High strength steel cylinder liner for diesel engine

1. A diesel engine comprising:

an engine block having at least one piston bore;

a cylinder head to be clamped to said block;

at least one cylinder liner removably disposed in said piston bore of said block and surrounded by a water jacket of said block in direct communication with an outer surface of said at least one liner; and

wherein said cylinder liner is fabricated of a high strength, corrosion resistant grade of steel and wherein said cylinder liner has an inner surface with a texture roughness descriptor, TRD=5 Rvk(100−Mr2) of between 50 and 400 μm, and

including at least one piston disposed in said at least one cylinder liner and including at least one piston ring in operational sliding contact with said inner surface of said at least one cylinder liner, said inner surface and said at least one piston ring having relative hardnesses in the range of 10-20 Rc of one another, and

including a coating applied to said inner surface of said at least one cylinder liner, and

wherein said at least one liner has a compound average liner section thickness set at about 1.5 to 4% of the bore diameter of said at least one cylinder liner.

2. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said steel comprises SAE 4140 grade of steel.

3. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said coating is chromium-based.

4. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said coating is nickel-based.

5. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said coating is a laser-fused coating.

6. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said at least one liner comprises a top-stop liner.

7. The diesel engine of claim 1 wherein said at least one cylinder liner comprises a mid-stop liner.

8. A piston, piston ring and liner assembly, comprising:

a cylinder liner fabricated of a high strength, corrosion resistant grade of steel for mounting in a block of a diesel engine, said cylinder liner having an inner surface surrounding a bore of said liner;

a piston and at least one piston ring carried on said piston, said piston and said at least one ring being positionable within said bore of said cylinder liner such that said at least one piston ring can be disposed in operating contact with said inner surface of said cylinder liner;

said inner surface of said cylinder liner having a surface finish defined by a texture roughness descriptor, TRD =5Rvk(100−Mr2) of between 50 and 400 μm; and

said inner surface of said cylinder liner and said at least one piston ring having relative hardnesses in the range of 10 to 20 Rc of one another, wherein said cylinder liner has a wall thickness that is between 1.5 and 4% of the bore diameter of said cylinder liner, and

wherein said inner surface has a high temperature coating applied over top of said finished surface.

9. The assembly of claim 8 wherein said steel consists of 4140 grade of steel.