Stirling engine with improved piston ring assembly
This patent describes an engine having a reciprocating piston axially stroking within a walled cylinder by a pressure differential acting on opposite axial sides of the piston and an annular piston ring disposed in an annular piston ring groove around the piston for sealing between the piston and the wall of the cylinder to resist leakage past the piston. The improvement described here is in the piston ring. This piston ring is endowed with a flat radially outwardly facing annular axial surface confronting the cylinder wall, temperature responsive means arranged within the groove for coaction with the piston ring to forcefully urge the piston ring radially outwardly when the engine is cold such that the flat radially outwardly facing annular axial surface of the piston ring is urged flat against the cylinder wall but to relax from urging the piston ring outwardly when the engine becomes warm. The piston ring groove has two contiguous axial portions one of which extends radially deeper into the piston than the other, the piston ring being of generally L-shape in cross section so that it has two leg portions consisting of a radially extending leg portion and an axially extending leg portion. The radially extended leg portion is disposed in cooperative association with the one axial portion of the groove and the axially extending leg portion being disposed in cooperative association with the other axial portion of the groove. The temperature responsive means is disposed within the one axial portion of the piston ring groove to be coactive on the radially extending leg portion of the piston ring, and annular sealing means disposed within the groove for sealing between the piston ring and piston to resist leakage between the piston ring and piston.
- Assignee:
- Stirling Thermal Motors, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4615261
- OSTI ID:
- 5066289
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 29 Oct 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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