Fuel injection nozzles

Claim 1

A fuel injection nozzle for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine, the nozzle being of the so-called outwardly opening type and comprising a hollow body part, a valve assembly including a resiliently loaded valve member and a seating, the valve assembly being located within the body part with a valve head forming part of the assembly being exposed at one end of the body part but being located in a pocket therein downstream of the seating and a fuel inlet communicating with the interior of the body part, said pocket having a right cylindrical wall, a circumferential groove formed in said wall at a position spaced from the end of the wall remote from the seating, said valve head defining a first portion adjacent the contact region of the head with the seating, said first portion defining with the wall of the pocket a space to which fuel is supplied when the head is lifted from the seating, the valve head defining a second portion of right cylindrical form adjacent said first portion, said second portion having a working clearance with the wall of the pocket, the valve head defining a third portion which defines with said wall of the pocket a first outlet, means for conveying fuel from said space to said groove, a second outlet formed in the valve head and passage means in said head connecting said second outlet to a control port formed in said second portion of the head, said control port being positioned so that the initial flow of fuel upon movement of the valve head away from the seating takes place from said groove through the first outlet to provide a fuel spray of low penetration, and as the valve head continues to move away from the seating, flow of fuel will take place from said groove through the control port and the second outlet to produce a spray pattern of increased penetration, the flow of fuel through said first outlet diminishing as the valve head moves to its fully opened position.