Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
174 words
An engine piston formed with a top crown surface, a top ring groove defined by an upper annular wall surface, a lower annular wall surface, and an annular bottom surface, and an upper annular land surface defined between said top ring groove and an annular edge of said top crown surface, said upper annular land surface and at least said upper and lower annular wall surfaces of said top ring groove being defined by a part of said piston formed of a matrix metal reinforced with inorganic fibers, the proportion of said inorganic fibers by volume in said fiber-reinforced part of said piston being substantially between two percent and ten percent, at least ninety percent of said inorganic fibers having fiber diameters between one micron and twenty microns, and at least ninety percent of said inorganic fibers having fiber lengths less than twenty millimeters, the surface parallel orientation ratio of said inorganic fibers making up at least said upper and lower annular wall surfaces of said top ring groove being fifty percent or less.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
174 words
An engine piston formed with a top crown surface, a top ring groove defined by an upper annular wall surface, a lower annular wall surface, and an annular bottom surface, and an upper annular land surface defined between said top ring groove and an annular edge of said top crown surface, said upper annular land surface and at least said upper and lower annular wall surfaces of said top ring groove being defined by a part of said piston formed of a matrix metal reinforced with inorganic fibers, the proportion of said inorganic fibers by volume in said fiber-reinforced part of said piston being substantially between two percent and ten percent, at least ninety percent of said inorganic fibers having fiber diameters between one micron and twenty microns, and at least ninety percent of said inorganic fibers having fiber lengths less than twenty millimeters, the surface parallel orientation ratio of said inorganic fibers making up at least said upper and lower annular wall surfaces of said top ring groove being fifty percent or less.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
54 words
An engine piston according to claim 1, wherein said part of said piston formed of a matrix metal reinforced with inorganic fibers is circularly symmetrical and forms an annulus around the top portion of said piston, the cross-section of said annulus being substantially rectangular except for a portion occupied by said top ring groove.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
An engine piston according to claim 2, wherein the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said substantially rectangular cross-section of said annulus is larger than the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said top ring groove.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
42 words
An engine piston according to claim 2, wherein the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said substantially rectangular cross-section of said annulus is smaller than the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said top ring groove.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
36 words
An engine piston according to claim 1, wherein said part of said piston formed of a matrix metal reinforced with inorganic fibers is circularly symmetrical and forms an annulus around the top portion of said piston.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
An engine piston according to claim 5, wherein the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said substantially rectangular cross-section of said annulus is larger than the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said top ring groove.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
42 words
An engine piston according to claim 5, wherein the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said substantially rectangular cross-section of said annulus is smaller than the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said top ring groove.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
46 words
An engine piston according to claim 5, wherein the cross-section of the axial end of said annulus adjacent the top crown surface of said piston is narrower than the cross-section of the axial end of said annulus remote from the top crown surface of said piston.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
17 words
An engine piston according to claim 8, wherein the radially inner surface of said annulus is stepped.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
38 words
An engine piston according to claim 9, wherein the step in the radially inner surface of said annulus is between the top crown surface of said piston and said upper annular wall surface of said top ring groove.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
An engine piston according to any one of claims 8, 9, or 10, wherein the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said substantially rectangular cross-section of said annulus is smaller than the depth in the radial direction of said piston of said top ring groove.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
34 words
An engine piston according to claim 1, wherein said inorganic fibers are alumina-silica fibers having a composition of about 51% by weight Al 2 O 3 and about 49% by weight SiO 2 .