Split ceramic piston ring arrangement with nested biasing ring

摘要

A piston-ring arrangement for use in an internal combustion engine including a cylinder with a piston axially displaceable within the cylinder and at least one piston ring guided in the cylinder. The cylinder, piston and piston-ring are made of a ceramic material. The piston ring is formed of two circumferentially extending parts and is mounted in a groove in the circumferentially surface of the piston. The groove has a depth greater than the corresponding radial depth of the piston ring so that a spring element can be positioned between the base of the groove and the piston ring for biasing the piston ring radially outwardly. The spring element can be annular member with a corrugated shape or a multi-part ceramic member shaped to provide a biasing action.