Gasket and system for control of the temperature of an engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932880-B2
Application number	US-201414767618-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2014
Priority date	Feb 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A vehicle comprising an engine having a cylinder block, a cylinder head and a gasket disposed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. The cylinder block and the cylinder head each comprising at least one bore opening leading to a casting bore within the cylinder block and cylinder head respectively. The gasket comprising a gasket opening having a control gap, said gasket opening being sized and arranged to provide a fluid pathway between the bore opening in the cylinder block and the bore opening in the cylinder head. The control gap being configured and arranged to selectively restrict that fluid pathway such that gas may freely pass through the cylinder block bore opening and into the bore opening in the cylinder head whereas coolant can only restrictively pass through the cylinder block bore opening and into the bore opening in the cylinder head.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gasket for an engine comprising
a gasket body having a gasket opening and being structured with a control gap or being structured to form a control gap when in situ between a cylinder head and a cylinder block, said gasket opening being sized and arranged to provide a fluid pathway between a bore opening in a cylinder block and a bore opening in a cylinder head and said control gap being configured and arranged to selectively restrict the fluid pathway such that gas may freely pass through the gasket opening whereas coolant can only restrictively pass through the gasket opening, wherein
the control gap in the gasket opening comprises an upper wall, a lower wall and side walls, a height of the control gap being defined by a distance between the upper wall and the lower wall and wherein the height of the control gap is dimensioned such that below an engine operating temperature range a viscous drag of coolant passing between the upper and lower walls is significant enough to prevent or at least minimize the flow of coolant out of the gasket opening and into the opening in the cylinder head.

2. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the control gap is less than or equal to 0.7 mm.

3. A gasket according to claim 2 , wherein the height of the control gap is between 0.2 mm and 0.3 mm.

4. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein gasket opening is structured to form the control gap and the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder head or an upper layer of the gasket and wherein the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder block or a lower layer of the gasket.

5. A gasket according to claim 4 , wherein the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder head and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the lower layer of the gasket, wherein the gasket comprises at least three layers, at least in the proximity of the gasket opening, wherein a first layer is disposed above an intermediate layer and the intermediate layer is disposed above a second layer; the side walls of the control gap are provided by the first layer; and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the intermediate layer of material, the intermediate layer being said lower layer of the gasket.

6. A gasket according to claim 5 , comprising a second control gap, wherein the second control gap comprises an upper wall provided by the intermediate layer of material and side walls provided by the second layer of material; and a lower wall provided by the cylinder block.

7. A gasket according to claim 4 , wherein the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the upper layer of the gasket and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder block, wherein the gasket comprises three or more layers, at least in the proximity of the gasket opening, wherein a first layer is disposed above an intermediate layer and the intermediate layer is disposed above a second layer; the side walls of the control gap are provided by the second layer of material; and the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the intermediate layer of material, the intermediate layer being said upper layer of the gasket.

8. A gasket according to claim 7 , comprising a second control gap, wherein the second control gap comprises: an upper wall provided by the cylinder head; side walls provided by the first layer; and a lower wall provided by the intermediate layer of material.

9. A gasket according to claim 7 , wherein the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder head and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the lower layer of the gasket, wherein the upper layer of the gasket is a first layer and the lower layer of the gasket is a second layer, wherein the first layer is disposed on top of the second layer; the side walls of the control gap are provided by the first layer of material; and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by an upper surface of the second layer of material.

10. A gasket according to claim 4 , wherein the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the upper layer of the gasket and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder block, wherein the upper layer of the gasket is a first layer and the lower layer of the gasket is a second layer, wherein the first layer is disposed on top of the second layer; the upper wall of the control gap is provided by a lower surface of the first layer of material; and the side walls of the control gap are provided by the second layer of material.

11. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein the gasket opening has an upper portion and a lower portion and wherein the shape of the gasket opening at least at one of said upper and lower portions is generally elongate in order to fluidly connect the at least one bore opening in the cylinder block and the at least one bore opening in the cylinder head; and
wherein if only the upper portion or the lower portion of the gasket opening is elongate in shape, the other of the lower or upper portion of the gasket opening is provided for connecting a bore opening in either the cylinder block or head and is at least one of significantly smaller in width than the width of the control gap or substantially circular in cross-section.

12. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein the control gap has a cross-sectional shape that is substantially oval.

13. A gasket according to claim 12 , wherein the control gap has a cross-sectional shape comprising two parallel straight sides and two opposed semi-circular ends.

14. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein the width of the control gap is at least twice as great as the height of the control gap.

15. A gasket according to claim 14 , wherein the width of the control gap is about ten times as great as the height of the control gap.

16. A gasket according to claim 14 , wherein the width of the control gap is between 3 mm and 5 mm.

17. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein
the gasket comprises a single layer of material;
the upper wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder head and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by a recessed portion of the single layer of the gasket; or,
wherein the upper wall of the control gap is provided by a recessed portion of the single layer and the lower wall of the control gap is provided by the cylinder block.

18. A gasket according to claim 1 , wherein any of the upper wall, lower wall and/or side walls is/are textured, formed, shaped, lumped, perturbed or rough.

19. A vehicle comprising an engine having a cylinder block, a cylinder head and a gasket according to claim 1 , wherein the gasket is disposed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head, the cylinder block and the cylinder head each comprising at least one bore opening leading to a bore within the cylinder block and cylinder head, respectively.

20. A vehicle according to claim 19 , comprising a system for managing temperature of the engine, the system, comprising:
(i) a pump, coupled to the cylinder head and cylinder block for pumping coolant, wherein the pump is controllable such that the flow rate of coolant within the system is adjustable; and
(ii) a valve configured to restrict and permit the flow of coolant through the cylinder block and/or through the cylinder head;
wherein, the pump is controllable to operate at a first flow-rate during a first operating condition and during said first operating condition the valve restricts the flow of coolant through the cylinder block and the control ga

Assignees

• Jaguar Land Rover Ltd

Inventors

• Hutchins William

Classifications

• F16J2015/0868

  Aspects not related to the edges of the gasket · CPC title

• F16J15/0825

  laminated · CPC title

• F16J15/064

  the packing combining the sealing function with other functions · CPC title

• F02F11/002

  involving cylinder heads · CPC title

• F01P2003/028

  Cooling cylinders and cylinder heads in series · CPC title