

21. The engine of claim 15 , wherein the engine further includes a coolant passage in communication with said mounting bore, said fluid seal fluidically sealing a portion of said coolant passage from said mounting bore.

22. The engine of claim 15 , wherein said retaining ring includes a center bore to receive the spark plug and an inner surface positioned adjacent the spark plug, said inne

Assignees

• Clark Kent H
• Haegele Glen T
• Coulombe Nathan E
• Walker Matthew R
• Nyvall John M
• Hurd Jeffrey J
• Keenan Andrew J
• Hall Dustin J
• O'Grady Brendan J
• Cummins Ip Inc

Inventors

• Clark Kent H
• Haegele Glen T
• Coulombe Nathan E
• Walker Matthew R
• Nyvall John M
• Hurd Jeffrey J
• Keenan Andrew J
• Hall Dustin J
• O'Grady Brendan J

Classifications

• F02M53/043

  with cooling means other than air cooling · CPC title

• F02M61/10

  Other injectors with elongated valve bodies, i.e. of needle-valve type · CPC title

• F02M2200/853

  involving use of quick-acting mechanism, e.g. clips · CPC title

• F01P3/12

  Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts · CPC title

• F02M61/14 Primary

  Arrangements of injectors with respect to engines; Mounting of injectors · CPC title