Internal Combustion Engine

Wankel Rotary Combustion Engine (RCE)

Theory, Design, and Principles of Operation

Internal combustion engine: fuel air mixture ignites and the explosion directly drives the engine internally.

Four phase Cycle engine: intake, compression, power, exhaust.

Three main moving parts in most RC engines: 2 rotors and the eccentric shaft. These rotate continuously in a single direction. They do not jerk backwards and forwards.

These are surrounded by the peripheral housing where the rotor tip traces out an epitroichoid curve.

The Wankel RC Engine is an Otto Cycle Engine (Four "Stroke")

The RCE has four phases in it's combustion cycle which means it is an Otto Cycle engine. They are intake, compression, power, and exhaust. Unlike the conventional piston engine, the fuel air mixture is swept along, so the four phases take place in different areas of the engine. This turns out to be an advantage for Hydrogen fuel.

Java Demonstration of RC Engine Cycles (about 104 KB)

Rotor, Eccentric Shaft, Peripheral Housing, and Ports

A Rotary Combustion Engine (RCE) as invented by Felix Wankel and developed with Wal

. . .

View the whole essay, without interruption

The RCE Peripheral Housing [gloss] supercedes the piston engine's cylinder.

There are two main types of RCE

KKM Kreiskolbenmotor or planetary rotation motor (PLM), distinguished by one stationary peripheral housing. It is generated by rolling a circle around another circle. 30 model Wankel engine from OS / Graupner. (more, mehr Deutsche)

History of Rotary Machines

The rotary combustion engine must not be confused with "rotary" aircraft engines which are piston cylinders arranged in a circle. The American John Cooley made an invention of a sort of reverse Wankel in 1903 (see image), which Umpleby applied to internal combustion in 1908, but never developed successfully. They came into vogue in the first World War. The rolling circle is half the size of the generating circle.

There are three main types of true rotary engines: 1) Wankel types based on eccentric rotors, 2) Scissor action types using vanes or pistons, and 3) Revolving block types ('cat and mouse' type).

Wankel engines use cycloidal gearing, an old and unusual form of gearing used in watches, Roots blowers,

screw compressors, and pumps. James Watt made a rotary piston steam engine in 1759, as did Ericsson.

Approximate Word count = 793
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Simply subscribe to view this paper, and 100,000 others.