US-12624671-B1 - Piston and injector for reduced head thermal loading

Abstract

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.

Inventors

• Bryan T. Geisick
• Won Geun Lee

Assignees

• DEERE & COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241114

Claims (20)

1. 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. 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. 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. 4 . The piston of claim 1 , wherein the first angle of the primary bowl is greater than 180 degrees.
5. 5 . The piston of claim 4 , wherein the second angle of the asymmetric bowl sector is less than 90 degrees.
6. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 14 . The engine of claim 11 , wherein the first angle of the primary bowl is greater than 180 degrees.
15. 15 . The engine of claim 14 , wherein the second angle of the asymmetric bowl sector is less than 90 degrees.
16. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S) Not applicable. STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT Not applicable. FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates to piston technology for internal combustion engines, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to piston heads with bowl configurations designed to optimize fuel combustion and engine performance. BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Combustion systems in vehicles must balance numerous physical constraints, particularly the thermal and pressure limits of engine materials. Managing surface temperatures in the cylinder head is critical to prevent plastic deformation and cracking, which can result in engine failure. High-performance engines are especially susceptible to these issues, as they generate significant heat during operation. Conventional cooling techniques, such as optimizing coolant passages, combustion chamber configurations, and piston designs, have achieved modest reductions in cylinder head temperatures without compromising engine performance. These methods struggle to maintain low temperatures in areas near the exhaust bridge, where thermal stress is most severe. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE A piston and injector for reduced head thermal loading are disclosed. According to some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to 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 also includes a piston head having a profiled upper surface that extends radially about a centerline and defines an annular piston bowl, the annular piston bowl has 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. Implementations may include one or more of the following features. The piston where 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. 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 if configured with the first bowl configuration. The first angle of the primary bowl is greater than 180 degrees. The second angle of the asymmetric bowl sector is less than 90 degrees. The upper surface of the piston head defines an annular shelf extending about the centerline between the annular 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. 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. 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 where a combustion of the spray of fuel is contained within the asymmetric bowl sector below the asymmetric shelf. 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. The first bowl configuration is of a first uniform cross-section throughout the first angle; and where the second bowl configuration is of a second uniform cross-section throughout the second angle different from the first uniform cross-section. According to some embodiments, the present disclosure is directed to 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 where 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. The asymmetric bowl sector of the