Manufacturing process for piston engines having compression ring sealing

Claim 2

A process of manufacturing engines each provided with a number of cylinders and with that number of ring grooved pistons individual to the respective cylinders, each ring groove having a bottom adapted confrontingly to receive the back of a piston ring, and having the groove sides confrontingly associated with the respective first and second opposite sides of a ring in a manner exposing the face of the ring outwardly of the groove, said process comprising the steps of: selection, by means of a selection-rejection process from a plurality of torsion type split compression rings, of rings for the grooved pistons each having at least the first one of said opposite sides, in the free spring state of the ring, provided with a consistent overall flatness to at least about 10 to 5 light bands and, in the collapsed state with the ring closed or substantially so, said first side being frusto conical and so arranged with respect to the back of the ring that the intersecting portion of the inner periphery of the first side is substantially coplanar at all points on the periphery; sealing said pistons with such compression rings including those rings as so selected, by installation of a ring in an associated compression ring groove on each piston with an associated side of the groove confronting in the described way said first side of the ring; and construction of said engines by assembling such pistons in the respective cylinders with the face of each ring engaging a cylinder wall at all times to retain the ring in collapsed state on the piston, and with the ring effective during engine operation to establish a substantially continuous pressure ring of at least line contact between the coplanar inner periphery of said frusto conical first side and its associated confronting groove side to seal the piston.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1, the inner periphery of said frusto conical first side having all points aforesaid thereof planar to one another to at least the equivalent of about 10 to 5 light bands of flatness.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 2, the sealing of the pistons by rings in collapsed state characterized by twisting each ring in the associated groove with torsion during engine suction and exhaust so as to render said first side frusto conical, and fully seating each ring in the groove with pressure during engine compression and firing, causing a change in its sealing position from said continous ring contact to face seal seating against the side of the groove.

Claim 5

A process of manufacturing engines each provided with a number of cylinders and with that number of pistons individual to the respective cylinders, said pistons having compression-ring-receiving grooves presenting groove sides associated with respective first and second, opposite ring sides and being flat or substantially so, said rings each having a face, and having a back adapted to be confrontingly received in the bottom of a groove, said process comprising the steps of: selection, from a plurality of split compression rings, of rings for the groove pistons having at least the first one of said opposite sides, for its major portion in the free spring state of the ring, provided with a consistent overall smoothness and, at least in the collapsed state with the ring closed or substantially so, said first side being frusto conical and so arranged with respect to the back of the ring that the intersecting porTion of the inner periphery of the first side with the back is substantially coplanar at all points on the periphery; sealing said pistons with such compression rings including those rings as so selected, by installation of a ring in an associated compression ring groove on each piston with an associated side of the groove confronting said first side of the ring; and construction of said engines by assembling such pistons in the respective cylinders with the face of each ring engaging a cylinder wall at all times to retain the ring in collapsed state on the piston, and with the ring effective during the exhaust strokes of engine operation to establish a substantially continuous pressure ring of at least line contact between the coplanar inner periphery of said first side and its associated confronting groove side to seal the piston, and during the compression and firing strokes of engine operation to establish a substantially continuous pressure ring of fully seated contact between at least a major portion of said first side and its associated confronting groove side to seal the piston.

Claim 6

A process of manufacturing engines each provided with a number of cylinders and with that number of pistons individual to the respective cylinders, said pistons having compression-ring-receiving grooves presenting groove sides associated with respective first and second, opposite ring sides and being flat or substantially so, said rings each having a face, and having a back adapted to be confrontingly received in the bottom of a groove, said process comprising the steps of: selection, from a plurality of split compression rings, of rings for the groove pistons having at least the first one of said opposite sides, for its major portion in the free spring state of the ring, provided with a consistent overall smoothness and, at least in the collapsed state with the ring closed or substantially so, said first side being frusto conical and so arranged with respect to the back of the ring that the intersecting porTion of the inner periphery of the first side with the back is substantially coplanar at all points on the periphery; sealing said pistons with such compression rings including those rings as so selected, by installation of a ring in an associated compression ring groove on each piston with an associated side of the groove confronting said first side of the ring; and construction of said engines by assembling such pistons in the respective cylinders with the face of each ring engaging a cylinder wall at all times to retain the ring in collapsed state on the piston, and with the ring effective during the exhaust strokes of engine operation to establish a substantially continuous pressure ring of at least line contact between the coplanar inner periphery of said first side and its associated confronting groove side to seal the piston, and during the compression and firing strokes of engine operation to establish a substantially continuous pressure ring of fully seated contact between at least a major portion of said first side and its associated confronting groove side to seal the piston.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 4, the selection of rings being of rings whereof the inner periphery forms a knife edge initially sealing in line contact; and operation of said engines whereby the associated confronting side of the associated compression ring groove laps said knife edge flat in service so as to seal in narrow band contact.