Valve rocker arm and pivot assembly

Claim 2

A rocker arm and pivot assembly for an internal combustion engine having a cylinder block with at least one cylinder therein and a head closing the cylinder, a poppet valve in the head and having a valve stem extending above the head and, a hollow push rod having an apertured spherical end extending above the head, said rocker arm and pivot including a rocker arm cover secured to the cylinder head and having a domed wall extending over the poppet valve and push rod in spaced relation thereto, said domed wall of said rocker arm cover having an inverted U-shaped bearing pocket with an upper bearing surface curved in an arc of predetermined radius and extending between the poppet valve and the push rod, and a rocker arm extending between and engaged at a driving end with the push rod and at a power end with the valve stem of the poppet valve, said rocker arm having a curved intermediate upper bearing portion between said driving end and said driven end with an upper bearing surface and opposed side bearing surfaces formed complementary to said bearing pocket in said rocker arm cover, said rocker arm being slidably and pivotally received in said bearing pocket for pivotal movement in the vertical plane extending between the poppet valve and the push rod while engaged therewith so that reciprocable movement of the push rod is translated to the poppet valve.

Claim 3

A rocker arm and pivot assembly according to claim 1 wherein said rocker arm at its said driving end is provided with an apertured socket to receive the upper end of the push rod in oil discharge relationship therefrom and wherein its said upper bearing suRface has an oil groove extending longitudinally thereof, said rocker arm further having an oil passage therein extending from said oil groove to said apertured socket.

Claim 4

A rocker arm and pivot assembly according to claim 2 wherein said rocker arm further includes a web integral with and depending from said intermediate bearing portion between said driving end and said driven end, said rocker arm and pivot assembly further including a rocker arm locater means supported by and indexed to the head, said rocker arm locater means including an upstanding, resilient U-shaped support clip to slidably receive said web of said rocker arm to support said rocker arm above and in alignment with the poppet valve and push rod and, an apertured push rod guide in alignment with said clip to slidably receive the push rod.

Claim 5

A valve operating assembly for use in an overhead valve in-head engine, said valve operating assembly including an upwardly extending, reciprocable, hollow push rod, a poppet valve with an operating stem having an upwardly exposed end, a rocker arm extending between said push rod and said stem, means at one end on the underside of said rocker arm for operatively receiving said push rod to rock said rocker arm, means at the opposite end of said rocker arm on the underside thereof for operatively receiving said stem of said poppet valve whereby reciprocable movement of said push rod is translated to said poppet valve, said rocker arm intermediate said ends having an upper bearing surface and side bearing surfaces extending between said ends of said rocker arm, said upper bearing surface extending in an arcuate path, of predetermined radius, between said ends and, a rocker arm cover fixed to the head of said engine, said rocker arm cover having a dome shaped roof with an inverted U-shaped bearing pocket therein to slidably receive said rocker arm, the portion of said inverted U-shaped pocket engaging said upper bearing surface of said rocker arm being formed complementary to the arcuate path of said upper bearing surface of said rocker arm, said rocker arm being thus fulcrumed in said bearing pocket for pivotal movement in a vertical plane extending between said poppet valve and said push rod.

Claim 6

A valve operating assembly for use in an overhead valve in-head engine, said valve operating assembly including an upwardly extending, reciprocable, hollow push rod, a poppet valve with an operating stem having an upwardly exposed end, a rocker arm extending between said push rod and said stem, means at one end on the underside of said rocker arm for operatively receiving said push rod to rock said rocker arm, means at the opposite end of said rocker arm on the underside thereof for operatively receiving said stem of said poppet valve whereby reciprocable movement of said push rod is translated to said poppet valve, said rocker arm intermediate said ends having an upper bearing surface and side bearing surfaces extending between said ends of said rocker arm, said upper bearing surface extending in an arcuate path, of predetermined radius, between said ends and, a rocker arm cover fixed to the head of said engine, said rocker arm cover having a dome shaped roof with an inverted U-shaped bearing pocket therein to slidably receive said rocker arm, the portion of said inverted U-shaped pocket engaging said upper bearing surface of said rocker arm being formed complementary to the arcuate path of said upper bearing surface of said rocker arm, said rocker arm being thus fulcrumed in said bearing pocket for pivotal movement in a vertical plane extending between said poppet valve and said push rod.

Claim 7

A valve operating assembly according to claim 4 wherein said means at one end of said rocker arm for operatively receiving said push rod is an apertured socket to receive an end of said push rod in oil discharge relationship therefrom and wherein said upper bearing surface of said rocker arm has an oil groove extending longitudinally thereof and, an oil passage in said rocker arm extending in fluid flow relation from said oil groove to said apertured socket.

Claim 8

A rocker arm and pivot assembly for use in the overhead valve gear mechanism of an internal combustion engine, the rocker arm of said assembly being used to transmit motion between a hollow push rod and a laterally separated poppet valve both extending upward from the cylinder head of the engine, with the push rod having an aperture at its upper end in communication with a source of pressurized lubricant in the hollow interior of the push rod, said rocker arm and pivot assembly including a rocker arm cover having a dome-shaped wall with a mounting flange around the periphery of the dome shaped wall adapted to be releasably secured to the cylinder head of the engine with the dome shaped wall of the rocker arm cover positioned over and in spaced relation to the poppet valve and push rod, an inverted U-shaped bearing pocket in said domed wall, the inner upper wall surface of said bearing pocket extending in an arcuate path of predetermined radius between and above the push rod and poppet valve, said rocker arm and pivot assembly further including a rocker arm extending between said push rod and said stem and including an apertured driving end socketably engaged with the upper end of the push rod in oil discharge relationship therefrom and a driven end engaged against the poppet valve and an intermediate porTion therebetween having an upper bearing surface and side bearing surfaces of a shape and size complementary to said bearing pocket in said rocker arm cover, said bearing surfaces of said rocker arm being slidably and pivotably received in said bearing pocket for movement in a vertical plane extending between the poppet valve and the push rod, said upper bearing surface having an oil groove extending longitudinally thereof in fluid flow relationship to said apertured driving end of said rocker arm.

Claim 9

A rocker arm and pivot assembly for use in the overhead valve gear mechanism of an internal combustion engine, the rocker arm of said assembly being used to transmit motion between a hollow push rod and a laterally separated poppet valve both extending upward from the cylinder head of the engine, with the push rod having an aperture at its upper end in communication with a source of pressurized lubricant in the hollow interior of the push rod, said rocker arm and pivot assembly including a rocker arm cover having a dome-shaped wall with a mounting flange around the periphery of the dome shaped wall adapted to be releasably secured to the cylinder head of the engine with the dome shaped wall of the rocker arm cover positioned over and in spaced relation to the poppet valve and push rod, an inverted U-shaped bearing pocket in said domed wall, the inner upper wall surface of said bearing pocket extending in an arcuate path of predetermined radius between and above the push rod and poppet valve, said rocker arm and pivot assembly further including a rocker arm extending between said push rod and said stem and including an apertured driving end socketably engaged with the upper end of the push rod in oil discharge relationship therefrom and a driven end engaged against the poppet valve and an intermediate porTion therebetween having an upper bearing surface and side bearing surfaces of a shape and size complementary to said bearing pocket in said rocker arm cover, said bearing surfaces of said rocker arm being slidably and pivotably received in said bearing pocket for movement in a vertical plane extending between the poppet valve and the push rod, said upper bearing surface having an oil groove extending longitudinally thereof in fluid flow relationship to said apertured driving end of said rocker arm.