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US 2007/0163753 A1Published application
Viscous shear drives and methods using nanoparticles in the viscous medium
OwnerGary D. Cochraninventor
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OwnerGary D. Cochraninventor
Estimating the term…
A device such as a cooling fan drive for a motor vehicle engine has first and second members that are relatively moveable at a differential velocity. A liquid fills space separating relatively moving confronting surfaces of the respective members. The viscosity of the liquid enables the liquid to serve as a motion transmitting medium from one member to the other. Heat is generated within the liquid by shearing stress created by the relative movement of the members at a differential velocity with at least some of the generated heat being dissipated by conduction from at least one of the members through its surface. The viscous liquid comprises a nanoparticle-free base liquid to which have been added nanoparticles in an amount sufficient to measurably increase the thermal conductivity of the liquid filling the space over that of the base liquid.
A device comprising a first member and a second member that are relatively moveable at differential velocity, and a viscous liquid which fills space separating relatively moving confronting surfaces of the respective members and internally of which heat is generated by shearing stress created in the liquid by the relative movement of the members at differential velocity with at least some of the generated heat being dissipated into at least one of the members through its confronting surface, wherein the viscous liquid comprises a nanoparticle-free base liquid to which have been added nanoparticles in an amount sufficient to measurably increase the thermal conductivity of the liquid filling the space over that of the base liquid.
A method for removing heat generated internally of viscous liquid within space separating relatively movable confronting surfaces of respective members that are movable relative to each other at a velocity differential and that generate the heat by shearing the liquid when relatively moving, the method comprising making the liquid by mixing a nanoparticle-free base liquid and nanoparticles in an amount sufficient to measurably increase the thermal conductivity of the resulting mixture in comparison to that of the base liquid, and filling the space with the mixture.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.