Chain tensioner with damping feature
AssigneeCloyes Gear and Products, Inc.
InventorJames D. Young
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tensioner capable of controlling strand vibration and motion and reducing noise in a slack strand of a chain assembly includes a flexible shoe, an elongated spring and a resilient damping device. The flexible shoe is pivotally mounted on a tensioner bracket to engage and tension a chain. The elongated spring is inserted in the flexible shoe to apply a tensioning force to the shoe. The resilient damping device is mounted between the tensioner bracket and the spring to limit chain vibration occurring due to valve events and firing pulses of an engine. The damping device is particularly useful in damping vibration in an automotive engine timing drive.
Claims23
A chain tensioning apparatus for tensioning a chain in a timing chain assembly having a pair of sprockets operatively connected by a chain, the chain tensioning apparatus comprising:
- a tensioner bracket;
- a flexible shoe having first and second ends joined by an elongated central body section, the first end of the shoe pivotally mounted on the tensioner bracket;
- an elongated spring having first and second ends supported in the first and second ends of the shoe, and a central section of the spring applying a tensioning force on the central body section of the shoe;
- and
- a resilient damping device mounted on the tensioner bracket and engaging the spring on a side opposite the shoe to limit chain vibration, the damping device being formed from a compressible material which compresses in response to a deflection of the spring.
A tensioning device with a damper comprising;
- a tensioner bracket;
- an elongated tensioning member supported on the tensioner bracket, the tensioning member having a blade for engaging a power transmission member and a spring for biasing the tensioning member against the power transmission member;
- and
- a resilient damping body engaging the tensioning member for damping vibration in the tensioning member caused by vibration of the power transmission member, the damping body being formed from a compressible material which compresses in response to a deflection of the spring.
A method of damping vibrations in a blade-type mechanical chain tensioning device, the method comprising:
- inserting a resilient damping device between a tensioner support bracket and an elongated spring of a mechanical chain tensioning device;
- urging an elongated shoe of the tensioning device into contact with a chain extending between first and second sprockets;
- and
- damping vibrations in the chain and shoe with the resilient damping device, the damping device being formed from a compressible material which compresses in response to a deflection of the spring.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.