(19) J (12) ~ mi mi ii mi ii imiii i ii ii i ii European Patent Office Office europeen des brevets (11) EP 0 770 762 A1 EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION (43) Date of publication: (51) Int. CI.6: F01 L 1/14, F01L 1/20 02.05.1997 Bulletin 1997/18 (21) Application number: 96114385.6 (22) Date of filing: 09.09.1996 (84) Designated Contracting States: (72) Inventor: Cecur, Majo DE FR GB IT 10086 Rivarolo Canavese (TO) (IT) (30) Priority: 27.10.1995 IT MI95221 9 (74) Representative: Klausner, Erich et al c/o Ufficio Internazionale Brevetti (71 ) Applicant: EATON AUTOMOTIVE S.p.A. ng. c. Gregorj S.p.A. 1-10086 Rivarolo Canavese, (Turin) (IT) via Dogana 1 20123 Milano(IT) (54) Mechanical roller tappet (57) The mechanical direct-acting bucket-type tappet comprises a follow bucket-type body (2), made of a pressed metal sheet, a plastic material block (3) provided with an upper seat (32) having a cylindrical sector-like surface and a lower seat (34), a tempered steel roller (4) fitted within said upper seat (32) and a metal disc (5) inserted within said lower seat (34) and acting as an adjustable shim suitable to engage the relevant end of the stem of the valve to be operated. < CM CO r»- o r»- o Q_ LU Printed by Rank Xerox (UK) Business Services 2.14.4/3.4
1 EP 0 770 762 A1 2 Description The present invention relates to a mechanical direct-acting tappet provided with a roller contacting the cam of the camshaft of an internal combustion engine. The mechanical direct-acting tappets, of the type to be directly fitted, conventionally comprise a body having a substantially flat top surface which is operated by one of the cams of the camshaft of an engine. The downwardly directed thrust applied to the tappet is directly transferred to the valve stem which is in turn upwardly biased by a spring. In prior tappets, as the camshaft turns, the contact between the cam lobe and the tappet surface is of a sliding type and the consequent friction wears said surface so that it is necessary to specifically choose the material of the plate forming the tappet surface, in addition to performing a proper grinding of the said plate surface to a high degree of accuracy. Moreover, the sliding friction also causes an energy loss which reduces the efficiency of the engine. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The object of the present invention is to reduce the wear of said plate and the mentioned energy loss, thereby increasing the life of the tappet and cams as well as the engine efficiency, and this is obtained, according to the invention, by a simple and inexpensive device. According to the present invention, the sliding friction on the surface of the tappet head is replaced by a rolling friction by providing said head with a cam-contacting roller, made of a hardened steel material, the axis of said roller being parallel to the rotation axis of the camshaft, whereas the roller is fitted and held in a plastic material block which surrounds the roller for an extent more than half of its periphery in order to hold the roller in its seat while allowing it to rotate. The opposite vertical end walls of said plastic material block are cylindrical and are fitted in two opposite vertical wall sections provided at the top of a cylindrical metal tube forming the body of the tappet, the bottom portion thereof surrounds the stem of the respective valve to be operated. In order to hold the rotational axis of said roller perfectly parallel to the rotational axis of the camshaft, the ends of the roller are held in a fixed position by two upwardly projecting fins, integral with the body of the tappet, preventing the camshaft axis and the rotational axis of the roller from going out of alignment. In the bottom portion of the plastic material block is inserted a disc-like shim element, having an adjustable thickness, which will support the top end portion of the valve stem. The present invention will be hereinafter disclosed in a more detailed manner, according to a preferred embodiment thereof, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is an axonometric exploded view illustrating the component parts of the mechanical directacting tappet according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a top plan view of that same mechanical 5 tappet, in an assembled condition; Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the mechanical tappet substantially taken along the section line Mini of Figure 2; and Figure 4 is a further cross-sectional view of the 10 same tappet and substantially taken along the section line IV-IV of Figure 2. As is shown in figure 1, the mechanical direct-acting tappet, which is generally indicated under the refer- 15 ence numeral 1, comprises: a hollow body 2 including a bottom portion 22, a middle portion 24 and a top portion 26 integral with one another, obtained from a single metal tube by 20 means of punching and shearing mechanical operations; a plastic material block 3, having a top seat 32 with a cylindrical sector-like surface, and a bottom seat 34; 25 - a hollow, hardened steel, roller 4 which is engaged in said top seat 32 of the block 3; and a disc element 5 of adjustable thickness engaged in said bottom seat 34 of the block 3. 30 The bottom portion 22 of the hollow body 2 is of cylindrical tubular shape and can be slidably engaged in respective guiding openings of the engine head at each valve stem. The middle portion 24 comprises two flat opposite 35 vertical walls 242, 242', recessed with respect to the circumference of the bottom tubular portion 22, and two walls 244, 244' perpendicular to said flat vertical walls 242, 242' and having a curved shape as an extension of the bottom portion 22. Each curved wall 244, 244' is cut 40 at the top thereof so as to provide respective abutment surfaces 246, 246' and, at the respective positions of meeting with the flat vertical walls 242, 242' being bent toward the inside of the body 2 to prosecute with the vertical flat fins 262, 262' forming the top portion 26 of 45 the body 2, said fins 262, 262', which constitute an extension of the flat vertical walls 242, 242', being provided for holding the end portions of the roller 3 and for preventing the tappet from swinging and thus holding the axis of said roller parallel to the axis of the camshaft. so The molded block, of a suitable plastic material, is provided with two flat opposite walls 36, 36' and two further walls 37, 37', perpendicular to said walls 36, 36', having a curved configuration and shaped and sized so as to allow said block 3 to be received inside said middle 55 portion 24 of the body 2 of the tappet and perfectly locked between the flat walls of the middle portion 24 of the body 2. The block 3 is provided, at its top, with a cylindrical sector-like curved seat 32 which extends so as to surround an extension more than half of the cir- 2
3 EP 0 770 762 A1 4 cumference of the roller 4 engaged in said seat, in order to safely hold said roller. In order to facilitate the lubrication and consequently the rotation of the roller, lubrication slots or grooves 322 are formed on the surface of said seat 32. The block 3 is provided, at its top, at the curved walls 37, 37', with respective projecting shoulders 38, 38' which bear on the abutment surfaces 246, 246' of the middle portion 24 acting as a locating abutment for the block 3 inside the body 2. Moreover, on the bottom surface of the block 3 there is a seat 34 in which is forcibly fitted a steel disc element 5 which can be adjusted in thickness, the stem of the respective valve bearing on said disc element 5. The roller 4 is made of a hardened steel and is hollow, in order to reduce its weight. Said roller has an outer diameter congruent with the diameter of the cylindrical sector seat 32 and is preferably provided, at its ends, with beveled portions 42 which facilitate the inflow of lubricating oil between the outer surface and the bearing seat 32. In operation, when the tappet is in the rest condition, which corresponds to the closed-valve condition, it stays at a distance from the base circumference of the cam corresponding to the backlash foreseen for a correct operation. The adjusting disc element 5 is provided for assuring that, in such a condition, the end of the valve stem be in turn almost in contact with the base of the tappet. Upon turning the camshaft, the cam will progressively engage, through the opening ramp thereof, the roller 4 which will dampen the impact owing to the curved configuration of its impact surface and due to the possibility of turning within the seat 32, with the advantage of a longer duration life, according to the own of the invention. The parallel relationship of the rotation axis of the roller and the rotation axis of the camshaft is always assured by the restraining fins 262, 262' provided for guiding the end surfaces of the roller 4. Claims 1. A mechanical direct-acting tappet, characterized in that said tappet consists of: a hollow tappet body (2), made of a pressed metal sheet material; a plastic material block (3) provided with a top seat (32) having a cylindrical sector-like surface and with a bottom seat (34); a hardened steel roller (4) engageable in said top seat (32); and a metal disc element (5), fitted in said bottom seat (34) and operating as an adjustable shim element, which engages a respective end of a stem of a valve to be operated. 2. A mechanical tappet according to Claim 1, characterized in that said roller (4) is tubular for purposes of weight reduction. 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 3. A mechanical tappet according to any of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the cylindrical sectorlike surface of the top seat (32) of said block (3) surrounds more than half of the periphery of said roller (4) in order to hold said roller safely fitted in said seat. 4. A mechanical tappet according to any of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that said metal disc element (5), operating as a shim element, can be engaged in the bottom seat (34) of said block (3), said seat (34) being provided with two circle-sector-like opposite surfaces and being so designed as to allow said metal disc element (5) to be forcibly fitted therein. 5. A mechanical tappet according to any of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said tappet body (2) is provided with a cylindrical tubular bottom portion (22), a middle portion (24) constituted by two opposite flat vertical walls (242, 242') recessed with respect to the circumference of the bottom tubular portion (22) and two further walls (244, 244') perpendicular to said vertical flat walls, of curved configuration, constituting an extension of the tubular surface of the bottom portion, and a top portion (26) forming two vertical flat fins (262, 262') constituting an extension of said vertical flat walls of said middle portion (24), apt to hold the flat ends of said roller (4). 6. A mechanical tappet according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said plastic material block (3) is provided with two flat vertical walls (36, 36'), opposite to two walls (37, 37'), and perpendicular to the former, and having a curved configuration and so arranged as to be fitted and locked in said middle portion (24) of said tappet body. 7. A mechanical tappet according to any of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the surface of the top seat (32) of said block provided for receiving said roller (4), is provided with crossing and communicating slots or grooves (322) for allowing the lubricating oil to flow. 3
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EP 0 770 762 A1 European Patent APP'iCati0n EUROPEAN SEARCH REPORT office EP 96 11 4385 DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Category Citation of document with indication, where appropriate, of relevant passages A FR 1 133 730 A (BUGATTI) * the whole document * Relevant to claim CLASSIFICATION Or THE APPLICATION qnt.c1.6) F01L1/14 F01L1/20 A A US 5 186 130 A (MELCHIOR) * column 5, line 36-55; figure 8 * DE 94 11 680 U (INA WALZ LAGER SCHAEFFLER KG) * claims 1,12; figure 1 * TECHNICAL FIELDS SEARCHED (Int.CI.6) FOIL The present search report has been drawn up for all claims Place of search.. Dale of. completion _ of the search THE HAGUE 13 February 1997 CATEGORY OF CITED DOCUMENTS X: particularly relevant if taken alone Y: particularly relevant if combined with another document of the same category A: technological background O non-written disclosure P : intermediate document Examlaer Klinger, T theory or principle underlying the invention earlier patent document, but published on, or after the filing date document cited in the application document cited for other reasons &: member of the same patent family, corresponding document 7