Piston for a Reciprocating Piston Machine, and Reciprocating Piston Machine for a Motor Vehicle

Abstract

A piston for a reciprocating piston machine includes a piston crown, a piston recess, and an annular groove formed in the piston crown. The annular groove extends in a radial direction of the piston outwards and a cross-section of the annular groove has a half-teardrop shape. The half-teardrop shape has a first radius and a second radius where the second radius is directly contiguous with the first radius outwards in the radial direction of the piston and where the second radius is greater than the first radius.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A piston for a reciprocating piston machine, comprising: a piston crown; a piston recess; and an annular groove formed in the piston crown, wherein the annular groove extends in a radial direction of the piston outwards and wherein a cross-section of the annular groove has a half-teardrop shape; wherein the half-teardrop shape has a first radius and a second radius, wherein the second radius is directly contiguous with the first radius outwards in the radial direction of the piston, and wherein the second radius is greater than the first radius.

12. The piston according to claim 11, wherein a mid-point of the first radius lies in a plane of the piston crown extending in an outermost axial direction of the piston and perpendicular to the axial direction of the piston.

13. The piston according to claim 11, wherein the first radius is 1% to 5% of an outside diameter of the piston and wherein the second radius is 5% to 20% of the outside diameter of the piston.

14. The piston according to claim 11, wherein the annular groove has an inside diameter which is 70% to 90% of an outside diameter of the piston.

15. The piston according to claim 11, wherein the half-teardrop shape, in the radial direction of the piston inwards, ends on a separation edge.

16. The piston according to claim 15, wherein the separation edge has a radius of at most 1 mm.

17. The piston according to claim 15, wherein a distance extending in the radial direction of the piston between the separation edge and an edge of the piston outermost in the radial direction is in a range from 6% to 10% inclusive of an outside diameter of the piston.

18. The piston according to claim 11, wherein a width of the annular groove is 3% to 12% of an outside diameter of the piston.

19. The piston according to claim 11, wherein the piston is configured as a stepped piston such that the piston recess has at least or exactly one step.

20. A reciprocating piston machine for a motor vehicle, comprising: a cylinder; and the piston according to claim 11 disposed in the cylinder.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a detail of a piston according to the invention, according to a first embodiment;

[0022] FIG. 2 is a further schematic sectional view of a detail of the piston according to FIG. 1;

[0023] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a detail of the piston according to a second embodiment; and

[0024] FIG. 4 is a further schematic sectional view of a detail of a cylinder head, a cylinder and of the piston according to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent elements are given the same reference symbol.

[0026] FIGS. 1 and 2 show in each case a schematic sectional view of a detail of a piston 10 for a reciprocating piston machine of a motor vehicle. This means that the motor vehicle, preferably configured as a motor car, in its fully manufactured state comprises the reciprocating piston machine, which is configured as a combustion engine or as an internal combustion engine. Moreover, the motor vehicle is drivable by means of the reciprocating piston machine. For this purpose the reciprocating piston machine is operable in its engine operating mode. The reciprocating piston machine has a housing element, which for example is configured as a crankcase. The housing element forms a cylinder 1 or has at least one cylinder 1, which in the radial direction of the cylinder 1 is delimited outwards by a cylinder wall 2. The piston 10 is arranged in the cylinder 1 and is capable of translatory motion, so that the piston 10 can move to and fro in translatory motion relative to the cylinder wall 2 between a bottom dead center (BDC) and a top dead center (TDC). The cylinder 1 or the cylinder wall 2, a cylinder head 3 and the piston 10 delimit in a known manner in each case partially a combustion chamber 4 of the reciprocating piston machine. For reasons of clarity, only the cylinder 1 with cylinder wall 2, the cylinder head 3 and the combustion chamber 4 are presented in greater detail in FIG. 4. With a functioning engine, by means of an injector assigned to the combustion chamber 4, not shown in more detail in the figures, a fuel, in particular a liquid fuel, is injected directly into the combustion chamber 4. The fuel is for example a diesel fuel, so that the reciprocating piston machine is configured for example as a diesel engine.

[0027] The piston 10 has a piston crown 12 with a piston recess 14, configured as an omega recess currently known by a person skilled in the art, which is enclosed by the piston crown 12, i.e., is introduced into the piston 10. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the piston 10. The piston 10 is configured as a stepped piston, so that the piston recess 14 is configured as a stepped recess. This means that the piston recess 14 has exactly one step 16. The step 16 lies in the axial direction of the piston 10 between the lowest point of the piston recess 14 in the axial direction of the piston 10 and the outermost, imaginary plane 18 extending in the axial direction of the piston 10 and perpendicularly to the axial direction of the piston 10, in which the piston crown 12 is arranged, extends or ends. The axial direction of the piston 10 is indicated in FIG. 1 with a double-headed arrow 20. In addition, the central axis of the piston 10 is shown in FIG. 1 and is designated with 22. The piston crown 12, the piston recess 14 and the step 16, in each case considered for themselves alone, are configured with rotational symmetry with respect to the central axis 22. The axial direction of the piston 10 coincides with the central axis 22. In addition, the radial direction of the piston 10 is indicated with a double-headed arrow 24 in FIG. 1, wherein the radial direction extends perpendicularly to the axial direction.

[0028] The piston 10 has in addition an annular groove 26, with cross-section Q being of half-teardrop shape H, formed in the piston crown 12 and extending in the radial direction of the piston 10 outwards to the piston recess 14 and piston step 16. It can be seen from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the half-teardrop shape H is or has a contour, also designated as contouring, which is half-teardrop-shaped. Therefore the cross-section Q or the annular groove 26 is configured as half-teardrop-shaped. The annular groove 26 is a recess, which on examining the piston 10 alone, is delimited by the piston crown 12, in particular by a wall region of the piston crown 12, in a first direction extending parallel to the axial direction of the piston 10 and indicated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 with an arrow 28. However, in a second direction indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 with an arrow 30, extending parallel to the axial direction of the piston 10 and opposite to the first direction, the recess (annular groove 26), when only considering the piston 10, is unlimited, i.e., open or free. The annular groove 26 extends for example in a peripheral direction of the piston 10 extending about the central axis 22 and is configured with rotational symmetry with respect to the central axis 22. The annular groove 26 has a depth t extending in the axial direction of the piston 10, and extending in the axial direction of the piston 10 from the plane 18 to the lowest point of the annular groove 26. In addition, in FIG. 1 the largest outside diameter of the piston 10 is designated Da. A person skilled in the art knows that a piston for combustion engines does not have a purely cylindrical shape, but as a rule may have a slightly barrel-shaped outer contour and/or may have a constriction in the region of the piston rings. The depth t is for example 1% to 5% of the outside diameter Da.

[0029] Now, in order to achieve operation of the reciprocating piston machine with particularly low fuel consumption and low emissions, the half-teardrop shape H has—as can be seen particularly well from FIG. 2—a first radius R1 and a second radius R2 in the radial direction of the piston 10 outwards, directly contiguous with the first radius R1 and greater than the first radius R1. This means that the aforementioned contouring has the radii R1 and R2 and is formed at least mainly, in particular exclusively, by the radii R1 and R2. The feature that the radii R1 and R2 are immediately or directly contiguous with one another in the radial direction of the piston, means in particular that no other, further radius of the half-teardrop shape H is arranged in the radial direction of the piston 10 between the radii R1 and R2. The radius R1 has a direct transition to the radius R2. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first radius R1 is 1% to 5% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10 and the second radius R2 is 5% to 20% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10. A mid-point M of the first radius R1 lies in the region of the plane 18 extending in the outermost axial direction of the piston, perpendicular to the axial direction of the piston. FIG. 2 shows a particularly advantageous configuration of the piston 10 according to the invention, wherein the mid-point M lies in the plane 18. Advantageously, there is a gentle transition between the radius R1 and the radius R2.

[0030] Preferably, the half-teardrop shape H ends, in the radial direction of the piston 10 inwards, on a separation edge 32, the radius of which is preferably at most a millimeter. Preferably the radius of the separation edge 32 is in a range from 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, inclusive. The separation edge 32 is an edge extending with rotational symmetry about the central axis 22 in the plane 18 or the piston crown 12, which defines an inside diameter Di of the annular groove 26.

[0031] Preferably the inside diameter Di of the annular groove 26 is 70% to 90% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10. Moreover, the width Db of the annular groove 26 is 3% to 12% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10.

[0032] Moreover, preferably a distance extending in the radial direction of the piston 10 between the separation edge 32 and the outermost edge 34 of the piston 10 outermost in the radial direction and extending to the outside diameter Da, is 6% to 10% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10, which is also designated as piston outside diameter. The outermost edge 34 of the piston 10 denotes the region at the outermost end of the piston crown 12 of the piston 10 towards the cylinder 1.

[0033] In order to achieve a particularly laminar flow in the combustion chamber, in particular in a pinch gap known per se between the piston crown 12 and the cylinder head 3 with a translatory movement of the piston 10 from its top dead center (TDC) to its bottom dead center (BDC), a transition between the piston step 16 and the piston crown has a radius R3, which is in a range between 1.5% and 10% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10. A horizontal segment Ho of the piston crown 12 may be contiguous with the radius R3 up to the separation edge 32. The width of the horizontal segment Ho may be between 1% and 5% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10.

[0034] An alternative configuration of the piston 10 according to the invention is shown in FIG. 3. Instead of the horizontal segment Ho, a further radius R4 is contiguous with the radius R3 up to the separation edge 32. The radius R4 is 4% to 20% of the outside diameter Da of the piston 10.

[0035] By means of the annular groove 26, particularly advantageous turbulence may be generated; soot that may form in the respective combustion process is moved away from the relatively cold cylinder wall and led into hot, oxygen-rich zones. In these zones, the soot may advantageously be oxidized further, so that excessive soot emissions of the reciprocating piston machine may in particular be avoided. Owing to the advantageous soot afteroxidation, a particularly high compression ratio of the reciprocating piston machine may be achieved, so that particularly effective and efficient combustion is achievable. As a result, the fuel consumption of the reciprocating piston machine can be kept particularly low.

[0036] As the annular groove 26 is configured as half-teardrop-shaped, the annular groove 26 has a half-teardrop-shaped contour, which comprises the radii R1 and R2. If the piston 10 moves from its top dead center (TDC) towards its bottom dead center (BDC), in particular in the region of the separation edge 32, an initially horizontal flow is converted or deflected into an at least substantially circular flow, so that for example the so-called Karman vortex street forms. This kind of flow S is shown schematically with three arrows in FIG. 4. Besides other flows in the combustion chamber 4 that are not shown, the flow S is formed essentially by an inverse pinch gap flow, known per se, between the cylinder head 3 and the piston 10, in particular the piston crown 12 of the piston 10. The inverse pinch gap flow is directed essentially from the direction of the central axis 22 of the piston 10 radially outwards towards the cylinder 1 or the cylinder wall 2. On movement of the piston 10 from its bottom dead center (BDC) towards its top dead center (TDC), there is formation of the pinch gap flow, known per se, wherein a flow develops, which moves essentially opposite to the inverse pinch gap flow from the direction of the cylinder 1 towards the central axis 22 of the piston 10. Owing to the inverse pinch gap flow, the initially horizontal flow is deflected at least partially on the separation edge 32 towards the annular groove 26. Owing to the radii R1 and R2, of overall convex shape viewed from the flow S, there is gentle deflection of the flow S in the annular groove 26 towards the center of the piston 10, so that essentially a ricocheting of the flow S in all directions can be prevented by the annular groove 26, so that flow turbulence essentially in the form of a torus forms in the annular groove. Owing to this flow deflection or reversal, similar to a dead water zone, flow turbulence develops, which thoroughly mixes not yet further oxidized soot particles with oxygen-rich air and thus makes afteroxidation of the soot particles possible. Moreover, the transport of soot by the inverse pinch gap flow to the cylinder 1 is prevented at least partially. Apart from the preferably sharp separation edge 32, also called flow separation edge, the half-teardrop shape H does not have a sharp edge, to prevent undesirable throttling of the flow and undesirable hampering of vortex formation.

[0037] The annular groove 26 may be formed completely and therefore without any interruption in the piston crown 16.

[0038] It is also conceivable that the annular groove 26 has interruptions, so that depending on the number of interruptions, the annular groove 26 extends in the piston crown 12 in a corresponding number of segments about the central axis 22 of the piston 10. For example, valve notches provided for exhaust valves and/or inlet valves in the piston crown 12 may interrupt the annular groove 26 at least partially. The configuration of valve notches in pistons is known by a person skilled in the art per se, so that a detailed description is omitted and valve notches are not shown in the figures. Valve notches for a piston according to the present piston 10 are formed as recesses in the piston crown 12, which on considering the piston 10 only in a first direction extending parallel to the axial direction of the piston 10 and indicated in FIGS. 1, and 2 and 3 with an arrow 28, are delimited by the piston crown 12, in particular by a wall region of the piston crown 12. Thus, the annular groove 26 may be interrupted partially or completely in the region of the valve notches, so that depending on the number of valve notches in the annular groove 26, the annular groove 26 extends in the piston crown 12 in corresponding segments about the central axis 22 of the piston 10. The annular groove 26 is interrupted completely, if a depth of a valve notch or some other interruption is greater than the depth t of the annular groove 26.

[0039] The aforementioned interruptions of the annular groove 26, in particular by valve notches, do not have any substantial influence in the production of the advantageous flow turbulence in the region of the respective segments of the annular groove 26.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0040] 1 Cylinder [0041] 2 Cylinder wall [0042] 3 Cylinder head [0043] 4 Combustion chamber [0044] 10 Piston [0045] 12 Piston crown [0046] 14 Piston recess [0047] 16 Step [0048] 18 Plane [0049] 20 Double-headed arrow [0050] 22 Central axis [0051] 24 Double-headed arrow [0052] 26 Annular groove [0053] 28 Arrow [0054] 30 Arrow [0055] 32 Separation edge [0056] 34 Edge [0057] Da Outside diameter [0058] Di Inside diameter [0059] B Width of the annular groove [0060] Ho Horizontal segment [0061] H Half-teardrop shape [0062] Q Cross-section [0063] R1 First radius [0064] R2 Second radius [0065] R3 Third radius [0066] R4 Fourth radius [0067] M Mid-point [0068] S Flow [0069] t Depth