Bottom stop cylinder liner and engine assembly

Abstract

A bottom stop liner for use in an engine block and head assembly including a radially directed surface adjacent the inner end of the liner for engaging a liner stop and a radial press fit at the outer end of the liner combined with a resilient liner body integral with and extending between the inner and outer ends operating to apply axial spring force between the liner stop and the head of the engine to place the portion of the head block surrounding a cylinder cavity in which the liner is placed under tensile force as the head is connected to the engine block and moved into operative position. The liner body is designed to have an axial compliance which is greater than the axial compliance of the surrounding portion of the engine block. The desired compliance characteristics are achieved by providing the liner body with an uniform minimal radial wall thickness along a substantial inner portion of the total axial length thereof and by providing a radial wall thickness which increases with increased axial distance from the inner end of the liner in proportion to the upper limit of gas pressure to which the interior of the cylinder liner is subjected only along a relatively smaller outer axial portion of the liner. The block walls surrounding each cylinder cavity are relatively uniform in radial thickness and the outer surfaces join tangentially to cause adjacent cylinder cavities to be separated by a distance equal to twice the cylinder wall thickness. Moreover, the end walls of the cylinder block and the liner support flanges are formed to maintain circumferentially uniform compliance in the liner supporting portion of the cylinder block. A head gasket having a high friction body for reducing wear and a combustion seal ring having a high non-resilient deformation characteristic is provided to complement the unique liner/block design.