Placement of an opposed-piston engine in a heavy-duty truck
View Patent ↗An engine placement configuration for a heavy-duty truck includes a chassis having two spaced-apart frame rails running in a longitudinal direction of the chassis, between front and rear ends, and a front wheel assembly with an axle attached to the frame rails. An opposed-piston engine is supported on the frame rails and positioned between the front end and the axle. The opposed-piston engine includes a cylinder assembly with a longitudinal axis disposed between the frame rails and oriented vertically with respect to the longitudinal direction. Alternatively, the opposed-piston engine includes a row of cylinders disposed between the rails and running in the longitudinal direction.
1. A truck, comprising:
a chassis with spaced-apart frame rails running in a longitudinal direction of the chassis, between front and rear ends;
a front wheel assembly with an axle attached to the frame rails; and,
an opposed-piston engine supported on the frame rails and positioned between the front end and the axle;
the opposed-piston engine including an inline cylinder assembly with a longitudinal axis running through space between the rails; and
the cylinder assembly being oriented vertically with respect to the longitudinal direction;
in which the opposed-piston engine includes two crankshafts positioned at respective exhaust ends and intake ends of the cylinders, a gear assembly coupling the two crankshafts, and a powertrain drive member coupled to the gear assembly.
2. The truck of claim 1 , in which the powertrain drive member is positioned above the axle.
3. The truck of claim 2 , further including a flywheel positioned between the axle and the rear end, in which the powertrain drive member is also coupled to the flywheel.
4. The truck of claim 1 , in which the opposed-piston engine is supported in a cab-over location.
5. The truck of claim 4 , in which the opposed-piston engine is supported beneath a floor tunnel assembly.
6. The truck of claim 5 , in which the powertrain drive member is positioned above the axle.
7. The truck of claim 6 , further including a flywheel positioned between the axle and the rear end, in which the powertrain drive member is also coupled to the flywheel.
8. The truck of claim 5 , further including a cab attached to the frame rails above the floor tunnel assembly.
9. A truck, comprising:
a chassis with two spaced-apart frame rails running in a longitudinal direction of the chassis, between front and rear ends;
a front wheel assembly with an axle attached to the frame rails; and,
an opposed-piston engine supported on the frame rails and positioned between the front end and the axle;
the opposed-piston engine having an inline configuration including a row of cylinders disposed in space between the rails and running in the longitudinal direction; and
in which the opposed-piston engine includes two crankshafts positioned at respective exhaust ends and intake ends of the cylinders, a gear assembly coupling the two crankshafts, and a powertrain drive member coupled to the gear assembly.
10. The truck of claim 9 , in which the powertrain drive member is positioned above the axle.
11. The truck of claim 10 , further including a flywheel positioned between the axle and the rear end, in which the powertrain drive member is also coupled to the flywheel.
12. The truck of claim 9 , in which the opposed-piston engine is supported in a cab-over location.
13. The truck of claim 12 , in which the opposed-piston engine is supported beneath a floor tunnel assembly.
14. The truck of claim 9 , in which the powertrain drive member is positioned above the axle.
15. The truck of claim 14 , further including a flywheel positioned between the axle and the rear end, in which the powertrain drive member is also coupled to the flywheel.
16. The truck of claim 9 , further including a cab attached to the frame rails above the floor tunnel assembly.
17. The truck of claim 1 , in which power for the drive train is provided from a power take-off gear in the gear assembly.
18. The truck of claim 17 , in which a first crankshaft of the two crankshafts is positioned above a second crankshaft of the two crankshafts and the power take-off gear is a gear above the second crankshaft in the gear assembly.
19. The truck of claim 9 , in which power for the drive train is provided from a power take-off gear in the gear assembly.
20. The truck of claim 19 , in which a first crankshaft of the two crankshafts is positioned above a second crankshaft of the two crankshafts and the power take-off gear is a gear above the second crankshaft in the gear assembly.