Cylinder head assembly having fuel injector sleeve for mid-deck reacting of injector clamping load

A cylinder head assembly comprising:

• a cylinder head casting including a top deck surface, a fire deck having a lower fire deck surface, and an upward facing middle deck surface, and the cylinder head casting having formed therein a coolant cavity, and an injector bore fluidly connected to the coolant cavity;
• an injector sleeve within the injector bore, and including an outer sleeve surface, and an inner sleeve surface extending circumferentially around a longitudinal axis and axially from a first sleeve end to a cylindrical second sleeve end extending through the fire deck;
• the inner sleeve surface further including an injector clamping surface adjacent to the cylindrical second sleeve end;
• and
• the injector sleeve further including a sleeve clamping surface in contact with the upward facing middle deck surface, and a reaction wall extending axially between the injector clamping surface and the sleeve clamping surface to transfer an injector clamping load to the upward facing middle deck surface,
• wherein the injector sleeve further includes a radially outward shoulder having the sleeve clamping surface formed thereon, wherein a relief groove is formed in the radially outward shoulder and extends circumferentially around the longitudinal axis at a location that is radially between the sleeve clamping surface and the outer sleeve surface.