Fuel injector including valve seat plate having stress-limiting groove
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorCory A. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fuel injector includes an injector body and a valve stack within the injector body that includes a valve seat plate. The valve seat plate includes a pressure control passage for controlling fuel injection, and a valve seat positioned fluidly between the pressure control passage and a low-pressure drain. The valve seat plate includes a pressure-limiting annular groove that extends circumferentially around the valve seat and axially inward from a side of the valve seat plate where the valve seat is located. The groove enables deformation in response to pressure differences across the valve seat plate in a manner that limits stress concentrations.
Claims20
A valve seat plate for a fuel injector in an internal combustion engine comprising:
- a disc-shaped body defining a center axis and having an outer peripheral surface extending between a first side of the disc-shaped body and a second side of the disc-shaped body;
- the disc-shaped body defining a nozzle supply passage structured to fluidly connect a high-pressure passage to a nozzle chamber in the fuel injector, a pressure control passage structured to fluidly connect the nozzle chamber to a low-pressure drain, and a valve seat;
- the valve seat being formed on the first side of the disc-shaped body and coaxially arranged with the pressure control passage to receive a valve for controlling the fluid connection between the nozzle chamber and the low-pressure drain;
- and
- the disc-shaped body further having formed therein an annular groove positioned radially inward of the nozzle supply passage and extending circumferentially around the valve seat and axially inward from the first side of the disc-shaped body.
The valve seat plate of claim 3 wherein the disc-shaped body further includes a central island formed by the annular groove, and the valve seat is located on the central island.
A valve seat plate for a fuel injector comprising:
- a disc-shaped body defining a center axis and having an outer peripheral surface extending circumferentially around the center axis and axially between a first side and a second side of the disc-shaped body;
- the disc-shaped body defining a nozzle supply passage and a pressure control passage each extending through the disc-shaped body between the first side and the second side;
- a valve seat is formed on the first side of the disc-shaped body and is fluidly connected to the pressure control passage;
- and
- a stress-limiting groove is formed in the first side and extends circumferentially around the valve seat at a location radially outward of the valve seat and radially inward of the nozzle supply passage.
A valve seat plate for a fuel injector comprising:
- a disc-shaped body defining a center axis and having an outer peripheral surface extending circumferentially around the center axis, and axially between a first side of the disc-shaped body having an axial end surface, and a second side of the disc-shaped body;
- the disc-shaped body defining a nozzle supply passage and a pressure control passage each extending through the disc-shaped body between the first side and the second side;
- a valve seat formed in the first side and fluidly connected to the pressure control passage, and the center axis extends through the valve seat;
- a first set of sealing surfaces raised relative to the axial end surface and distributed circumferentially around the valve seat at a location that is radially inward;
- a second set of sealing surfaces raised relative to the axial end surface, and distributed circumferentially around the center axis at a location that is radially outward;
- and
- a stress-limiting groove formed in the first side and extending circumferentially around the valve seat at a location that is radially between the first set of sealing surfaces and the second set of sealing surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.