A power cylinder system for a reciprocating engine includes a steel piston configured to move within a cylinder of the reciprocating engine. The system also includes a groove extending circumferentially about the piston beneath a top land of the piston and configured to support a ring having an inner circumferential face. One or more channels are formed in the top land and are configured to facilitate transfer of combustion gases to a space between a portion of the groove and the inner circumferential face of the ring.

A cooling cavity is provided inside a piston of an internal combustion engine. Inlet/outlet holes of the cooling cavity are provided in a bottom surface of the piston. A first oil jet that sprays oil toward the inlet/outlet hole, a second oil jet that sprays oil toward a part different from the inlet/outlet hole are included. The first oil jet is caused to spray oil in preference to the second oil jet.

A galleryless steel piston designed to improve thermal efficiency, fuel consumption, and performance of an engine is provided. The piston includes a steel body portion and a thermal barrier layer applied to an upper combustion surface and/or a ring belt to reduce the amount of heat transferred from a combustion chamber to the body portion. The thermal barrier layer has a thermal conductivity which is lower than a thermal conductivity of the steel body portion. The thermal barrier layer typically includes a ceramic material, for example ceria, ceria stabilized zirconia, and/or a mixture of ceria stabilized zirconia and yttria stabilized zirconia in an amount of 90 to 100 wt. %, based on the total weight of the ceramic material. The thermal barrier layer can also have a gradient structure which gradually transitions from 100 wt. % of a metal bond material to 100 wt. % of the ceramic material.

A galleryless piston for an internal combustion engine and method of construction thereof are provided. The piston has a monolithic piston body extending along a central longitudinal axis. The piston body has an upper wall forming an upper combustion surface with first and second portions, with the first portion extending annularly along an outer periphery of the upper wall and the second portion forming a combustion bowl. The upper wall has an undercrown surface on an underside of the combustion bowl directly opposite the second portion of the upper combustion surface. The undercrown surface has an openly exposed surface area, as viewed looking along the central longitudinal axis, thereby providing an expansive area against which oil being splashed or sprayed can freely contact to cool the piston.

A piston capable of reducing undesirable “knock,” reducing hydrocarbon emissions, and providing more complete combustion, is provided. The piston includes a multilayer coating having a thickness of 500 microns or less disposed on an upper combustion surface. The coating includes a bond layer including nickel disposed on the upper combustion surface. A thermal barrier layer including a ceramic composition is disposed on the bond layer. A sealant layer formed of metal is disposed on the thermal barrier layer. A catalytic layer including at least one of platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, and iridium is disposed on the sealant layer. The catalytic layer can be disposed on select regions or the entire upper combustion surface to promote combustion through a catalyzed reaction.

A galleryless piston including a ring belt with three ring grooves is provided. Each ring groove is formed by an uppermost wall and a lower wall spaced from one another by a back wall. A pair of pin bosses depend from the upper wall, and pair of skirt panels depend from the ring belt and are coupled to the pin bosses by struts. An inner undercrown region is surrounded by the skirt panels and the struts and the pin bosses. A pair of outer pockets extend along the undercrown surface, and each outer pocket is surrounded by a portion of the ring belt and one of the pin bosses and the struts coupling the one pin boss to the skirt panels. The third ring groove includes an oil drain slot extending through the back wall to the outer pockets of the piston for conveying cooling oil.

A steel material has a chemical composition which consists of, in mass %, C: 0.15 to 0.30%, Si: 0.02 to 1.00%, Mn: 0.20 to 0.80%, P: 0.020% or less, S: 0.028% or less, Cr: 0.80 to 1.50%, Mo: 0.08 to 0.40%, V: 0.10 to 0.40%, Al: 0.005 to 0.060%, N: 0.0150% or less, O: 0.0030% or less, and the balance: Fe and impurities, and satisfies Formulae (1) and (2), in which, at a cross section parallel to the axial direction of the steel material for a steel piston, the number of Mn sulfides is 100.0 per mm.sup.2 or less, the number of coarse Mn sulfides having an equivalent circular diameter of 3.0 μm or more is in a range of 1.0 to 10.0 per mm.sup.2, and the number of oxides is 15.0 per mm.sup.2 or less.

0.42≤Mo+3V≤1.50  (1)

V/Mo≥0.50  (2)

A galleryless piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston has a monolithic piston body including an upper wall forming an upper combustion surface with first and second portions. The first portion extends annularly along an outer periphery of the upper wall and the second portion includes a combustion bowl. The first portion can also include valve pockets formed therein to reduce weight. The upper wall has an undercrown surface directly opposite the second portion of the upper combustion surface. To enhance cooling, a center portion of the undercrown surface is concave, such that oil is channeled during reciprocation of the piston from one side to the opposite side of the piston. The concave center portion is axially offset from the surrounding area of the undercrown surface.

A galleryless steel piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston has a monolithic piston body including an upper wall forming an upper combustion surface with first and second portions. The first portion extends annularly along an outer periphery of the upper wall and the second portion defines a combustion bowl. The piston further includes undercrown surface located directly opposite the combustion bowl with an exposed 2-dimensional surface area allowing for contact of cooling oil. The exposed 2-dimensional surface area ranges from 25 to 60 percent of a cross-sectional area defined by a maximum outer diameter of the piston body. To further enhance cooling, a portion of the undercrown surface is concave or convex, such that oil is channeled during reciprocation of the piston from one side to the opposite side of the piston.

A piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston includes a lower part joined to an upper part, for example by friction welding with inertia. The upper part presents a combustion surface and an undercrown surface. The piston also includes a cooling gallery surface provided by the upper part and the lower part. The cooling gallery surface surrounds a volume of space for containing a cooling media. The piston can include serrations in the cooling gallery surface and/or undercrown surface to increase surface area and thus reduce the temperature of the piston. The piston can also include shaped weld curls, instead of or in addition to the serrations, which also increase surface area and reduce the temperature of the piston.