| 摘要 |
An apparatus and method is provided for a dual compression and dual expansion internal combustion engine (8) that is compact, efficient, and has low combustion noise and emissions. The subject engine (8) includes a low pressure piston assembly (56) reciprocally disposed in an operating chamber (22) defined in a housing (10). A pair of opposed high pressure piston assemblies (58) and (60) are directly mounted on a pair of geared together, counter rotating, crankshafts (52) and (54) and reciprocally disposed in bores (178) and (186) of the low pressure piston assembly (56). The disposition of the second and third piston assemblies (58) and (60) within their respective bores (178) and (186) defines a combustion chamber (254). An intake chamber (144) for compression of inducted air and an exhaust chamber (146) for expansion of exhaust gas are defined in the operating chamber (22) between the low pressure piston assembly (56) and the housing (10). Air moves from the intake chamber (144) to the exhaust chamber (146), but in the process the air is compressed, mixed with fuel, and combusted. The resulting gas is expanded in the combustion space (254) between the high pressure piston assemblies (56) and (60). A complete cycle takes approximately 900 degrees of rotation of the crankshafts (52) and (54) during which the intake chamber (254), the combustion chamber (254), and the exhaust chamber (146) each undergoes five "strokes". Thus, the disclosed engine (8) is compact, efficient, and has less combustion noise, and low emissions.
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