US2511549A - Cooling system for internalcombustion engines - Google Patents

Description

June 13, 1950 H. E.,SlM| 2,511,549

coouuc SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. 11, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. 0 //ea 0910f 5/1221 June 13, 1950 H. E. SlMl COOLING SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL Filed Jan. 11, 1947 COMBUSTION ENGINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I MSQQ QQQnx I INVENTOR. flenonck E. 51/221 Patented June 13, 1950 UNITED EPATENT iOEEI'CE "COOIIING SYSTEM "FORINT'ERNAL- COMBUSTION ENGINES .1 Hendrick Simi; Seattle,'.- Wash, :assignorjsto Kenwortlr Motor. Truck Corporation; ;.Seattle, (Wash, a corporation of Washington .fiApplication January 11, 1947 ,-Seria'l N 721,521

(Cl;.1-80e-54) TCIaims.

This invention'relates to coolingpsystems' for internal combustion enginesparticularly: engines -f the water-jacketedtype, and whileespecially applicable to the power plants of automotive-vehicles, busses in particular, the-systemv might-advantageously be applied to a stationary engine.

The invention-has for its object toprovide an improvedcooling system peculiarized" in. its employment Of a turbine type of radiatorfan so associated with the water-cooling radiator of. the engine'astopush the" air through the radiator as distinguished fromthe more common practice of V pullingztheair therethrou gh. Theturbinecharacter of fan, commonly-known as a'squirrel-cage fan, has several distinct .advantages-overvthe more usually employed, propeller ,type, being markedly quieter .in operation-consuming considerably :less horse-power and thus leaving. more energy for poweringlthe vehicle and assuring a longer service life in that 'the naturetof a turbine-type an permits sturdier construction, develops a modicum oidestructive torque inoperatiomand: readily permits a rubberized mounting of the arbor to completely insulate the moving parts. from the vehicle frame. --My'advanced arrangement, -by which the turbine-fan used in the present invention causes thelair to be pushed rather-than pulled throughwthe radiator takes advantage of the :generally recognized greater efficiency which thistype-of ian accomplishes when it is solapplied and has to further advantage of achieving-better controlof the-air. after the latter passes through theradiatorz-to enable this air to be usefully employed.

' With the I above and other still more particular objects'and advantages in View; and which -will appear and-be understood -:in the'course of the efollowing description and claims, the invention consists in the novel' construction and in the adaptation and. combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

. Inthe accompanyingdrawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary View, partly inlplan and partly in horizontal sectionglookingrdown upon the chassis ofa'bus-embodying a cooling system constructed in accordance with one .em-

hodiment of the presentinvention.

- Fig. 2is a transverseverticalsectional view on line 2-.2 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal-wertical sectional-view taken to an enlarged scaleon line '33 of Fig. 1 to detail a flow-choking feature incorporated .intthe present: system.

The epresent in-vention comprehendsan assothe endsdnlview :by reason of thezparticularway in which :theysare:combinecLandby' which I mean :the' ifunctional significance? -of the association rather-than .an sparticular mode of placing the .mpartstmhave thexsame occupy a particular locationuponthebus 0r Iotheryehicle to'which the system may be applied. lIherefare-several ways or'carrying the-invention "into practice, one of i which I haver electedxto :illustrate;.tariother of which I will refer. to .hereinafter, :and1sti1l1others 1 Which-will be .largelyi-selfeevident':having knowledgeofs these installations.

First: describingnthezin ention asv it is "shown in theedra-wings, the cooling system is. here applied to a Water-jacketed internal combustion 'engine denoted :geneially by' thernumeral 5 and which is iisuitably 'hun g'fromzcthe frame fof the Vehicle to lie -below-the coach'fiooriiin a position central or zapproximately'ccentral,r.:to the vehicle length. '1 Transversely considered-,""the mounting 10f -the rmotor, places'tthe'l'atter'ufell to one side :ofithe 'vehicleslongitudinaliicenter line. I The frame-,Iias illustrated, :comprises the usual-two longitudinal'meinbers fi and 1, cross-channels 8,

and; at each side Plimit;i:an':outlying longitudinal channel 9- sustained the" cross-channelsand Hung. from. the' longitudinal center :girders 6 and :Istoroccupy a-ipositi'on to the front ofthe engine substantially midwayibetween the side limits :of :the vehicle; :and: with" its own: Width i being api preciably' :le'ssi'th'an that. ofv :the vehicle} there is "provided arb'oxi-likefan housing l I, 'andserving'to supply: air: to rthis iihOUSlllg' from: a xp-oint for- Wardly :removedbeyond the .spray .:pattern :of the front wheels l2rthere is v:p'rovided anaintake tunnelfl 3. f The term spray-pattern?signifiesthat area inawhich dust; .Waterrand the like is caused tosbeothrownarearwardlyssfrom the; front wheels "of Lthe Evehicle' theoperationofthe' latter. This tunnel; which opens to the".front,:lis:'fitted with a screerr l4; =anduin-1its side 'wall presents. a

screened opening 15 permitting. aiminor; "part of. the =ineoming column oirlairtto abe divertedzby suction-.througlr awconnectingf duct .16 to azcar :ciation of parts which are made itoxaccomplish 2755 -22.,-'.-therecbeingtprovided betweenthe drivempulley and the arbor proper a flexible coupling 23. The fans inherently make little or no noise in operation and are further quieted by mounting the ends of the arbor in rubberized anti-friction bearings carried by stands which are made fast to the fan casings, the fan casings being in turn fixedly anchored in relation to the fan housing. The casings for the fans are further rigidified by longitudinal tie bars 24.

The radiators for the present cooling system, desirably two in number and designated and 26, are arranged to occupy a position immediately to the front of the engine between the fan housing II and a skirt prolongation 21 of the coach body, being placed longitudinal to the vehicle and in side-by-side relation canted somewhat from the perpendicular. To sustain these radiators, I employ hanger bolts 28 at the top and brackets 29 at the bottom, the brackets being welded to angle-iron posts 30 depending from the frame girder 6. A set of shutters 3!, controlled either manually or automatically in the usual or a suitable manner, is mounted to the immediate rear of the radiators, and enclosing the shutter assembly is a shroud 32. Made fast to this shroud are respective ducts 33, 34 and 35 leading through the side wall of the fan housing from the outlet sides of each of the turbine fans. The tail ends of the outlet ducts are expanded to enlarge the cross-sectional area traversed by the pushed columns of air, and the slope which is given to the radiator cores makes it possible to accomplish an even greater cooling efficiency considered in point of the areal extent of the radiation surface.

Manifold pipes 36 and 31, coupled by hoses 38 and 39 with the water connections 40 and 4| of the engine, feed by separate branches into the bottoms of the radiators and likewise draw by separate branches from the tops of the latter, there being also provided the usual filling pipes (not shown) which extend, by preference, to a raised auxiliary tank located at any point suitable for convenient servicing. Between the connection flanges which are provided upon the outlet branches 42 of the top manifold pipe 31 and upon the outlet pipes 43 from the radiators there is introduced a disc 44, this disc being centrally apertured as at 45 (Fig. 3) and being characterized in that the same is replaceable to provide either a larger or a smaller aperture as weather conditions may dictate. This is to say that the flow capacity of the disc which is applied during hot-weather driving, in order to assure maximum cooling efficiency, would preferably correspond to the full-flow capacity of the branch 42 whereas, in cold weather, this flow capacity is appreciably choked and may, insofar as one of the twin radiators is concerned, be out off altogether. The idea of inserting a flow-choking disc into a radiators draw-off pipe is, I believe, properly credited to W. A. Kysor, of Kysor Heating Company, Cadillac, Michigan, and I therefore profess no novelty thereto, the principle being, however, especially applicable to my cooling system inasmuch as it gives a wide range of control when applied to two radiators which are entirely independent of one another insofar as the circulation of the contained bodies of water are concerned.

An advantage of my system of cooling which has recourse to pusher-applied turbine fans is that the air, after being forced through the radiators, may be thereupon used for purposes other than its primary cooling office, and I particularly have in mind two functions, one that of driving part of the warm air into the passenger compartment of the coach and the other that of causing the remaining air column to be swept toward and over the engine in order that the air blast may serve to blank out and divert the dust present under the vehicle and which, with an underfloor engine installation, ordinarily is deposited in a rather heavy layer upon the engine. Locating my engine, as I do, to the rear of the radiator, the issuing column of air is perforce caused to pass over the engine during those periods in which the vehicle is under way, and for controlling that portion of the air which is to be used for heating, I provide a box-like trap 46 upon the exhaust side of the foremost radiator and which covers, say, the forward half of the latter. This trap is open front and rear, and there is provided, to connect with the front opening, a duct 41 leading upwardly into the passenger compartment. Movable into and from a position closing the rear opening is a thermostatically-controlled damper G8 which is made responsive to the temperature which obtains within the passenger compartment. This heating instrumentality complements the vehicles usual heater and allows the vehicle to employ a main heater of less B. t. u. output than is normally required.

As an alternative mode of applying my pusheracting turbine fans, the radiators may be mounted horizontally at the bottom of the engine compartment with only so much tip as to assure drainage. This location of the radiators provides a positive water-fill of the core and tank spaces and consequently minimizes aeration which is a fault commonly present when the radiators are mounted vertically and such that their top end lies in a plane close to the top of the engine. In this horizontal mounting of my radiators I perforce employ a high filler pipe having a small auxiliary or surge tank at the upper end. With this last-described method of mounting the radiators, I have considered it desirable to also have the turbine fans lie within the engine compartment and cause the same to take a part of the air from the compartment, which serves the desirable end of putting the engine compartment under negative pressure, engine fumes being dispelled through the radiators into the atmosphere with a positive elimination of the possibility of the fumes seeping into the passenger compartment. The balance of the intake air for the turbine fans is drawn from the outside through louver openings in the side of the vehicle body.

It will be self-evident that the cooling system of the present invention may be applied either in an under-floor installation or within a rear chamber located behind the passenger compartment.

While the service life of a turbine type fan is considerably longer than that of a propellertype fan it should be noted, in the event that any damage should occur from wear or other causes, that the replacement problem in the present system is considerably simplified by the interchangeability of parts. All three of the fans which I employ are exactly alike and it becomes therefore necessary that only one replacement part be carried in stock.

No limitations are to be implied from the foregoing detailed description of one embodiment of the invention and my somewhat cursory reference to a second embodiment departing therefrom primarily only in point of the location of g the parts. It is my intention that all forms of construction and variations in detail coming within the scope of the hereto annexed claims will be considered as comprehended by the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, in combination with the engine, and with a water-cooling radiator having water-circulating connection with the engine, a plurality of co-axial turbine-type fans, hood shrouding the radiator, and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of the several fans and joined by their tail ends to the shroud for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air to the core of the latter.

2. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, in combination with the engine, and with functionally independent water-cooling radiators having water-circulating connection with the engine, a plurality of co-axial turbine type fans, a hood shrouding the radiators, and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of the several fans and joined at their tail ends one with another and with the shroud for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air to the cores of the radiators.

3. In a wheeled vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engine serving as the power plant therefor, a water-cooling radiator having water-circulating connection with the engine, a fan housing, an air-supply tunnel connecting with said housing and taking its air from the front of the vehicle at a point forwardly removed beyond the spray pattern of the front wheels, a plurality of functionally independent turbine fans, each complete with a squirrel-type rotor and a rotor casing, housed in co-axial spaced relation within the fan housing and each drawing air from within the housing, a hood shrouding the radiator, and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of the several fan casings through a wall of the fan housing and joined at their tail ends with the hood for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air to the core of the radiator.

4. In a vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engine serving as the power plant therefor, a water-cooling radiator having watercirculating connection with the engine, a fan housing providing an air-intake opening, a plurality of identical and functionally independent turbine fans, each complete with a squirrel-type rotor and a rotor casing, housed in co-axial spaced relation within the fan housing and each drawing air from within the housing, a drive arbor common to the rotors of each of the fans and driven from the engine, a hood shrouding the radiator, and respective ducts leading from the outlet sides of the several fan casings through a wall of the fan housing and joined at their tail ends with the hood for conducting the pressure streams of fan-driven air to the core of the radiator.

5. In a coach-type Wheeled vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engine serving as the power plant therefor, a water-cooling shrouded radiator having water-circulating connection with the engine, a turbine-type fan, an air tunnel leading to the intake side of the fan and taking its air from the front of the vehicle at a point forwardly removed beyond the spray pattern of the front wheels, a duct leading from the outlet side of the fan and joined at the tail end to the radiator shroud for conducting the pressure stream of fan-driven air to the core of the radiator, an air-trapping box overlying the outlet side of the radiator core and providing separate outlets one leading into the passenger compartment of the coach and the other spilling to the atmosphere, and a damper for the box thermostatically controlled by the temperature obtaining within the passenger compartment for controlling the volume of heated air fed from the box to the passenger compartment.

6. In a wheeled vehicle, and in combination with a water-jacketed engine serving as the power plant for the Vehicle and mounted to occupy an under-floor position offset to one side of the vehicles longitudinal center line, a watercooling shrouded radiator placed longitudinal to the vehicle in front of the engine and having water-circulating connection with the engine, a fan housing placed alongside the radiator in a position more or less central to the width of the vehicle, an air tunnel connecting with the fan housing and taking its air from the front of the vehicle at a point forwardly removed beyond the spray pattern of the front wheels, a plurality of identical turbine fans, each complete with a squirrel-type rotor and a rotor casing, housed in co-axial longitudinally spaced relation within the fan housing and each drawing air from within the housing, a drive arbor common to the rotors of each of the fans and projecting by its rear end through the back wall of the housing, driving connection from the engine to the rear end of the arbor, and respective ducts leading from the outlet side of the fan casings through a side wall of the fan housing and joined at their tail ends with the radiator shroud for conducting pressure streams of fan-driven air to the core of the radiator, the column of clean air issuing from the radiator core being forced by pressure of the wind stream passing the vehicle to wash over the engine.

7. A cooling system for a water-jacketed engine comprising, in combination with the engine and with a water-cooling radiator having water-circulating connection with the engine, a turbinetype fan receiving its intake air through an end opening and discharging the air from a side opening, and an air-flow duct extending from the said side opening of the fan and leading to the radiator to cause the air to be pushed through the core of the latter, the axis of said duct being at a slope with the plane of the radiator to increase the areal extent of the radiation surface thereof.

HENDRICK E. SIMI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,575,692 Knight Mar. 9, 1926 1,820,091 Reavis Aug. 25, 1931 1,867,678 Rayburn July 19, 1932 1,974,033 Nallinger Sept. 18, 1934 2,123,076 Madden July 5, 1938., 2,165,795 Holmstrom July 11, 1939 2,232,587 Brandt Feb. 18, 1941 2,250,382 Klavik July 22, 1941 2,407,223 Caldwell Sept. 10, 1946

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