Piston and injector for reduced head thermal loading
A piston and injector system designed to minimize thermal loading on the cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. The piston features a profiled upper surface that defines an annular piston bowl with a primary bowl configuration and an asymmetric bowl sector. The asymmetric bowl sector is configured to receive the fuel spray from the injector, directing combustion to reduce heat concentration on certain areas of the cylinder head. This design helps prevent overheating, thereby enhancing engine durability and performance.
1 . A piston for an engine having a cylinder head with a cylinder defining a combustion chamber and supporting a fuel injector configured to deliver a spray of fuel to the combustion chamber, the piston configured to reciprocate within the cylinder and compress a mixture of air and the fuel within the combustion chamber, the piston comprising:
a piston head having a profiled upper surface that extends radially about a centerline and defines an annular piston bowl, the annular piston bowl having a primary bowl with a first bowl configuration and an asymmetric bowl sector with a second bowl configuration different from the first bowl configuration, the primary bowl extends about the centerline proximate a periphery of the piston head to each side of the asymmetric bowl sector and the asymmetric bowl sector extends farther from the centerline and a top plane of the piston head than the primary bowl, the primary bowl defined by a sweep of a radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a first angle and the asymmetric bowl sector defined by a sweep of the radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a second angle less than the first angle, the second angle sized so that the spray of fuel from the fuel injector is received within the asymmetric bowl sector and not the primary bowl.
2 . The piston of claim 1 , wherein the asymmetric bowl sector is located beneath a section of the cylinder head defining an exhaust bridge extending between a first exhaust valve port and a second exhaust valve port.
3 . The piston of claim 2 , wherein the asymmetric bowl sector effects a combustion of the spray of fuel such that a temperature at the exhaust bridge is a reduced temperature that is less than a first temperature corresponding to a combustion of the spray of fuel effected by the asymmetric bowl sector if configured with the first bowl configuration.
4 . The piston of claim 1 , wherein the first angle of the primary bowl is greater than 180 degrees.
5 . The piston of claim 4 , wherein the second angle of the asymmetric bowl sector is less than 90 degrees.
6 . The piston of claim 1 , wherein the first bowl configuration is of a first uniform cross-section throughout the first angle; and
wherein the second bowl configuration is of a second uniform cross-section throughout the second angle different from the first uniform cross-section.
7 . A piston for an engine having a cylinder head with a cylinder defining a combustion chamber and supporting a fuel injector configured to deliver a spray of fuel to the combustion chamber, the piston configured to reciprocate within the cylinder and compress a mixture of air and the fuel within the combustion chamber, the piston comprising:
a piston head having a profiled upper surface that extends radially about a centerline and defines an annular piston bowl, the annular piston bowl having a primary bowl with a first bowl configuration and an asymmetric bowl sector with a second bowl configuration different from the first bowl configuration, the primary bowl extends about the centerline proximate a periphery of the piston head to each side of the asymmetric bowl sector, the primary bowl defined by a sweep of a radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a first angle and the asymmetric bowl sector defined by a sweep of the radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a second angle less than the first angle, the second angle sized so that the spray of fuel from the fuel injector is received within the asymmetric bowl sector and not the primary bowl;
wherein an upper surface of the piston head defines an annular shelf extending about the centerline between the primary bowl and the periphery of the piston head, the annular shelf including a primary shelf extending along the primary bowl and having a first shelf configuration and an asymmetric shelf sector extending along the asymmetric bowl sector having a second shelf configuration different from the first shelf configuration.
8 . The piston of claim 6 , wherein the first shelf configuration of the primary shelf extends farther below a top plane of the piston head than the second shelf configuration of the asymmetric shelf sector.
9 . The piston of claim 8 , wherein the second bowl configuration of the asymmetric bowl sector has a greater concavity and extends farther from the centerline beneath the annular shelf than the first bowl configuration of the primary bowl; and
wherein a combustion of the spray of fuel is contained within the asymmetric bowl sector below the annular shelf.
10 . A piston for an engine having a cylinder head with a cylinder defining a combustion chamber and supporting a fuel injector configured to deliver a spray of fuel to the combustion chamber, the piston configured to reciprocate within the cylinder and compress a mixture of air and the fuel within the combustion chamber, the piston comprising:
a piston head having a profiled upper surface that extends radially about a centerline and defines an annular piston bowl, the annular piston bowl having a primary bowl with a first bowl configuration and an asymmetric bowl sector with a second bowl configuration different from the first bowl configuration, the primary bowl extends about the centerline proximate a periphery of the piston head to each side of the asymmetric bowl sector, the primary bowl defined by a sweep of a radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a first angle and the asymmetric bowl sector defined by a sweep of the radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a second angle less than the first angle, the second angle sized so that the spray of fuel from the fuel injector is received within the asymmetric bowl sector and not the primary bowl;
wherein the second bowl configuration of the asymmetric bowl sector has a greater concavity and extends farther from the centerline and a top plane of the piston head than the first bowl configuration of the primary bowl.
11 . An engine having a cylinder head with a cylinder defining a combustion chamber and supporting a fuel injector configured to deliver of a spray of fuel to the combustion chamber, the engine having a piston disposed to reciprocate within the cylinder and compress a mixture of air and the fuel within the combustion chamber, the piston having a piston head with a profiled upper surface that extends radially about a centerline and defines an annular piston bowl, the annular piston bowl having a primary bowl with a first bowl configuration and an asymmetric bowl sector with a second bowl configuration different from the first bowl configuration, the primary bowl extends about the centerline proximate a periphery of the piston head to each side of the asymmetric bowl sector, the primary bowl defined by a sweep of a radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a first angle and the asymmetric bowl sector defined by a sweep of the radial line from the centerline of the piston head through a second angle less than the first angle, the second angle sized so that the spray of fuel from an injector is received within the asymmetric bowl sector and not the primary bowl.
12 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein the asymmetric bowl sector of the piston head is located beneath a section of the cylinder head defining an exhaust bridge extending between a first exhaust valve port and a second exhaust valve port.
13 . The engine of claim 12 , wherein the asymmetric bowl sector of the piston head effects a combustion of the spray of fuel such that a temperature at the exhaust bridge is a reduced temperature that is less than a first temperature corresponding to a combustion of the spray of fuel effected by the asymmetric bowl sector if configured with the first bowl configuration.
14 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein the first angle of the primary bowl is greater than 180 degrees.
15 . The engine of claim 14 , wherein the second angle of the asymmetric bowl sector is less than 90 degrees.
16 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein an upper surface of the piston head defines an annular shelf extending about the centerline between the primary bowl and the periphery of the piston head, the annular shelf including a primary shelf extending along the primary bowl and having a first shelf configuration and an asymmetric shelf sector extending along the asymmetric bowl sector having a second shelf configuration different from the first shelf configuration.
17 . The engine of claim 16 , wherein the first shelf configuration of the primary shelf extends farther below a top plane of the piston head than the second shelf configuration of the asymmetric shelf sector.
18 . The engine of claim 17 , wherein the second bowl configuration of the asymmetric bowl sector has a greater concavity and extends farther from the centerline beneath the annular shelf than the first bowl configuration of the primary bowl; and
wherein a combustion of the spray of fuel is contained within the asymmetric bowl sector below the asymmetric shelf.
19 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein the second bowl configuration of the asymmetric bowl sector has a greater concavity and extends farther from the centerline and a top plane of the piston head than the first bowl configuration of the primary bowl.
20 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein the first bowl configuration is of a first uniform cross-section throughout the first angle; and
wherein the second bowl configuration is of a second uniform cross-section throughout the second angle different from the first uniform cross-section.