Pistons and cylinders made of carbon-carbon composite materials
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
InventorsH. Kevin Rivers, Philip O. Ransone, G. Burton Northam, Francis A. Schwind
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Abstract
An improved reciprocating internal combustion engine has a plurality of engine pistons, which are fabricated from carbon--carbon composite materials, in operative association with an engine cylinder block, or an engine cylinder tube, or an engine cylinder jug, all of which are also fabricated from carbon--carbon composite materials.
Claims11
In a reciprocating internal combustion engine wherein a mixture of fuel and air is burned in at least one cylinder containing a piston to form combustion products, and wherein heat produced by burning of the mixture of fuel and air causes the combustion products to expand and force the piston to move within the cylinder, which movement turns a crankshaft, the reciprocating internal combustion engine further comprising at least one piston ring, each piston ring operatively associated with the piston, the improvement comprising at least one piston, fabricated from carbon--carbon composite materials, being in operative association with a cylinder block fabricated from carbon--carbon composite materials and with at least one piston ring made of carbon--carbon composite materials.
The reciprocating internal combustion engine of clam 1, wherein the cylinder block is a cylinder tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.