US2764143A - Integral crankcase and gearcase assembly for an internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Description

P 1956 w A. WISEMAN 2,764,143

INTEGRAL CRANNCASE AND GEARCASE ASSEMBLY FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 12, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet l INV EN TOR. M/fimr J2 M56070 Eepf. 25, 1956 Filed April 12, 1954 Ila A. WISEMAN INTEGRAL CRANKCASE AND GEARCASE ASSEMBLY FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 3 Sheds-Sheet 2 INIfEN TOR. Msemmw 1956 A. WISEMAN 2,764,143

INTEGRAL CRANKCASE AND GEARCASE ASSEMBLY FOR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed April 12, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 25 Jim INVENTOR. dull/ram l4. dzlllseman Unite tates 2,764,143 Patented Sept. 25, 1956 INTEGRAL CRANKCASE AND GEARCASE AS- FtDR AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION William A. Wisernan, Muskcgon, Mich, assignor to Continental Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Virginia Application April 12, 1954, Serial No. 422,460 9 Claims. (Cl. 123-495) My invention relates to internal combustion engines for aircraft and more particularly to a specially constructed integral crankcase and gear case assembly therefor.

compactness of engine construction is of vital importance in aircraft engines, and many design changes have been incorporated from time to time in order to facilitate structural compactness and to minimize the overall weight of said engines. The assignee company initiated the present trend in aircraft engines, which embody horizontally opposed cylinders, and which are generally used for powering various types of private planes. The crankcase and gear case for these power plants have undergone many changes and refinements in the past twenty-five years, since they were first introduced to the trade, but in all that time it has not been deemed feasible to incorporate an integral structure.

It is an object of the present invention to further refine and improve on the manufacture of aircraft engines, to make same more compact and lighter in weight, by constructing an integral crankcase and gear case assembly embodying improved constructional details which facilitate assembly and make such design practical from the point of view of manufacturing and servicing.

Further objects of my invention will be more apparent as the description progresses, pertaining to the many complex details which make the present design practical and economically feasible.

For a more detailed understanding of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention in which like characters refer to like parts or structural elements throughout the several views, and in which Fig. l is a plan elevational view of a multi-cylinder, horizontal opposed aircraft internal combustion engine embodying my improved integral crankcase and gear case assembly.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the gear case end of said crankcase and gear case assembly with the engine cylinders, crankshaft and engine accessories removed from the assembly.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detailed horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig, 4 is a fragmentary detailed vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The aircraft engine, with which my invention is practicularly related, comprises in general a crankcase 10, a gear case 11, engine cylinders 12, an oil cooler 14, a crankshaft l5 and various engine accessories such as a starter 16, a generator 17, and magnetos 18. It may be observed that the engine cylinders are disposed in opposed relation in a common horizontal engine plane, and each bank of cylinders comprise two or more aligned cylinders directly attached to and supported by the engine crankcase 10.

The crankcase and gear case assembly comprises a pair of integral casing members each casing member forming substantially one half an integral crankcase and gear case structure. Such casing members are generally L-shaped in side elevation, the longer arms thereof forming the crankcase portions 10a and 10b, and the shorter of said two arms forming the gear case portions 11a and 11b. Thus 10a and 11a are integral and likewise 10b and 1112 are integral one with the other. These casings have front end walls 10c, rear walls 110 and an intermediate wall portion 9 separating the gear case proper from the crankcase. It is further noted that gear case portions 11a and 111) project upwardly beyond the topmost part of said crankcase portions and 10b (see Fig. 4), and such upwardly projecting portions carry means 25 for supporting engine accessories such as magnetos L8. Said accessories may be supported on both front and rear walls of said gear case structure.

The two half casings 10a1la and 10b-11b are substantially symmetrical and do complement each other to complete the assembly. These half casings have abutting vertical faces, which abut along a vertical central longitudinal engine plane 36 (see Figs. 1 and 2), and said plane lies substantially midway between the cylinders 12 of one bank and the cylinders of the other bank, and further, said plane contains the crankshaft axis 35. It is noted that the end wall of the gear case structure carries bearings for said engine crankshaft and other shafts, and also carries lubricating ducts 36 of suitable design. The interior of the gear case houses the necessary accessory drive mechanism such as gears 37, and that such gears may be substantially disposed in a common transverse engine plane.

The two integral casings lilo-11a and Rib-11b are secured or bolted together in any suitable manner, the casings having a flange 31 which supports the bolts 32 and where convenient, certain transverse bolts 33 are utilized to secure said casings together, to form the complete assembly.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which my invention pertains that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An integral crankcase and accessory case structure for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine for aircraft having a plurality of aligned engine cylinders and a crankshaft supported by said structure, said crankcase and accessory case structure comprising a pair of separate casing portions having complementary abutting facings meeting a central vertical longitudinal engine plane containing the crankshaft axis, each of said casing portions including a crankcase part and an integral accessory part at one end of the crankcase part and extending upwardly above the topmost rim of the said crankcase part, and accessory drive mechanism housed within said accessory casing part and extended into said upwardly extending portion for driving connection with accessories mounted on the front and rear faces of said upwardly extending portion of said accessory casing part and disposed to extend substantially parallel to said vertical ccntral longitudinal engine plane.

2. An integral crankcase and accessory case structure for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine for aircraft having a plurality of aligned engine cylinders and a crankshaft supported by said structure, said crankcase and accessory case structure comprising a pair of separate casing portions having complementary abutting facings meeting in a central vertical longitudinal engine plane containing the crankshaft axis, each of said casing portions including a crankcase part and an integral accessory part at one end of the crankcase part and extend-- ing upwardly above the topmost rim of the said crankcase part, and accessory drive mechanism housed within said accessory casing part and extended into said upwardly extending portion for driving connection with accessories mounted on the front and rear faces of said upwardlyextending portion of said accessory casing part and disposed to extend substantially parallel to said vertical central longitudinal engine plane, said casing portions illeluding flanges extending longitudinally along the upper edge of the crankcase part and along the adjacent face only of said accessory casing part, and means bolting said flanges together.

3. An integral crankcase an accessory case structure for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine for aircraft having a plurality of aligned engine cylinders and a crankshaft supported by said structure, said crankcase and accessory case structure comprising a pair of separate casing portions having complementary abutting facings meeting in a central vertical longitudinal engine plane containing the crankshaft axis, each of said casing portions including a crankcase part and an. integral accessory part at one end of the crankcase part and extending upwardly above the topmost rim of the said crankcase part, and accessory drive mechanism housed within said accessory casing part and extended into said upwardly extending portion for driving connection with accessories mounted on the front and rear faces of said upwardly extending portion of said accessory casing part and disposed to extend substantially parallel to said vertical central longitudinal engine plane, said casing portions including flanges extending longitudinally along the upper edge of the crankcase part and along the adjacent face only of said accessory casing part, and means bolting said flanges together, and other means extending transversely through the accessory casing remote from said crankcase part to further secure said separate casings together.

4. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an aircraft internal combustion engine comprising a pair of integral L-shaped casings secured together along a ver tical longitudinal central engine plane, one leg of each casing providing a crankcase part and said other leg providing a gear casing part extending above the topmost rim of said crankcase part.

5. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an aircraft internal combustion engine comprising a pair of integral L-shaped casings secured together along a vertical longitudinal central engine plane, one leg of each casing providing a crankcase part and said other leg providing a gear casing part and provided with a substantially continuous transverse wall comprising the front wall of the gearcase part and a division wall separating the crankcase from said gear case.

6. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an aircraft internal combustion engine comprising a pair of integral L-shaped casings secured together along a vertical longitudinal central engine plane, one leg of each casing providing a crankcase part and said other leg providing a gear casing part, the interior of said casings having a vertical transverse Wall portion providing a substantially continuous transverse wall comprising the front wall of the gear case part and a division wall separating the crankcase from said gear case, the front and rear walls of said accessory gear casing providing a mounting for accessories, said accessory mounting immediately adjacent to said crankcase part supporting the accessory to overlay said crankcase portion.

7. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an aircraft internal combustion engine comprising a pair of integral L-shaped casings secured together along a vertical longitudinal central engine plane, one leg of each casing providing a crankcase part and said other leg providing a gear casing part, the interior of said casings having a vertical transverse wall portion providing a substantially continuous transverse wall comprising the front Wall of the gear case part and a division wall separating the crankcase from said gear case, the front and rear walls of said accessory gear casing providing a mounting for accessories, said accessory mounting on said front wall supporting the accessory to overlay said crankcase portion, said accessory mountings disposed on either side of the dividing vertical longitudinal central plane of the said crankcase and gear case assembly.

8. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an internal combustion engine having horizontally disposed aligned cylinders and a crankshaft comprising two integral L- shaped half casings secured together along a vertical longitudinal medial engine plane containing the crankshaft, said two half casings comprising substantially symmetrical and complementary crankcase and gear case structures each provided with a horizontally extending crankcase part for supporting said cylinders and a vertically extending gear case part extending above the topmost rim of the crankcase part.

'9. A crankcase and gear case assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising two integral generally L-shaped half casings secured together along a vertical longitudinal medial engine plane, said two half casings comprising substantially symmetrical and complementary longitudinally extending crankcase and vertically extending gear case parts, and provided with integral complementary end walls and an intermediate wall dividing the crankcase and gear case, said intermediate wall disposed in a transverse vertical engine plane containing the front wall of said gear case part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,019,558 Brush Nov. 5, 1935 2,025,297 Meyer Dec. 24, 1935 2,172,100 Hoffman et al. Sept. 5, 1939 2,397,434 Ricart Mar. 26, 1946 2,439,472 Jackson Apr. 13, 19-18 2,515,347 Jameson July 18, 1950 2,678,037 Wiegman et al May 11, 1954

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