Ducted combustion chamber for direct injection engines and method

An internal combustion engine, comprising:

• an engine block having at least one cylinder bore;
• a cylinder head having a flame deck surface disposed at one end of the cylinder bore;
• a piston connected to a rotatable crankshaft and configured to reciprocate within the cylinder bore, the piston having a piston crown portion facing the flame deck surface such that a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder bore and between the piston crown and the flame deck surface;
• a fuel injector having a nozzle tip disposed in fluid communication with the combustion chamber, the nozzle tip having a plurality of nozzle openings configured to inject a plurality of fuel jets into the combustion chamber, each of the plurality of fuel jets travelling along a respective fuel jet centerline;
• a plurality of ducts defined in the combustion chamber between the piston crown and the flame deck surface, each duct having a generally rectangular cross section, and extending in a radial direction relative to the cylinder bore substantially along a segment of a respective fuel jet centerline.