Gear Noise Reduction in Opposed-Piston Engines
AssigneeAchates Power, Inc.
InventorsBalazs V. Palfai, Michael S. Tebbe
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A quiet-running, multi-layer gear assembly includes a compliant center member sandwiched between a pair of stiff outer members. The compliant center member has an outer peripheral surface with gear teeth. Each of the outer members has an outer peripheral surface with gear teeth disposed in a respective directed axial thrust pattern. The center and outer members are joined on a central hub with their outer peripheral surfaces aligned so as to form a gear assembly with low or no net axial thrust. In some aspects, the compliant center member and the hub include cooperating anti-turn constructions.
Claims26
A gear assembly, comprising:
- a center member of compliant material and including an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon;
- a pair of outer members of stiff material, each outer member including an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon and disposed in a respective directed axial thrust pattern;
- and,
- a hub;
- in which the outer members are secured together on the hub with the center member disposed therebetween.
An opposed-piston engine, comprising an engine housing and a gear train mounted on the engine housing, in which the gear train includes a plurality of gears for coupling a pair of crankshafts to an output drive, wherein, each of the gears includes:
- a center member of compliant material and including an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon;
- a pair of outer members of stiff material;
- each outer member including an outer peripheral surface with a plurality of teeth formed thereon and disposed in a respective directed axial thrust pattern;
- and,
- a hub;
- in which the outer members are secured together on the hub with the center member disposed therebetween.
A method of operating a gear train of an opposed-piston engine, comprising:
- coupling rotating crankshaft motion into the gear train;
- coupling rotating motion out of the gear train to a power output drive;
- receiving a torque load on a compliant member of a gear of the gear train;
- deforming the compliant member in response to the torque load;
- receiving the torque load on stiff outer members of the gear;
- frictionally transmitting the torque load to the compliant member from the stiff outer members;
- and,
- transferring the torque load from the compliant member to a hub of the gear.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.