Cylinder head gasket

Abstract

Cylinder head gasket having a single-layered or multilayered metallic gasket plate with sealing beads in at least one metal layer, which are elastically deformable in height and surround the combustion chamber through-openings, and deformation delimiting devices which delimit the flattening of the sealing beads; in order to achieve as good a sealing function as possible in the long term and as good a protection as possible of the sealing beads against inadmissibly high deformations during operation of the engine, deformation delimiting devices, one of which is formed by a meandering bead stamped into a metal layer, and the other by a plurality of elevations stamped out of a metal layer, are provided radially inside and radially outside the sealing beads.

1 . Cylinder head gasket with an at least substantially metallic gasket plate comprising at least one sheet metal layer, at least one combustion chamber through-opening, a sealing bead elastically deformable in its height, which is formed in a metal layer and surrounds the combustion chamber through-opening in a manner closed within itself, and—in relation to the sealing bead—both radially inside and radially outside the sealing bead a deformation delimiting device delimiting the bead deformation and surrounding the combustion chamber through-opening at least partially, said deformation delimiting device being—in a plan view of the gasket plate—close to the sealing bead and formed in a metal layer by such a deformation of the metal layer that the metal layer has at least one elevation in at least one of its main surfaces in the area of the deformation delimiting device, and the total thickness of the metal layer in the area of the deformation delimiting device is greater than the original thickness of the metal layer, wherein the one deformation delimiting device comprises a bead which, in a plan view of the gasket plate, forms over at least part of its length an at least almost complete meander extending in circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening, and the other deformation delimiting device comprises in a plan view of the gasket plate and in circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening a plurality of discrete elevations. 
   
   
       2 .- 14 . (canceled) 
   
   
       15 . Cylinder head gasket with an at least substantially metallic gasket plate comprising one or more sheet metal layers each having a sheet thickness, at least one combustion chamber through-opening, an endless sealing bead surrounding the combustion chamber through-opening and being elastically deformable in height, said sealing bead being formed in said one or more sheet metal layers, and in relation to the sealing bead, both radially inside and radially outside the sealing bead, a deformation delimiting device delimiting a deformation of said sealing bead and surrounding the combustion chamber through-opening at least partially, each said deformation delimiting device being, in a plan view of the gasket plate, close to the sealing bead and formed at least one elevation having an elevation height is formed in at least one sheet metal layer main surface in the area of each deformation delimiting device, and the total of the sheet thickness plus the elevation height in the area of each deformation delimiting device is greater than the original undeformed sheet thickness, wherein one deformation delimiting device comprises a bead which, in a plan view of the gasket plate, forms over at least part of its length an at least almost complete meandering bead shape extending in a circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening, and the other deformation delimiting device comprises in a plan view of the gasket plate and in said circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening a plurality of discrete elevations wherein said one deformation delimiting device and said other deformation delimiting device are disposed on the same one of said one or more sheet metal layers. 
   
   
       16 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein said sealing bead is disposed on said same one of said one or more sheet metal layers. 
   
   
       17 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein said sealing bead is disposed on a different one of said one or more sheet metal layers. 
   
   
       18 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein in a plan view of the gasket plate, said plurality of discrete elevations form a two-dimensional pattern of discrete, knob-like elevations. 
   
   
       19 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the two-dimensional pattern includes rows of the discrete elevations with the elevations of each of said rows being offset relative to the elevations of adjacent rows. 
   
   
       20 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the discrete elevations are all of the same shape in a plan view of the gasket plate. 
   
   
       21 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the knob-like elevations are arranged in groups which are arranged at spacings from one another in the circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening. 
   
   
       22 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein in a plan view of the gasket plate the elevations of the other deformation delimiting device are formed by short beads extending approximately in radial direction or at an incline thereto in relation to the combustion chamber through-opening. 
   
   
       23 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 22 , wherein the elevations form a crown of short beads enclosing the combustion chamber through-opening entirely or partially. 
   
   
       24 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 23 , wherein the short beads are arranged in groups which are arranged at spacings from one another in the circumferential direction of the combustion chamber through-opening. 
   
   
       25 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 22 , wherein the short beads are all of the same design. 
   
   
       26 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15 , wherein said one deformation delimiting device comprising said bead is arranged radially inside the sealing bead and said other deformation delimiting device comprising said plurality of discrete elevations is arranged radially outside the sealing bead. 
   
   
       27 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 15  for an engine with a cylinder liner, wherein the sealing bead and said one deformation delimiting device comprising said bead and said other deformation delimiting device comprising said plurality of discrete elevations are arranged such that said one deformation delimiting device lies over the cylinder liner and the other deformation delimiting device lies radially outside the cylinder liner when the gasket is installed. 
   
   
       28 . Cylinder head gasket in accordance with  claim 27 , wherein the sealing bead also lies over the cylinder liner.