Cooling gallery for pistons
AssigneeZellner Pistons, LLC
InventorJohn P. Whitacre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A cast piston having a metal insert that includes a cooling gallery and defines a piston ring groove. The piston insert includes an annular base having an annular cavity formed therein and an annular ring which extends radially outward from the base. A cast piston is fabricated by positioning the piston insert in a piston mold and casting a piston. After the piston is cast, the piston groove ring is machined in a portion of the annular ring and at least one channel is formed between the annular cavity and a bottom portion of the piston. In use, a cooling fluid is directed through the at least one channel and into the annular cavity.
Claims24
A cast piston which comprises:
- a piston head having an upper crown surface and a peripheral side surface;
- a piston skirt extending downward from the piston head;
- and
- an annular metal insert provided in the piston head below the upper crown surface and intersecting the peripheral side surface,
- the annular metal insert comprising a base and an annular ring that are integrated together to form a unitary structure made from a continuous material and having a cross-sectional shape extending from the base and around the annular ring which has a smooth transitional shape, the base having an annular shaped passageway therein, and the annular ring extending radially outward from the base.
A cast piston which comprises:
- a piston head having an upper crown surface and a peripheral side surface;
- a piston skirt extending downward from the piston head;
- and
- an annular metal insert provided in the piston head below the upper crown surface and intersecting the peripheral side surface, the annular metal insert comprising:
- a base having an annular cavity defined therein, and
- an annular ring extending radially outward from the base,
- the annular metal insert being a unitary structure made from a continuous material and having a cross-sectional shape extending from the base and around the annular ring which has a smooth transitional shape.
A method of fabricating a cast piston which comprises:
- providing a piston mold;
- positioning a metal insert in the piston mold, the metal inset having a base containing an annular cavity and an annular ring extending radially outward from the base, the metal insert being a unitary structure made from a continuous material and having a cross-sectional shape extending from the base and around the annular ring which has a smooth transitional shape;
- casting a piston in the piston mold so that the metal insert is located beneath a crown surface of the cast piston;
- machining a piston ring groove in a portion of the metal insert;
- and
- boring at least one channel in the cast piston which communicates at least on channel between the annular cavity of the metal insert and a bottom portion of the cast piston.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.