VALVE AND VALVE GEARS

Valve Gear:
It designates the combination of all parts, including
the various valves, which control the admission of
air charge and the discharge of exhaust gases in
four stroke engines, the discharge of exhaust gases
in some two stroke engines (uniflow scavenging
type), the admission of fuel in air- injection and
some mechanical-injection engines, and the
admission of compressed air for starting most of
the larger engines.
Valve Actuating Gear:
It designates the combination of those parts only
which operate or actuate the various intake,
exhaust, fuel and air-starter valves, open and close
them at the proper moment in respect to the
position of the piston and crankpin, and hold them
open during the required time.
Valve Timing Gear:
It designates the combination of those parts only
which affect and control the moment of opening
and closing of the valves with respect to crank and
piston position. These parts include cams,
camshaft and camshaft drive. The valve gears of
diesel engines vary considerably in their
construction, depending on type, speed, and size
of the engines.
 C.13.VALVES AND VALVE GEARS.
Valves - Valves are used to cover / uncover the passage of
flow.
Valve Gears – to produce action on valves - combination of
parts, including valves which controls the operation of above.
In all 4 stroke engines admission of air charge, discharge of
exhaust Gas and in many 2 stroke engines discharge of exh. Gas.
Basic drive - c/shaft drives cam shaft by gears or chain.
Cams on the camshaft lifts push rod, transmits the action to
rocker arm to operate the valves for mechanical drive. – for
hydraulic drive the cam drives a hyd. Actuator, the oil in turn
moves the valve by a piston.
As soon as the closing side of the cam moves under the
transmitting mechanism the valve spring starts to return the valve
to its seat( closed)
Cam profile
Valve operating gear
Valve requirement
Valve Requirement
to get fresh air into engine and exhaust gas out
Exh v/v opening (size) is as big as possible for 2 stroke engine – exh
open for short duration, so to reduce back pressure
Inlet v/v opening (size) more important in 4 st. engines – to reduce
pumping loss and also increase volumetric efficiency.
Some 4 st engines have 2 inlet and 2 exh v/vs. for space arrangement,
less v/v opening, cooler valves.
valve construction
. Mushroom- shaped poppet type. Head and stem as one piece
seating edge beveled at a 45* / 30* angle
Inlet v/v – cooler - carbon or low alloy steel
Exh v/v – hotter – silicon-chromium steel ( nickal, chromium)
v/v moves in a removable guide fitted in cylinder head.
Springs holds the valves firmly against the seat.
Valve Constructions valve construction
• Head of the valve is cooled -conducts heat to
seat in cyl.head (water clg). The seat is a
removable seat fitted in cyl head with cooling
arrangement.
• The clearance between valve and guide – due
to excess wear – overheating of valve, carbon
forms and sticky, excess oil consumption.
• To make valve and seat faces wear resistance,
valve and seat faces are hardened with cobalt-
chromium-tungsten (stelite).Seat rings of wear
resistant material are also used, in some cases
• valve cages – to make valve seat removal
easier, valve and seat as one unit and fitted on
cyl head. cage may be separately cooled.
• Some exh v/vs rotated a slight amount each
revolution to keep the valve clean (carbon
deposits) and ensure even wear between v/v
and seat.
Timing gear
• Responsible for actuating the valves at right
time with respect to c/shaft (Piston position)
• In 4 st engine the camshaft speed is half the
c/shaft speed.
• Chain drive and gear drive.
 Valve Springs – more detail

Two different sized springs are fitted to aid positive

closing of the valves. The reason for fitting two springs
are that if one fails, the other will prevent the valve
dropping down into the cylinder. The two springs have
different vibration characteristics, so the incidence of
resonance is reduced. (resonance is where two items
vibrate at the same frequency thus the amplitude of the
vibration is amplified.)
Two inlet v/vs & two exhaust v/vs & their operation

• v/vs in operation
Caged Exhaust valve
Burning Out of Exhaust Valves

Once an exhaust valve does not seat correctly,

the high pressure burning gas will pass across the
faces of the valve and seat during the power
stroke. This will cause the temperature of the valve
and seat to rise in this area, weakening the material
and distorting the surfaces. The velocity of the
burning gas will erode the surface, allowing more
gas to leak by. The temperature of the valve in this
area will rise further, leading to further burning
and greater distortion. The first indication of a
valve burning out will be a rise in the exhaust
temperature, which will rapidly increase together
with a loss of power from the unit.
Valve
cage
Camshafts Camshafts
• in 4 st engines carries the cams
for inlet valve, exh valve & fuel
pump.
• in 2 st exh v/v type cams for air
starting operation and other aux.
Operations. engines carries the
exh cams & fuel pump cams.
• Additionally may carry
• construction – forged as one
piece including the cams or
separate cams keyed on a shaft.
In large engines camshaft in
sections, with cams either integral
or keyed / keyless fitting.
• camshaft is supported by
bearings – plain bush or split
sleeve.
Pushrods
Pushrods
Generally tubes to reduce
weight.
The lower end contacts the
follower which carries a
roller( tappet roller)
running on the cam.
The upper end is fitted with
a cup.The end of the rocker
arm (fitted with a tappet
bolt- end rounded shape))
fits into the cup.
Valve Gear, Rocker Arm, Valve Clearances
Camshaft – more details
Split camshaft bearing
There are several different methods of
manufacturing camshafts for medium speed 4
stroke marine diesel engines. On the smaller
engines, the camshaft may be a single forging
complete with cams.
Alternatively the camshaft can be built up in
single cylinder elements, each element made up
of the fuel, inlet, and exhaust cam on a section
of the camshaft with a flange on each end.
So that the element can be used on any unit in the
engine, the number of holes for fitted bolts in
the flanges must be sufficient to allow the cam
to be timed for any unit on the engine.
For example, on a six cylinder engine, the
flanges must have 6 equi spaced holes or a
multiple thereof. The cams must be hard
enough to resist the wear and abrasion due
to impurities in the lub. oil, yet they must
be tough enough to resist shattering due to
shock loading. The cams are therefore
surface hardened using the nitriding
process.
Camshaft Photo
On the larger engines it is usual to manufacture the camshaft and
cams separately. The nitrided alloy steel cams are then shrunk
on to the steel shaft using heat or hydraulic means. Because the
cams are fitted progressively onto the shaft, if the bores in the
cams were all the same diameter, it would be very difficult, if
not impossible, to fit the first cams all the way along the length
of the shaft to the correct position. To overcome this problem
the camshaft is stepped, with the largest diameters at the end
which has the cams fitted first. The larger bored cams fit easily
over the small diameter steps till they reach the correct position
on the camshaft.
On the larger engines it is usual to manufacture the camshaft
and cams separately.

The nitrided alloy steel cams are then shrunk on to the steel
shaft using heat or hydraulic means.

Because the cams are fitted progressively onto the shaft, if the
bores in the cams were all the same diameter, it would
be very difficult, if not impossible, to fit the first cams all the
way along the length of the shaft to the correct position.

To overcome this problem the camshaft is stepped, with the

largest diameters at the end which has the cams fitted first.

The larger bored cams fit easily over the small diameter
steps till they reach the correct position on the camshaft.
Keys are not generally used to locate the
cams as they would act as stress raisers.
Most medium speed engines are unidirectional
(i.e they only rotate one way). This is
because they either are driving an alternator,
or because if they are used as direct main
propulsion they tend to be driving a
controllable pitch propeller. In the case
where the engine is reversing, then the
camshaft has two sets of cams, one for ahead
operation, and one for astern.
To reverse the direction
of the engine,
pressure oil is led to
one side of a
hydraulic piston
which is coupled to
the camshaft. The
whole camshaft is
moved axially and
the cam followers
slide up or down
ramps which connect
the ahead and astern
cams.
The camshaft is either chain or gear driven from
the crankshaft. Because the engine is a four
stroke, the camshaft will rotate at half the
speed of the crankshaft. (the valves and fuel
pump will only operate once for every two
revolutions of the crankshaft).
In a case where the cams are shrunk on the
camshaft, if a cam becomes damaged and has
to be replaced, then it can be cut off using a
cutter grinder. Care must be exercised not to
damage the camshaft or adjacent cams during
the operation
• . The replacement cam is fitted in two
halves which is then bolted on the
camshaft in the correct position and the
timing rechecked
Cut section of a cam
 Different cams

•Fuel cam & Exhaust/Inlet cam

Fuel cam for unidirectional Inlet or exhaust valve cam for

medium speed engine.The cam has unidirectional medium speed
fast lift for injection and a slow engine.The cam has to open
return to avoid shock loading and close the valves smartly
without shock loading
Rocker Arms
 To actuate the valves in the cyl
head via cam,cam follower and
pushrod tappets.

 RA moves at an angle to
vertical also some horizontal
thrust-on valve stem, causes wear
on guide.

 Attachment to head by
stanchion bolted.

 Swings on steel fulcrum pin or

pivot / needle bearing.

 Contact to v/v stem by roller /

screw.(Tappet)
Rocker Arms Tappet clearance provided
on the valve side – to take care
of wear and expansion – to
ensure v/v closes firmly.
 Lubrication of fulcrum and
contact points done.
Springs
 Serves to close valves,
made of highly tempered steel
wire wound in a spiral coil.

 To prevent bouncing the

spring is maintained in
compression all time.
 VALVE CLEARANCES (TAPPET CLEARANCES)

Valve clearance
 To allow thermal expansion. To be adjusted
regularly due to wear.
 Clearance is required between valve stem
and RA, when follower is on base of the cam
(v/v closed). If not the v/v will remain partly
open.
If more v/v will open late and close early ,
reduces the lift (stroke), and causes noise.

 If less open early and close late, increases the

lift of the valve.It may prevent the valve from
closing completely as it expands

To set valve clearance a feeler gauge is used in

conjunction with tappet adjustment to
manufacturer specification
Rocker or Tappet Clearances
• Rocker or Tappet clearances refer to the clearance
between the top of the valve spindle and the
rocker arm. It is to ensure that the valve closes
properly when it expands as it gets to operating
temperature. Clearances are set according to
manufacturers instructions, but usually done
with the engine cold, and with the push rod
follower on the base circle of the cam. (one way
of ensuring this is to turn the unit being adjusted
to TDC on the power stroke.)
 Hydraulically
actuated Exhaust
valve
• No need for RA
• Valve opens by
hyd oil pressure
• the actuating gear
is equipped with a
locking device to
retain the roller
guide in its top
position – so that
exh valve can be
kept out of
operation.