Internal combustion engines are routinely used in various industries to power machines and equipment. Examples of industries using such machines and equipment include marine, earth moving, construction, mining, locomotive and agriculture industries, etc. In certain markets and market segments, a gas engine with high specific output, high efficiency, and good combustion stability is needed. Current engines are often unable to meet the desired performance requirements.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,471,311 to Lapp illustrates a piston with a contoured piston bowl geometry. However, the focus of the patent does not concern specific output, high efficiency, and good combustion stability. More specifically, the contoured piston bowl geometry is not taught to improve any of these performances. Instead, as shown by the abstract of Lapp, this patent is directed to reducing the weight of the power cell assembly. More specifically, an exemplary power cell assembly of Lapp may include a piston crown and connecting rod. In an exemplary illustration, a power cell assembly includes a piston crown having a ring land extending circumferentially about a combustion bowl. The boss portions may each include inwardly extending shoulders defining arcuate crown running surfaces. The power cell assembly may further include a connecting rod having a shank and an upper end received in a cavity of the crown. The upper end of the connecting rod may define arcuate connecting rod running surfaces extending away from the shank. The crown running surfaces and connecting rod running surfaces generally allow the connecting rod to pivot with respect to the piston crown about an axis of rotation that extends from one of the boss portions to the other of the boss portions.
As can be seen, the piston design of Lapp does not address some of the current market demands such as having high specific output, high efficiency, and good combustion stability. Accordingly, it is desirable to develop a piston that allows an engine using that piston riding in a bore of that engine to have a high specific output, high efficiency, and good combustion stability.