1. The process for producing a thermoplastic elastomer composition comprising as a continuous phase a thermoplastic resin composition and as a dispersed phase a modified elastomer dispersed in the continuous phase, wherein the process comprising, in order, the steps of:
(1) reacting a polyamide resin with an epoxy group-containing polymer to produce an end-capped polyamide resin,
(2) adding an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and a modified elastomer to a product obtained in step (1),
(3) dispersing the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer to a product obtained in step (1),
(4) adding a crosslinking agent for crosslinking the modified elastomer to a product obtained in step (3), and
(5) crosslinking the modified elastomer with the crosslinking agent,
wherein the thermoplastic resin composition comprising the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and the end-capped polyamide resin.
2. The process according to claim 1, wherein steps (1) to (5) are carried out by using a twin-screw kneading extruder having:
at least three kneading sections comprising:
a first kneading section for carrying out step (1),
a second kneading section for carrying out step (3), and
a third kneading section for carrying out step (5),
a first feeding port for a polyamide and an epoxy group-containing polyamide, located on the upstream side in the extrusion direction from the first kneading section,
a second feeding port for an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer and a modified-elastomer, located between the first and second kneading sections, and
a third feeding port for a crosslinking agent, located between the second and third kneading sections.
3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy group-containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-methyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-graft-polystyrene, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-graft-acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, epoxidized styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, epoxidized natural rubber, and combinations of two or more of them.
4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy group-containing polymer is in an amount of 0.5 to 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight the polyamide.
5. The process according to claim 1, wherein the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer has an ethylene content of 1 to 55 mol % and a saponification degree of 90% or more.
6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the polyamide resin is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 610, Nylon 612, Nylon 666 copolymer, Nylon 612 copolymer, Nylon MXD6, Nylon 6T, and combinations of two or more of them.
7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the modified elastomer is selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-\u03b1-olefin copolymers, maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, and combinations of two or more of them.
8. The process according to claim 2, wherein the epoxy group-containing polymer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-methyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-graft-polystyrene, ethylene-glycidyl methacrylate-graft-acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, epoxidized styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymer, epoxidized natural rubber, and combinations of two or more of them.
9. The process according to claim 2, wherein the epoxy group-containing polymer is in an amount of 0.5 to 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight the polyamide.
10. The process according to claim 3, wherein the epoxy group-containing polymer is in an amount of 0.5 to 40 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight the polyamide.
11. The process according to claim 2, wherein the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer has an ethylene content of 1 to 55 mol % and a saponification degree of 90% or more.
12. The process according to claim 3, wherein the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer has an ethylene content of 1 to 55 mol % and a saponification degree of 90% or more.
13. The process according to claim 4, wherein the ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer has an ethylene content of 1 to 55 mol % and a saponification degree of 90% or more.
14. The process according to claim 2, wherein the polyamide resin is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 610, Nylon 612, Nylon 666 copolymer, Nylon 612 copolymer, Nylon MXD6, Nylon 6T, and combinations of two or more of them.
15. The process according to claim 3, wherein the polyamide resin is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 610, Nylon 612, Nylon 666 copolymer, Nylon 612 copolymer, Nylon MXD6, Nylon 6T, and combinations of two or more of them.
16. The process according to claim 4, wherein the polyamide resin is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 610, Nylon 612, Nylon 666 copolymer, Nylon 612 copolymer, Nylon MXD6, Nylon 6T, and combinations of two or more of them.
17. The process according to claim 5, wherein the polyamide resin is selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 610, Nylon 612, Nylon 666 copolymer, Nylon 612 copolymer, Nylon MXD6, Nylon 6T, and combinations of two or more of them.
18. The process according to claim 2, wherein the modified elastomer is selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-a-olefin copolymers, maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, and combinations of two or more of them.
19. The process according to claim 3, wherein the modified elastomer is selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-a-olefin copolymers, maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, and combinations of two or more of them.
20. The process according to claim 4, wherein the modified elastomer is selected from the group consisting of maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-a-olefin copolymers, maleic anhydride-modified ethylene-ethyl acrylate copolymer, and combinations of two or more of them.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. An internal combustion engine adapted to drive a propulsion unit, the engine comprising a crankcase at least partially enclosing a crankshaft, a cylinder block having at least one cylinder bore having an uppermost wall portion, a piston arranged within the cylinder bore to reciprocate therein, and a lubrication system, the lubrication system comprising a first lubricant insertion port and a second lubricant insertion port, the first port being positioned and arranged so as to direct lubricant into the crankcase, the second port opening into the cylinder bore, the second port opening through the uppermost wall of the cylinder bore.
2. The engine of claim 1, wherein the crankshaft is substantially vertically disposed, and the cylinder bore is substantially horizontally disposed.
3. The engine of claim 1, wherein the piston includes at least one circumferentially disposed ring, and the second port opens into the cylinder bore at a position so that when the piston is at the bottom dead center position, the second port opens adjacent the piston ring, and when the piston is at the top dead center position, the second port opens into the cylinder bore and does not open onto the piston.
4. The engine of claim 3, wherein the piston includes a second circumferentially disposed ring, and the second port opens into a space between the rings when the piston is at the bottom dead center position.
5. The engine of claim 1, wherein the first lubricant port opens into an air intake upstream of the crankcase.
6. The engine of claim 1, wherein the first lubricant port opens directly into the crankcase.
7. The engine of claim 1, wherein the piston is connected to the crankshaft by a connecting rod, and a piston pin connects the piston to the connecting rod, and wherein the piston is arranged so that lubricant from the second port is injected onto the piston pin as the piston moves past the second port.
8. The engine of claim 1, wherein the lubrication system additionally comprises a lubricant pump, the pump having a first delivery port for delivering lubricant to the first lubricant insertion port and a second delivery port for delivering lubricant to the second lubricant insertion port.
9. The engine of claim 8, wherein a volume of lubricant supplied through the first delivery port is different than a volume of lubricant supplied through the second delivery port.
10. The engine of claim 9, wherein a volume of lubricant supplied through the first delivery port is greater than a volume of lubricant supplied through the second delivery port.
11. The engine of claim 1, wherein the lubrication system additionally comprises a first lubricant pump and a second lubricant pump, the first lubricant pump configured to deliver lubricant to the first lubricant insertion port and the second lubricant pump configured to deliver lubricant to the second lubricant insertion port.
12. The engine of claim 11, wherein one of the lubricant pumps is a mechanical pump and another other of the lubricant pumps is an electromagnetic pump.
13. The engine of claim 1 in combination with a marine drive comprising a marine propulsion device.
14. An internal combustion engine configured to drive a propulsion device, the engine comprising a cylinder block having at least one cylinder formed therein, a cylinder liner disposed in the cylinder and defining a cylinder bore, a piston arranged within the cylinder bore to reciprocate therein, a lubricant discharge port formed through the cylinder block and opening into the cylinder, a circumferential passage formed between the cylinder and the cylinder liner, the circumferential passage arranged so as to communicate with the cylinder block lubricant discharge port, and at least one lubricant delivery hole formed through the cylinder liner and positioned to correspond with the circumferential passage, the delivery hole being offset from the lubricant discharge port.
15. The engine of claim 14, wherein the circumferential passage comprises a groove formed around an outer surface of the cylinder liner.
16. The engine of claim 14, wherein the cylinder has an uppermost wall portion, and one of the lubricant delivery holes is positioned in the uppermost wall portion.
17. An internal combustion engine adapted to drive a propulsion unit, the engine comprising a crankcase at least partially enclosing a crankshaft, a cylinder block having at least one cylinder bore, a piston arranged within the cylinder bore to reciprocate therein, and a lubrication system, the lubrication system comprising means for delivering a first volume of lubricant to engine components in the crankcase and separately delivering a second volume of lubricant to engine components within the cylinder bore.