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3.2: Oil Pan Gasket Tutorial

  • Page ID
    53589

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    Top view sketch of an oil pan gasket.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Oil Pan Gasket Top View

    Here, let’s step up our sketching practice a bit with a gasket part that requires a significant amount of relations and modification tools. We will demonstrate the sketching of 2130205 Oil Pan Gasket drawing linked.

    THE CENTER RECTANGLE AND OFFSETS

    First, start a SolidWorks new part with ANSI Drafting Standard and IPS Units and start a new sketch on the Top Plane. Draw a center rectangle at the origin using the From Midpoints option that is 8 inches in length and 5.5 inches in width (Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)).

    Rectangle sketch.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): First Center Rectangle

    After adding the center rectangle and dimensioning it using the Smart Dimension, use the fillet sketch tool to add 1.25-inch fillets to the four corners of the center rectangle. We are adding the fillets this early into the sketching process because we want to offset the outer contour inward with the fillets using the Offset Entities tool.

    Rectangle with fillets sketch.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{3}\): First Center Rectangle with Fillets

    Using Offset Entities, offset the rectangle inward by 1 inch, making sure that Select Chain is checked. Click on one of the edges of the outer contour, and with Select Chain enabled, the offset entities tool will collect all the connected edges of the contour. Note that a 1-inch dimension is automatically added.

    Select chain enabled n the rectangle with fillets, adding an inner rectangle with fillets.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{4}\): Select Chain Enabled.

    To get the length and width of the inner rectangle to show in a future drawing, you can add those dimensions to your sketch by making those dimensions driven. You will get a dialog box that says you are over-defining the drawing, but it will give you the option to either make the dimensions driven or to leave the sketch over-defined.

    Use Offset Entities again to offset the outer contour by .325 inches as construction geometry. To make the offset geometry construction geometry, under Construction Geometry in the property manager, activate the Offset Geometry option.

    Offset Entities options selected: Add dimensions, revers, selct chain, and offset geometry.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{5}\): .325 Inch Offset Construction Geometry

    CREATING THE CUTOUTS

    Using the Line tool, draw a rough sketch of the top middle cutout, making sure to add the automatic coincident relations to the inner contour (Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\)).

    Cur out on rough sketch at top.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{6}\) Top Cut Out Rough Sketch

    Trim away the excess lines, making sure not to trim the vertical centerline. Fully define the cutout with a 1.50-inch length, .25 inch thickness from the top edge, and by making the left and right edges of the cutout symmetric with the vertical centerline (Figure\(\PageIndex{7}\)).

    Cutout is defined and shows the material removed.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{7}\): Top Cutout Fully Defined

    Draw a rough sketch of the bottom left side of the cutout (don’t do the right side because we will mirror it over). Make sure that your end points automatically have coincident relations with the inner and outer contour (Figure \(\PageIndex{8}\)).

    Cut out added to bottom in rough sketch.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{8}\): Rough Sketch of Bottom Left Side Cutout)

    Mirror the left side to the right side using the vertical center line, and then trim the excess lines away, making sure not to trim away the vertical centerline (Figure \(\PageIndex{9}\)). You will also need to make the endpoint of the vertical centerline coincident with the bottom outer contour edge or draw a construction line connecting the outer contour at the bottom, and then make the vertical centerline endpoint midpoint related to the new construction line.

    Cut out on bottom trimmed.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{9}\): Mirror and Trim of Bottom Cutout

    After making sure that the trim was successful and adding the coincident relation was successful, fully define the bottom cutout with a 1.5 inch spacing, 1.25 inch spacing on the tabs, a .25 inch distance from bottom edge on the outer contour to the bottom edge of one of the tabs, a tab thickness of .125 inches and a colinear relation between the left aligned lines of the cutout (Figure \(\PageIndex{10}\)).

    Cutout on bottom is defined.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{10}\): Fully Defined Bottom Cutout

    CLEARANCE HOLE PLACEMENT

    The clearance holes in the Oil Pan Gasket are symmetrical across both the vertical centerline and the horizontal centerline. So, we only need to create and fully define the holes in one quarter of the part, and then we will mirror the holes across the vertical and horizontal centerlines.

    Using the Circle tool, place and fully define four .266 inch diameter holes as shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{11}\). The right-most hole is dimensioned from the vertical centerline by 1.200 inches, the second-to-right-most hole is dimensioned from the vertical centerline by 2.15 inches. Make the four holes equal by CTRL selecting all four holes and choosing the equal relation. The hole at the fillet corner is coincident with the midpoint of the fillet on the construction offset; this can be added automatically by snapping to the construction arc’s midpoint. The left-most hole is .75 inches from the horizontal centerline.

    Circle are added. All equal. Related at the midpoint.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{11}\): Definition of Clearance Holes

    When clearance holes are fully defined in the top left corner of the sketch, use Mirror Entities to first mirror all the clearance holes across the vertical centerline and then use Mirror Entities a second time to mirror all eight holes across the horizontal centerline. You will see a lot of symmetry relations crowd the drawing now (Figure \(\PageIndex{12}\)).

    The holes have been mirrored around the entire structure.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{12}\) Clearance Holes Mirrored

    Use the Extruded Boss/Base feature to extrude the sketch .005 inches and save as 2130205.


    This page titled 3.2: Oil Pan Gasket Tutorial is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Melvin Hortman via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.