Engine cover balanced isolated support and seal
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorCarl Eric Fonville
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sealed cover, such as an engine valve or rocker cover, is mounted on an engine with balanced grommets which support the cover through equal compression loads on inner and outer sides of the cover. A sealing surface of the cover is positioned with a fixed gap from a facing sealing surface of a cylinder head or other engine component. The gap is sealed by a liquid RTV seal material that is vulcanized in place at room temperature after installation of the cover. The arrangement separates the function of noise isolation from the sealing function performed by the RTV material so that the specifications of the sealing material and the noise isolating grommet material can be varied as desired to perform their separate functions without a change in one affecting the other.
Claims8
A sealed cover assembly for a fluid-containing cavity of an engine, the cover assembly comprising:
- a cover including a fluid-containing wall with a peripheral edge having a sealing surface adapted to oppose a corresponding sealing surface of an engine, and a plurality of mounting openings in the wall;
- at least one support grommet adjacent each of the openings and including balanced inner and outer portions engaging opposite sides of the wall and having essentially equal compression characteristics;
- and
- mechanical fasteners extending through the grommets for securing the cover to a mating edge of the engine cavity, the fasteners when engaged providing equal compression forces on the inner and outer portions of the grommets and supporting the cover sealing surface with a predetermined gap from the cavity mating edge for engagement with a compliant sealing material disposed between the surfaces.
An engine cover assembly defining a fluid-containing cavity the assembly comprising:
- an engine component including a sealing surface defining an edge of the cavity;
- a cover including a fluid-containing wall surrounded by a peripheral edge and having a sealing surface opposing the sealing surface of the engine component, and a plurality of mounting openings in the wall;
- at least one support grommet adjacent each of the openings and including balanced inner and outer portions engaging opposite sides of the wall and having essentially equal compression characteristics;
- and
- mechanical fasteners extending through the grommets and engaging the engine component for securing the cover to the engine component, the fasteners providing equal compression forces on the inner and outer portions of the grommets and supporting the body sealing surface with a predetermined gap from the component sealing surface for engagement with a compliant sealing material disposed between the surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.