A cooling structure of an engine includes a cylinder head and a coolant temperature sensor. The cylinder head gas a first water jacket for cooling a combustion chamber and a second water jacket for cooling an exhaust manifold. The cylinder head includes a joining portion where coolants from the first water jacket and the second water jacket join together. The joining portion has a first coolant passage. A second coolant passage is disposed downstream of the joining portion. The temperature sensing portion is disposed in the second coolant passage. A coolant outlet of the second water jacket is defined in the first coolant passage, and is located at a position on the cylinder head cover attachment surface side in the first coolant passage. The temperature sensing portion is located at a position on the cylinder block attachment surface side in the second coolant passage.

A bridge member is installed in an opening of a water jacket, and a probe of a friction stir welding tool, which rotates about an axis parallel to a cylinder axis, is pressed against a central part of an upper surface of the bridge member. The probe is kept pressed against the central part of the upper surface for a predetermined time to cause side surfaces of the bridge member to expand and come into contact with both a cylinder wall and an outer wall. The probe is moved from the central part of the upper surface to the outer wall, or the cylinder wall, while the probe is kept pressed against the upper surface, thereby friction-stir welding the outer wall, or the cylinder wall, with the bridge member to each other, and after that, the probe is removed off the top deck.

A bridge member is installed in an opening of a water jacket, and a probe of a friction stir welding tool, which rotates about an axis parallel to a cylinder axis, is pressed against a central part of an upper surface of the bridge member. The probe is kept pressed against the central part of the upper surface for a predetermined time to cause side surfaces of the bridge member to expand and come into contact with both a cylinder wall and an outer wall. The probe is moved from the central part of the upper surface to the outer wall, or the cylinder wall, while the probe is kept pressed against the upper surface, thereby friction-stir welding the outer wall, or the cylinder wall, with the bridge member to each other, and after that, the probe is removed off the top deck.

An internal combustion engine is provided. Facing pistons eliminate a cylinder head, thereby reducing heat losses through a cylinder head. Facing pistons also halve the stroke that would be required for one piston to provide the same compression ratio, and the engine can thus be run at higher revolutions per minute and produce more power. An internal sleeve valve is provided for space and other considerations. A combustion chamber size-varying mechanism allows for adjustment of the minimum size of an internal volume to increase efficiency at partial-power operation. Variable intake valve operation is used to control engine power.

An internal combustion engine is provided. Facing pistons eliminate a cylinder head, thereby reducing heat losses through a cylinder head. Facing pistons also halve the stroke that would be required for one piston to provide the same compression ratio, and the engine can thus be run at higher revolutions per minute and produce more power. An internal sleeve valve is provided for space and other considerations. A combustion chamber size-varying mechanism allows for adjustment of the minimum size of an internal volume to increase efficiency at partial-power operation. Variable intake valve operation is used to control engine power.

An intake-port core includes a body part having the same outer shape as that of the intake port, a port-injector part having the same outer shape as that of a port-injector insertion part, and an extending part. A cooling-water flow-passage core includes a water-jacket core having the same outer shape as that of a water jacket. The intake-port core is inserted from the extending part thereof into the water-jacket core so as to join the cooling-water flow-passage core to the intake-port core. Thereafter, a core print part that is a separate body from the intake-port core is joined to the intake-port core.

An intake-port core includes a body part having the same outer shape as that of the intake port, a port-injector part having the same outer shape as that of a port-injector insertion part, and an extending part. A cooling-water flow-passage core includes a water-jacket core having the same outer shape as that of a water jacket. The intake-port core is inserted from the extending part thereof into the water-jacket core so as to join the cooling-water flow-passage core to the intake-port core. Thereafter, a core print part that is a separate body from the intake-port core is joined to the intake-port core.

A ferritic aero diesel engine. The ferritic aero diesel engine includes an iron crankcase, a steel crankshaft and eight steel piston assemblies. The iron crankcase has a flat, horizontally opposed eight cylinder arrangement with a first set of cylinder walls defining a first set of cylinders in a first bank and a second set of cylinder walls defining a second set of cylinders in an opposed second bank. The steel crankshaft is rotatably mounted at least partially within the iron crankcase. Each of the steel piston assemblies of the plurality of steel piston assemblies is received within a respective cylinder of the iron crankcase and is coupled to the steel crankshaft. The first and second sets of cylinder walls have a minimum wall thickness of between approximately 4.8 and 5.2 mm.

A ferritic aero diesel engine. The ferritic aero diesel engine includes an iron crankcase, a steel crankshaft and eight steel piston assemblies. The iron crankcase has a flat, horizontally opposed eight cylinder arrangement with a first set of cylinder walls defining a first set of cylinders in a first bank and a second set of cylinder walls defining a second set of cylinders in an opposed second bank. The steel crankshaft is rotatably mounted at least partially within the iron crankcase. Each of the steel piston assemblies of the plurality of steel piston assemblies is received within a respective cylinder of the iron crankcase and is coupled to the steel crankshaft. The first and second sets of cylinder walls have a minimum wall thickness of between approximately 4.8 and 5.2 mm.

An engine cooling apparatus includes a mechanical water pump having a suction hole and N discharge holes (N is an integer not less than two), N water jackets that are arranged in an engine and correspond to the N discharge holes, N joint passages, each of which joins one of the N discharge holes to the associated water jacket, a return passage that returns coolant to the suction hole after the coolant has passed through the N water jackets and has merged in a merging portion, a coolant stopping mechanism that blocks return flow of coolant through the return passage, and N communication passages each of which allows the corresponding one of the N joint passages to communicate with the suction hole while bypassing the N water jackets and the coolant stopping mechanism.