A cylinder block assembly has: a cylinder block having three cylinders aligned side-by-side; and four crank caps arranged side-by-side in an alignment direction of the cylinders and fastened to the cylinder block. The crank caps and the cylinder block are provided with crank bearings which rotatably support a crankshaft. The crank caps are arranged at both sides of each cylinder in the alignment direction. Intermediate crank caps positioned at intermediate positions in the plurality of the crank caps include removed parts so as to more easily deform when receiving a load from the crankshaft compared with the side crank caps.

Methods and systems are provided for an engine housing assembly. In one example, an engine housing assembly comprises an engine housing component, the housing component at least partially defining a first bore for receiving a first shaft and at least partially defining a second bore for receiving a second shaft; and a reinforcement member cast into the housing, the reinforcement member having a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the housing component, wherein the reinforcement member at least partially surrounds the first and second bores. A method of manufacturing the engine housing assembly is also provided.

A heat insulating structure of an internal combustion engine (engine 1) includes a cylinder-head-side heat insulating cover (30) and a cylinder-block-side heat insulating cover (40). Each of the first side walls (32) of the cylinder-head-side heat insulating cover (30) is disposed outwardly of, and is spaced apart from, a corresponding one of the second side walls (43) of the cylinder-block-side heat insulating cover (40) in the width direction of the vehicle. The lower edge of each of the first side walls (32) is positioned below the upper edge of the corresponding one of the second side walls (43) to overlap with the corresponding one of the second side walls (43) when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

An engine and a method of forming an engine are provided. The engine has a block that defines a cooling jacket extending continuously about an outer perimeter of first and second siamesed cylinders. The block defines a series of head bolt bores intersecting a deck face such that each cylinder is surrounded by four bores. The jacket has a first floor and a second floor. The second floor is offset above the first floor and extends along an intake side of the block between midpoints of the first and second cylinders, respectively. The second floor is configured to decouple a relationship between the cooling jacket and the series of bores for each cylinder and reduce fourth order bore distortion for each cylinder.

Systems are provided for an engine block assembly comprising a cylinder block, bearing caps and crankshaft main bearings. In one example, an engine block assembly may comprise a cylinder block, a bearing cap bolted to the cylinder block, the bearing cap comprising: a first recess included in a first surface, a second recess included in a second surface opposite the first surface, and a thrust surface interfacing with a crankshaft bearing, where a rigidity of the thrust surface may vary along an axial profile of the thrust surface due to the first and second recesses. When the bearings caps are bolted to the cylinder block, the thrust surface may bend due to its variable rigidity, and as such may induce a bend in an axial profile of the crankshaft bearing to a more convex shape.

A slide for the high pressure die casting of at least one closed deck engine block having at least one cylinder is disclosed. The slide includes a tool steel portion with reliefs for forming a water jacket surrounding each cylinder. At least one expendable salt core is located in each relief, the salt core having an inner surface and an outer surface with an aperture extending therethrough. The outer surface and inner surface of the salt core is coextensive with an inner surface and outer surface of the tool steel portion. A method for high pressure die casting a closed deck engine block using the disclosed slide and expendable salt cores is also disclosed. The expendable salt cores are separable from the reliefs in the slide, and form bridges or supports across a water jacket to add stiffness and rigidity to the cast engine cylinders.

Systems and methods are provided for a cylinder block having one or more bulkheads. The bulkheads provide a dual-wall structure that may enhance the stiffness of the cylinder block in bending and torsion. The bulkheads may also provide an oil drain to allow oil to directly drain through a hollow core of the bulkhead. An overflow outlet may be formed in an inner wall of a bulkhead. In some implementations, a cylinder block with bulkheads may increase an oil capacity of an engine.

A cylinder head cover and a method for producing a cylinder head cover are disclosed. The method for producing a cylinder head cover may include: providing at least two metallic bearing bridges including a respective through-opening for mounting at least one camshaft and aligning the respective through-opening of the at least two bearing bridges axially relative to one another; connecting at least one metallic connection element to the at least two bearing bridges in a fixed manner so that the at least two bearing bridges are fixed and aligned relative to one another; and at least partially overmoulding the at least two bearing bridges and the at least one connection element with a plastic material.

An engine block assembly includes a head structure assembly, and a cylinder structure assembly. A plurality of fasteners interconnect the head structure assembly and the cylinder structure assembly. An outer shell encapsulates and supports both the head structure assembly and the cylinder structure assembly. The outer shell is a unitary polymer structure that is simultaneously over-molded onto the head structure assembly and the cylinder structure assembly. The head structure assembly and the cylinder structure assembly are constructed of components that are designed to carry the operational loads of the engine with minimal weight. The outer shell provides additional structural integrity, and provides fluid passages for lubrication and cooling, as well as support for other engine components.

A shaft assembly may include two or more Poka-Yoke bearing caps, each Poka-Yoke bearing cap having a pair of reference bores offset from a central axis of the bearing cap by differing offset distances, and each bearing cap defining a semi-circular recess that is positioned so as to align in use a central axis of the semi-cylindrical recess in the bearing cap with an axis of rotation of a shaft rotatably supported by the bearing cap. The differing offsets of the reference bores prevent the bearing cap from being assembled in a reversed orientation. To ensure that each bearing cap can only be fitted in one position, a centre spacing between the first and second reference bores of each bearing cap is different to the centre spacing used for other bearing caps used to support a single shaft.