Fuel rail for internal combustion engine

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a fuel rail for use with an internal combustion engine. The fuel rail includes a plurality of fingers extending away from the fuel rail. The fingers are configured to interface with adjacent engine parts under crash conditions.

Claims

1. A fuel rail for an internal combustion engine, the fuel rail comprising: a plurality of fingers extending away from the fuel rail, and are configured to interface with adjacent engine parts under crash conditions.

2. The fuel rail according to claim 1, wherein the fuel rail is a plastic fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are integrally molded.

3. The fuel rail according to claim 1, wherein the fuel rail is a metal fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are welded.

4. The fuel rail according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of fingers comprises a damping element mounted thereto.

5. The fuel rail according to claim 4, wherein the damping element comprises a rubber boot arranged between each respective finger and an adjacent engine component.

6. The fuel rail according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to be spaced apart from adjacent engine parts under non-crash conditions.

7. The fuel rail according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to provide spacing of less than five millimeters between said fingers and adjacent engine parts under non-crash conditions.

8. The fuel rail according to claim 1 wherein the adjacent engine parts include an engine cylinder head or a valve cover.

9. A vehicle comprising: an engine having a fuel rail, cylinder head and valve cover; and a plurality of fingers extending away from the fuel rail that interfaces with the cylinder head and valve cover under crash conditions, wherein each finger comprises a damping element that is a boot arranged between each respective finger and either the cylinder head or valve cover, the damping element being mounted to each finger.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fuel rail is a plastic fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are integrally molded.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the fuel rail is a metal fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are welded.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to be spaced apart from the cylinder head and valve cover under non-crash conditions.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to provide spacing of less than five millimeters between said fingers and adjacent engine parts under non-crash conditions.

14. A vehicle internal combustion engine comprising: a cylinder head, valve cover and fuel rail; and a plurality of fingers extending away from the fuel rail, and attached thereto via two attachment legs such that the plurality of fingers is configured to interface with the cylinder head and valve cover under crash conditions, wherein each finger includes a damping element mounted thereto and arranged between each respective finger and the cylinder head or valve cover.

15. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fuel rail is a plastic fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are integrally molded.

16. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the fuel rail is a metal fuel rail and the plurality of fingers are welded.

17. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to be spaced apart from the cylinder head and valve cover under non-crash conditions.

18. The internal combustion engine as claimed in claim 17, wherein the plurality of fingers is configured to provide spacing of less than five millimeters between said fingers, and the cylinder head and valve cover under non-crash conditions.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a plastic fuel rail according to aspects of the disclosure; and

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates the fuel rail of FIG. 1 mounted to a vehicle engine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(3) As required, detailed embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present disclosure.

(4) The fuel rail 10 comprises a fuel inlet 12 coupled to a fuel pump (not shown). The fuel rail 10 is mounted to an internal combustion engine by way of two attachment legs 14. A plurality of injectors 16 are mounted to respective ports in the fuel rail 10 to provide fuel at high pressure from the fuel rail 10 to respective cylinders. Respective O-rings provide seals between each injector and the fuel rail 10. A plurality of integral fingers 18 extend from the fuel rail 10.

(5) The fuel rail 10 is manufactured from plastic using known techniques such as injection molding or additive manufacturing. Suitable plastics include Polyamide (PA), Polyphthalamide (PPA) and Polyphenylene Sulfide (PPS). The attachment legs 14 and fingers 18 are an integral part of the fuel rail 10.

(6) The shape, size and length of the fingers 18 can be adapted according to requirements such as distance between the fuel rail 10 and internal combustion engine, available space and distance from a bending moment center.

(7) To prevent plastic on metal, or metal on metal, contact each finger 18 is provided with a damping element 20 in the form of a rubber boot in this embodiment, which slides on to an interfacing end 18 of each finger 18. The damping element 20 comes into contact with an adjacent engine component under crash conditions, and is spaced apart from the adjacent engine component under non-crash, or normal, operating conditions.

(8) Under crash conditions, the fingers 18 are urged into engagement with an adjacent engine component 50, i.e. the cylinder head or valve cover, thus limiting bending of the fuel rail 10 via a small clearance between the fingers 18 and the cylinder head 50. For the fuel rail 10 to bend, the fingers 18 would have to first break before the fuel rail 10 could rotate or bend towards the cylinder head 50. The fingers 18 offer an alternative load path to reduce bending of the fuel rail 10.

(9) It will further be appreciated by those skilled in the art that although the disclosure has been described by way of example with reference to several embodiments it is not limited to the disclosed embodiments and that alternative embodiments could be constructed without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

(10) While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the disclosure. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosure.