An improved sealing system for a poppet valve rotating sleeve internal combustion engine with rotating liners. A hydrodynamic face seal assembly includes a spring pre-load assembly provides a uniform loading to a primary sealing ring. A secondary seal is provided between the primary sealing ring and the cylinder head. Hydrodynamic face seal features are provided either on the mating face of the primary sealing ring or on the annular face of the rotating liner. The hydrodynamic face seal features include an inner sealing zone, and an outer loading zone with a plurality of hydrodynamic lift pads, and dam features which create converging surfaces. A lubricant is provided to the annular face of the rotating liner, so that a lubricant layer can be maintained between the primary sealing ring mating face and the rotating liner.

An improved sealing system for a poppet valve rotating sleeve internal combustion engine with rotating liners. A hydrodynamic face seal assembly includes a spring pre-load assembly provides a uniform loading to a primary sealing ring. A secondary seal is provided between the primary sealing ring and the cylinder head. Hydrodynamic face seal features are provided either on the mating face of the primary sealing ring or on the annular face of the rotating liner. The hydrodynamic face seal features include an inner sealing zone, and an outer loading zone with a plurality of hydrodynamic lift pads, and dam features which create converging surfaces. A lubricant is provided to the annular face of the rotating liner, so that a lubricant layer can be maintained between the primary sealing ring mating face and the rotating liner.

A rotating liner driving mechanism for converting existing engines castings to a rotating liner configuration (RLE) with minor changes to the engine or casting. A pulley is connected to the main accessory belt in the front of the engine and drives a shaft parallel to the crankshaft but external to the engine. Via a 90 degree gearbox, the driving rotation is turned about normal to the crankshaft and block deck face. This shaft drives a driving gear through a gear cover, which then drives one of the liners. Gears in the liner flanges propagate the rotation to all liners. An inline engine needs only one set of pulleys and driving mechanisms, but a V-engine may require two, one for each bank of cylinders. The driving pulley can have mechanisms included so that the gear ratio between crankshaft and rotating liners can be varied during engine operation.

There is disclosed an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a cylinder unit and a piston unit. The cylinder unit is rotatably coupled to a pair of spaced-apart crankshafts, with the cylinder unit moveable along a longitudinal axis. The piston unit is continually disposed within the cylinder unit, with the piston unit rotatively coupled to a second pair of spaced-apart crankshafts. The piston is moveable along the longitudinal axis in a direction opposite the direction of the cylinder during a combustion cycle. Both the cylinder unit and the piston unit are structured to be balanced relative to the respective center-of-gravity of each unit. Each center-of-gravity is located midway between the pair of spaced-apart crankshafts to which each unit is rotatively coupled.