A dual-crankshaft engine includes a piston and two crankshafts constituting a double-crank mechanism, and further includes a cylindrical block. The cylindrical block includes a cylinder portion and a crankshaft support portion. A lower end of the piston is a piston guiding rod. A piston rod guiding groove is provided in the cylindrical block. A lower end of the piston is opened, and provided with a piston end cover. The piston end cover and the piston guiding rod are detachably and fixedly connected. The piston is a non-skirted piston where the piston sealing end is separated from the piston guiding end. The piston sealing end is the piston head of the piston. The piston guiding end is the piston guiding rod and the piston rod guiding groove. The piston is designed to be equi-stress, which increases the strength.

A split cycle internal combustion engine includes a combustion cylinder accommodating a combustion piston and a compression cylinder accommodating a compression piston. The engine also includes a controller arranged to receive an indication of a parameter associated with the combustion cylinder and/or a fluid associated therewith and to control an exhaust valve of the combustion cylinder in dependence on the indicated parameter to cause the exhaust valve to close during the return stroke of the combustion piston, before the combustion piston has reached its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is less than a target value for the parameter; and close on completion of the return stroke of the combustion piston, as the combustion piston reaches its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is equal to or greater than the target value for the parameter.

A dual-crankshaft engine includes a piston and two crankshafts constituting a double-crank mechanism, and further includes a cylindrical block. The cylindrical block includes a cylinder portion and a crankshaft support portion. A lower end of the piston is a piston guiding rod. A piston rod guiding groove is provided in the cylindrical block. A lower end of the piston is opened, and provided with a piston end cover. The piston end cover and the piston guiding rod are detachably and fixedly connected. The piston is a non-skirted piston where the piston sealing end is separated from the piston guiding end. The piston sealing end is the piston head of the piston. The piston guiding end is the piston guiding rod and the piston rod guiding groove. The piston is designed to be equi-stress, which increases the strength.

Methods of joining components to form vehicle assemblies, such as engine assemblies, are provided. The methods include arranging a first component having a first channel defined therein in a mold, arranging a second component having a second channel defined therein in the mold, and aligning the first and second channel to define a pin-receiving channel. At least one polymeric composite pin is inserted into the pin-receiving channel thereby joining the first and second components, wherein an adhesive is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the polymeric composite pin.

Engines, systems, devices, software, and methods of the present invention provide increased fuel efficiency and emission performance. The engine may include a magnesium alloy cast engine block cast as a mono-block with or without a ceramic inner core and including one or more cylinders designed to provide compression ratio of 10:1 to 14:1. Each cylinder may include one or more laser igniters, one or more supercritical fuel injectors configured to inject the fuel near or in a supercritical state, and carbon dioxide, which may be in the form of engine exhaust gas. The fuel may be diesel, gasoline, or other suitable hydrocarbons that may be cracked into smaller molecules prior to be injected into the cylinder.

An internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder with a piston moveable therein in an engine block in which microwaves are introduced into a combustion chamber through a microwave window, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a piston base and a cylinder head, characterized in that the combustion chamber includes a combustion chamber wall which functions as a microwave window at least in portions wherein the combustion chamber wall is made from a wall layer that is made from a ceramic material in which wall layer at least one annular circumferential hollow conductor cavity is arranged with at least one inlet opening for the microwave and which includes at least one outlet opening for the microwave that is run in the annular hollow conductor cavity of the wall layer. In general the invention provides safe ignition of lean fuel air mixtures.

Methods of joining components to form vehicle assemblies, such as engine assemblies, are provided. The methods include arranging a first component having a first channel defined therein in a mold, arranging a second component having a second channel defined therein in the mold, and aligning the first and second channel to define a pin-receiving channel. At least one polymeric composite pin is inserted into the pin-receiving channel thereby joining the first and second components, wherein an adhesive is disposed adjacent to at least a portion of the polymeric composite pin.

An internal combustion engine including at least one cylinder with a piston moveable therein in an engine block in which microwaves are introduced into a combustion chamber through a microwave window, wherein the combustion chamber is formed by a piston base and a cylinder head, characterized in that the combustion chamber includes a combustion chamber wall which functions as a microwave window at least in portions wherein the combustion chamber wall is made from a wall layer that is made from a ceramic material in which wall layer at least one annular circumferential hollow conductor cavity is arranged with at least one inlet opening for the microwave and which includes at least one outlet opening for the microwave that is run in the annular hollow conductor cavity of the wall layer. In general the invention provides safe ignition of lean fuel air mixtures.

A self-charged four stroke one-cycle combustion cylinder for an internal combustion engine includes a cylinder defining an internal space segmented into a pre-compression space and a combustion space, wherein a bore size of said cylinder is greater than that of a crank-shaft piston housed within, an occupying structure situated within the cylinder, acting as a secondary piston and configured to reciprocate in unison with the crank-shaft piston, an oil socket with a first outer sleeve and a second inner sleeve designed to enclose the crank-shaft piston, facilitating reciprocation therein, wherein the oil socket is configured for direct lubrication from an engine oil sump to the cylinder's internal surfaces without contaminating the combustion space and configured for supporting exhaust scavenging, and, an air intake assembly capable of directing air into the pre-compression space during a power stroke, with the air being inductively transferred to the combustion space during a retraction stroke.