Parent bore cylinder block of an opposed-piston engine

Abstract

A parent bore cylinder block of an internal combustion, opposed-piston engine includes cooling passages that are formed using a 3-D printed casting core. The casting core can include portions that are ceramic. The parent bore cylinder block can include multiple cylinders, each cylinder with cooling passages and turbulence inducing features in those cooling passages, particularly surrounding the central portions of the cylinders.

1 . A casting core for a parent bore cylinder block for an opposed-piston internal combustion engine that includes at least one cylinder including a cylinder bore with a bore surface and a longitudinal axis, a combustion zone in an intermediate portion of each of the at least one cylinder along the longitudinal axis of the cylinder bore, and a cooling jacket surrounding the combustion zone on an outside portion of the at least one cylinder, the casting core comprising:
 at least one sand portion; and   at least one ceramic portion, the at least one ceramic portion configured to produce cooling features enclosed by the cooling jacket on an outer portion of the at least one cylinder in the combustion zone,   wherein the casting core is formed by 3-D printing.   
     
     
         2 . The casting core of  claim 1 , wherein the cooling features comprise cooling channels. 
     
     
         3 . The casting core of  claim 1 , wherein the cooling features comprise ridges or lands formed to define coolant flow paths 
     
     
         4 . The casting core of  claim 1 , wherein the cooling features comprise turbulence-inducing features. 
     
     
         5 . The casting core of  claim 4 , wherein the turbulence-inducing features comprise pegs to create turbulent coolant flow of liquid coolant along and around an intermediate portion of the at least one cylinder.