US 6,178,632 B2 · Method for manufacturing air assist passageways for fuel insector

Abstract

A method of making air assist passageways and injector pockets in a manifold or air assist rail includes providing a mold that can open and close with several bosses extending from an inside surface. These bosses are arranged in a row and define the inside of the injector pockets when the mold is filled. The air assist passageway that couples the fuel injector pockets is provided by inserting a long pin that passes through the row of injector pocket bosses inside the mold cavity. When the cavity is filled with molten material and solidifies, the pin is withdrawn, leaving a long air assist passageway extending between the injector pockets. The mold is then opened, pulling the injector pocket bosses out of the now-formed injector pockets. The resulting structure is a row of injector pockets in a manifold or air assist rail into which injectors can be inserted, that are connected by a long air assist passageway. Since the pins were inserted through the mold and into the injector pocket bosses, when the pin is withdrawn, holes will be left at the end of the air assist passageways. These holes in the part can be later plugged or capped to prevent air from leaking out of the air assist passageways. The air assist passageway pin preferably intersects the injector pocket bosses in the middle, thereby being supported on all sides by each boss it passes through.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A method of manufacturing air assist passageways and injector pockets, comprising the steps of:

providing first and second closeable and openable mold portions configured to define an outer surface of an air assist passageway and injector pockets, wherein the air assist passageway extends between and couples the injector pockets and further wherein the second mold portion has a plurality of inwardly extending bosses defining an inner surface of each of the plurality of injector pockets;
closing said first and second mold portions to define a mold cavity that defines the outer surface of the air assist passageway and injector pockets;
inserting at least one air assist passageway pin through apertures in the injector pockets to define an interior surface of the air assist passageway that extends through and couples the injector pockets;
filling the mold cavity with molten material;
solidifying the molten material to form a solid part having the air assist passageway and injector pockets;
withdrawing the at least one air assist passageway pin from the solid part;
and
opening the mold.

5 more elements

A method of manufacturing an intake manifold for a “V” style internal combustion engine having first and second banks of cylinders, the manifold including, for each bank of cylinders, a plurality of fuel injector pockets and an air assist passageway extending between the plurality of fuel injector pockets, the manifold also including a plurality of induction air passageways, each of the plurality of induction air passageways being associated with each of the plurality of fuel injector pockets, the method comprising the steps of:

providing first and second closeable and openable mold portions configured to define when closed an outer surface of the intake manifold including the outer surface of the fuel injector pockets, the induction air passageways, and the air assist passageways, wherein the second mold portion has a plurality of inwardly extending injector pocket bosses defining an inner surface of each of the plurality of fuel injector pockets;
closing said first and second mold portions to create a mold cavity defining the outer surface of the manifold;
inserting a first air assist passageway pin through apertures in a first plurality of injector pocket bosses to define an interior surface of an air assist passageway that extends through and couples a first plurality of injector pockets in the first bank of cylinders;
inserting a second air assist passageway pin through apertures in a second plurality of injector pocket bosses to define an interior surface of an air assist passageway that extends through and couples a second plurality of injector pockets in the second bank of cylinders;
filling the mold cavity with molten material;
solidifying the molten material to form the manifold;
withdrawing the first and second air assist passageway pins from the manifold;
and
opening the mold.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method for manufacturing air assist passageways for fuel insector

Life of this patent

Method for manufacturing air assist passageways for fuel insector

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15