A method of manufacturing a bearing pin with an external lubrication channel and the bearing pin formed thereby are disclosed. The method includes fixing a rotational orientation of the bearing pin along a pin axis, cutting an outer surface of the bearing pin in a first straight line across a first convex portion thereof to create a first open external groove of the lubrication channel; and cutting an outer surface of the bearing pin in a second straight line across a second convex portion thereof to create a second open external groove of the lubrication channel. The grooves have a concave sectional profile and circumferential open ends disposed intermediate and not intersecting the ends of the bearing pin.

A sliding bearing that is disposed in a cylinder block and supports a journal portion of a crankshaft, including: a semi-annular first split bearing having a first circumferential end surface; and a semi-annular second split bearing having a second circumferential end surface. The first and second circumferential end surfaces contact each other, the first split bearing has a same outer diameter as an outer diameter of the second split bearing, the second split bearing has a thickness at a second circumferentially central position that is greater than a thickness of the first split bearing at a first circumferentially central position, the thickness of the first split bearing is decreased from the first circumferentially central position toward the first circumferential end surface, the thickness of the second split bearing is decreased from the second circumferentially central position toward the second circumferential end surface.

A sliding member includes an overlay layer made of a resin on a side of a sliding surface of a bearing alloy layer. When a valley void volume Vvv (μm.sup.3/μm.sup.2) in the sliding surface of the overlay layer is defined as Vv1, Vv1 is in a range of 0.015≤Vv1≤0.200.

A piston assembly includes a piston head for reciprocating back and forth within a cylinder of an engine, an upper rod coupled to the piston head at one longitudinal end of the upper rod and fixed relative to the piston head, and a lower rod rotatably coupled to an opposite longitudinal end of the upper rod, the lower rod configured to pivot about the opposite longitudinal end of the upper rod. The lower rod is configured to couple to a crankshaft at a longitudinal end of the lower rod opposite the upper rod. Methods of forming a piston assembly and engines incorporating such piston assemblies are also disclosed.

An engine device having a flywheel housing in which a flywheel that is rotated integrally with a crankshaft is accommodated on one side portion of a cylinder block, in which the cylinder block is integrally formed with housing bracket portions each protruding in a direction away from the crankshaft from each of opposite side portions of the cylinder block extending along a crankshaft axial direction, the housing bracket portions protruding from end portions of the opposite side portions close to the one side portion, and a space surrounded by the one side portion, the housing bracket portions, and the flywheel housing constitutes a gear case for accommodating therein a gear train.

Provided is a slide member having an overlay on a bearing alloy. The overlay has a thickness T and has a sliding surface and an interface with respect to the bearing alloy. The overlay includes an intermetallic compound and a matrix of Bi or a Bi alloy. In a thickness domain constituting 70%-75% of the thickness T of the overlay from the sliding surface to the interface, the volume proportion of the intermetallic compound is 10%-70%.

Provided is a half bearing constituting a sliding bearing that is unlikely to cause damage during an operation of an internal combustion engine. The half bearing includes at least one protrusion, and the protrusion projects outward in a radial direction from an outer circumferential surface. A recessed portion that is recessed inward in the radial direction from the outer circumferential surface is formed over the entire inner-circumferential length between the protrusion and a circumferential-direction end surface of the half bearing. Two radial-direction grooves are formed in the circumferential-direction end surface of the half bearing relative to the protrusion, and each of the radial-direction grooves is adjacent to each of recessed portion side surfaces. The radial-direction grooves extend in the radial direction along the recessed portion side surfaces and are separated from the recessed portion at a midpoint of the extension. An inner circumferential surface-side end portion in an extending direction of the radial-direction grooves is located between a recessed portion bottom surface and an inner circumferential surface of the half bearing. A groove width and a groove depth of the radial-direction grooves decrease from the position separated from the recessed portion toward the inner circumferential surface-side end portion and reach zero at the inner circumferential surface-side end portion.

A connecting rod assembly has a connecting rod with a large end and a small end, a piston wrist pin, and fasteners to connect the connecting rod to the piston wrist pin and optionally one or more shims in between the connecting rod and piston wrist pin. A notch on the wrist pin allows for the seating of a flat surface on the small end of the connecting rod in the connecting rod assembly. Side walls on both the notch and the small end of the connecting rod limit twist. The connecting rod assembly allows for the adjustment of piston location in a cylinder while limiting connecting rod twist.

A crankshaft bearing structure is provided capable of properly lubricating a thrust bearing even when low-viscosity oil is used in an engine. The crankshaft bearing structure includes a crankshaft, a cylinder block, plural journal bearings, and thrust bearings. Each of the plural journal bearings is annularly attached to a respective one of plural crank journals when the crankshaft is rotating. The thrust bearings are attached to a shaft support section, which supports the crank journal, in the cylinder block, to restrict movement of the crankshaft in a direction along an axis. The upper journal bearing annularly attached to the crank journal has a circumferential groove provided in an inner circumferential surface, connected to an oil hole, and extending in a circumferential direction.

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of realizing good wear resistance with a simple structure. A sliding member and a sliding bearing each include a base layer and a coating layer formed on the base layer, the coating layer having a sliding surface with a counterpart member. The base layer is formed of a hard material that is harder than the coating layer, and the average concentration of a diffusion component of the hard material diffused from the base layer is 4 wt % or more in an evaluation range, in the coating layer, in which the distance from an interface with the base layer is 1 μm or more and 2 μm or less.