US3812827A - Engine - Google Patents

Engine Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3812827A
US3812827A US00341983A US34198373A US3812827A US 3812827 A US3812827 A US 3812827A US 00341983 A US00341983 A US 00341983A US 34198373 A US34198373 A US 34198373A US 3812827 A US3812827 A US 3812827A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
peripheral wall
conductive member
exhaust
disposed
cavity
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US00341983A
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
W Linn
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to US00341983A priority Critical patent/US3812827A/en
Priority to DE2412309A priority patent/DE2412309A1/de
Priority to JP49028665A priority patent/JPS515122B2/ja
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3812827A publication Critical patent/US3812827A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B53/00—Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B53/00—Internal-combustion aspects of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston engines
    • F02B2053/005—Wankel engines
    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F02—COMBUSTION ENGINES; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS
    • F02B—INTERNAL-COMBUSTION PISTON ENGINES; COMBUSTION ENGINES IN GENERAL
    • F02B2730/00—Internal-combustion engines with pistons rotating or oscillating with relation to the housing
    • F02B2730/01—Internal-combustion engines with pistons rotating or oscillating with relation to the housing with one or more pistons in the form of a disk or rotor rotating with relation to the housing; with annular working chamber
    • F02B2730/018—Internal-combustion engines with pistons rotating or oscillating with relation to the housing with one or more pistons in the form of a disk or rotor rotating with relation to the housing; with annular working chamber with piston rotating around an axis passing through the gravity centre, this piston or the housing rotating at the same time around an axis parallel to the first axis
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
    • Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
    • Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
    • Y02T10/12—Improving ICE efficiencies

Definitions

  • Such conductive member may be placed in the periph- UNITED STATES PATENTS eral wall at the portion thereof providing a transition 727,158 5 1903 Lang 123/145 R between 1116 compression PhaS9 and the expansion 748,011 12/1903 Remington 123 145 R p as An th r su h conductive member may be 935g; 3/1910 Pearson 123/145 R placed in the peripheral wall in advance of the exhaust 1,360,835 11/1920 12 R port such that the exhaust gases must move therepast 3,297,006 1/1967 Marshall 123 309 to be exhausted f tha port, 3,572,030 3/1971 Cuff 123/845 12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I I I 9 I I 2 II If I i. e
  • This invention relates to rotary combustion engines, and more particularly to the provision of an auxiliary ignition system for a Wankel engine.
  • An object of my invention is to provide a Wankel engine with an auxiliary ignition system which will, once the engine is running, keep the engine running even when the primary ignition system is disconnected and which will, in fact, produce a more complete combustion of the fuel mixture drawn into the engine than is produced by the primary ignition system.
  • a primary object of my present invention is to provide, in the peripheral wall of the trochoidal cavity of a Wankel engine, a thermally conductive member which is insulated from that wall, i.e., from the housing of the engine, such that it will be heated to a temperature well exceeding the ignition temperature of the fuel mixture under compression. Once the conductive member is heated to the elevated temperature, it will serve as an igniter of the fuel mixture. I place that conductive member in the peripheral wall in advance of the portion thereof where the admitted fuel mixture is fully compressed between one of the apex seals as the leading seal and another of the apex seals as the following seal. Thus, the member is positioned such that it is exposed by movement of the said leading seal therepast to ignite the compressed fuel mixture for expansion. In other words, the conductive member is positioned at or defines the transition between the compression phase and the expansion phase. It will be appreciated that the location of this conductive member is established to fire the compressed mixture at the desired angular position of the rotary piston.
  • Another object of my present invention is to place another such conductive member in the peripheral wall and insulated therefrom in the portion thereof defining the exhaust phase and in advance of the exhaust port.
  • the combustion product or exhaust gases, and the unburned hydrocarbons in the exhaust gases, are scraped past this conductive member to be ignited.
  • FIG. 1 is a transverse cross-sectional view of a Wankel engine modified to include a thermally conductive member at the transition between the compression and expansion phases;
  • FIG. 2 is another such view showing such a thermally conductive member in advance of the exhaust port
  • FIG. 3 is a fragmentary section view showing two such thermally conductive members, one at the transition between the compression and expansion phases and another just in advance of the exhaust port;
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the heated strip.
  • the illustrated rotary combustion engine comprises a stationary housing 10 providing a cavity 11 that is defined by an inwardly facing peripheral wall 12 and a pair of axially spaced side walls or end walls 14, only one of which is shown.
  • the peripheral wall 12 is generally in the shape of a two-lobed epitrochoid or a curve parallel thereto whose center or axis is indicated at 16 where the curves minor axis 18 and the major axis 19 intersect.
  • a power output shaft 20 extends through the cavity I1 and is journal mounted in the end wall 14 so that the axis of the shaft 20 is coincident with the axis 16 of the peripheral wall 12.
  • the power output shaft 20 is provided, in the cavity 11, with an eccentric 21 on which a rotor or piston 22 is mounted for rotation about the axis 24 of the eccentric, this axis 24 being parallel to and spaced apart from the axis 16 of the output shaft 20.
  • the Wankel rotor or piston 22 is generally in the shape of a triangle having convex faces 26 which face the peripheral wall 12 and cooperate therewith to define three variable-volume combustion chambers 28. Wankels concept is to have the piston 22 general outline correspond to the three-lobed inner envelope of a two-lobed epitrochoid peripheral wall I2. The piston 22 must carry three apex seals 29 which engage the wall 12 and side seals 30 which engage the end walls 14. The manner in which this is accomplished is well known in the automotive engine arts.
  • the fuel intake passage 34 intersects the cavity 11 to one side of and near the minor axis 18 and on one side of the major axis 19.
  • the exhaust passage 36- is on the same side of the major axis 19 as the intake passage, but on the opposite side of and near the minor axis 18.
  • the piston 22, in FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in its top dead-center (TDC) position.
  • TDC top dead-center
  • ignition occurs. That is, the fuel mixture drawn into the passage 34 and compressed is ignited, forcing the piston 22 to continue to rotate while the gas is expanding.
  • the apex seal 29 leading the expansion passes the exhaust passageway 36 so that the burned gas mixture is expelled to the atmosphere.
  • the spark plug 40 is merely illustrative, and in accordance with my invention, other forms of ignition devices may well be used for particular applications. For instance, in place of the spark plug, a glow plug of conventional construction may be used. Since the ignition system may be used only in the starting mode, a simple piezoelectric device may be used in lieu of the spark plug.
  • the arrow 50 represents the direction of movement of the piston 22.
  • the strip 60 cover a substantial portion of the axial depth (parallel to the axis 16) of the trochoid bore.
  • the ceramic block 62 insulates the metal strip 60 from the cooling ability of the coolant flowing through the conventional passageways 38.
  • the metal strip 60 will be heated by'the combustion product to a temperature in the vicinity of the temperature of the exhaust gases.
  • the exhaust gas temperature is in the vicinity of 900 C. Since the temperature required to ignite a fuel mixture under compression is only in the area of 350 C., once the strip 60 is heated to the elevated temperature, it will serve as an igniter of the fuel mixture. Since the unburned hydrocarbons in the fuel mixture tend to cling to the trochoidal wall 12 because of the cooling of these walls, the seals 29 will move such unburned hydrocarbons past the hot strip 60 which will ignite the hydrocarbons.
  • the strip 60 is positioned such that the leading apex seal 29 will move past it in the direction of the arrow 50 and expose it to the compressed fuel mixture approximately 12 before the piston 22 reaches the TDC position.
  • the hot strip 60 will ignite the compressed fuel mixture when the piston 22 is approximately l2 before its TDC position.
  • the strip 60 therefore, defines the transition between the compression and expansion phases of the combustion cycle.
  • the hot strip 60 with its ceramic insulator 62 is positioned in the exhaust chamber 28 a few degrees in advance of the exhaust port 26 such that the exhaust gases, and the unburned hydrocarbons contained in the exhaust gases, are scraped past the hot strip by the apex seal 29.
  • a strip 60 is placed in a position such that it will be exposed to the compressed fuel mixture, i.e., in a firing position, as discussed inconjunction with FIG. I, while another such strip is placed such that it will be exposed to the exhaust gases as discussed in conjunction with FIG. 2.
  • I have constructed and successfully operated the system illustrated in FIG. I. Specifically, I have modified an existing and commercially available Wankel engine to include the strip 60 in the ceramic insulator 62 in the position shown in FIG. 1 so that the strip, when heated, will serve as an ignition system. In the modified system, I use the conventional ignition system and the spark plug 40 as well as the hot strip 60. After the engine is running, for instance, 15 or 20 seconds, I can disconnect the conventional ignition system to keep the engine running by means of the strip 60.
  • the engine I have modified to include the hot strip 60 as an igniter was a 7.1 horsepower engine. In that engine, the exposed area of the strip was about A; inch. I used a nickel chromium metal strip in a porcelain ceramic block. I believe that the ceramic block and the metal strip should provide a minimum running clearance with the seals 29.
  • a rotary combustion engine comprising a housing providing a cavity, said cavity being bounded by an inwardly facing wall extending peripherally about an axis and axially spaced apart inwardly facing end walls, a piston disposed in said cavity for movement about said axis, said piston cooperating with said peripheral wall and end walls to define variable volume work chambers as such movement occurs, said housing providing an intake port for admitting a fuel mixture to said cavity and an exhaust port for exhausting gases from said cavity, said piston carrying axially extending seals engaging said peripheral wall, a thermally conductive member, and thermal insulating means mounting said conductive member in said peripheral wall and insulating it therefrom, said member being positioned such that it has an inwardly directed face engaged by said piston seals.
  • the invention of claim 3 including a second thermally conductive member and second thermal insulating means mounting said second conductive member in said peripheral wall such that it has an inwardly directed face engaged by said piston seals, said second member and second insulating means being disposed in said peripheral wall after the portion thereof where the ignited fuel mixture is expanded after ignition and in advance of said exhaust port whereby said following seal moves the exhaust gases past said second member before they are exhausted through said exhaust port.
  • peripheral wall includes four successive peripheral portions at which intake, compression, expansion and exhaust occur successively with the intake portion including said intake port and said exhaust portion including said exhaust port, said conductive member being disposed in said exhaust portion in advance of said exhaust port.
  • peripheral wall includes four successive peripheral portions at which intake, compression, expansion and exhaust occur successively with the intake portion including said intake port and said exhaust portion including said exhaust port, said conductive member being disposed in said wall at the transition between said compression and expansion portions.
  • the invention of claim 6 including a second thermally conductive member and second thermal insulating means mounting said conductive member in said peripheral wall such that it has an inwardly disposed face engaged by said piston seals, said second conductive member being disposed in said exhaust portion in advance of said exhaust port.
  • a rotary combustion engine comprising a housing providing a cavity, said cavity being bounded by an inwardly facing peripheral wall generally in the shape of a two-lobed epitrochoid formed about a center axis and axially spaced apart inwardly facing end walls, a generally triangular piston having three sides which face the peripheral wall and cooperate therewith'to define three variable-volume work chambers as said piston rotates about said axis and opposite ends which face said end walls, said housing providing an intake port for admitting a fuel mixture to said cavity and an exhaust port for exhausting combustion product from said cavity, said piston carrying, at its apices, axially extending seals which engage said peripheral wall, said peripheral wall including four successive peripheral portions at which intake, compression, expansion and exhaust occur successively with the intake portion including said intake port and the exhaust port including said exhaust port, an axially extending thermally conductive member, and axially extending thermal insulating means mounting said conductive member in said peripheral wall and insulating it therefrom, said member being positioned such that it
  • peripheral wall is formed with an axially extending dovetail slot
  • said insulating means including a conformingly shaped ceramic block disposed in said slot, said block having an axially extending inwardly facing surface formed, intermediate its peripheral edges, with a second axially extending dovetail slot, said conductive member being a conformingly shaped metal strip disposed in said second slot.
  • peripheral wall is formed with an axially extending dovetail slot
  • said insulating means including a conformingly shaped ceramic block disposed in said slot, said block having an axially extending inwardly facing surface formed, intermediate its peripheral edges, with a second axially extending dovetail slot, said conductive member being a conformingly shaped metal strip disposed in said second slot.
  • FIG. 3 is a fragmentary j sectional View showing two Column 2, line 39, "th” should be the Column 3, line 55, "exhaust port 26" should be exhaust port 36 Column 5, line 23 (Claim 7, line 4) "disposed” should be directed Column 6 line 6 (Claim 8, line 18) should read 7 port and the. exhaust portion including said exhaust port,

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Cylinder Crankcases Of Internal Combustion Engines (AREA)
  • Combustion Methods Of Internal-Combustion Engines (AREA)
US00341983A 1973-03-16 1973-03-16 Engine Expired - Lifetime US3812827A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00341983A US3812827A (en) 1973-03-16 1973-03-16 Engine
DE2412309A DE2412309A1 (de) 1973-03-16 1974-03-14 Kreiskolbenmotor, insbesondere wankelmotor
JP49028665A JPS515122B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1973-03-16 1974-03-14

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US00341983A US3812827A (en) 1973-03-16 1973-03-16 Engine

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3812827A true US3812827A (en) 1974-05-28

Family

ID=23339834

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US00341983A Expired - Lifetime US3812827A (en) 1973-03-16 1973-03-16 Engine

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (1) US3812827A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS515122B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2412309A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4170212A (en) * 1976-12-26 1979-10-09 Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Ignition system for rotary piston engines
US20090250036A1 (en) * 2008-03-09 2009-10-08 Jonathan Lauter Rotary Engine

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS52132519U (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1976-04-01 1977-10-07
DE202008016343U1 (de) 2008-12-10 2009-02-26 Sacher, Werner Rotationskolbenverbrennungsmotor

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US727158A (en) * 1902-04-16 1903-05-05 James S Lang Incandescent igniter for gas-engines.
US748011A (en) * 1903-08-05 1903-12-29 Internat Power Vehicle Company Feeding and igniting device for explosive-engines.
US953488A (en) * 1909-07-27 1910-03-29 Otto Pearson Igniter.
US1360885A (en) * 1919-03-27 1920-11-30 Cesbron Fabien Charles Marie Ignition device for internal-combustion engines
US3297006A (en) * 1963-04-19 1967-01-10 Marshall John Wilmott Rotary pumps and engines
US3572030A (en) * 1968-12-26 1971-03-23 James D Cuff Rotary engine assembly

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US727158A (en) * 1902-04-16 1903-05-05 James S Lang Incandescent igniter for gas-engines.
US748011A (en) * 1903-08-05 1903-12-29 Internat Power Vehicle Company Feeding and igniting device for explosive-engines.
US953488A (en) * 1909-07-27 1910-03-29 Otto Pearson Igniter.
US1360885A (en) * 1919-03-27 1920-11-30 Cesbron Fabien Charles Marie Ignition device for internal-combustion engines
US3297006A (en) * 1963-04-19 1967-01-10 Marshall John Wilmott Rotary pumps and engines
US3572030A (en) * 1968-12-26 1971-03-23 James D Cuff Rotary engine assembly

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4170212A (en) * 1976-12-26 1979-10-09 Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha Ignition system for rotary piston engines
US20090250036A1 (en) * 2008-03-09 2009-10-08 Jonathan Lauter Rotary Engine
US8033264B2 (en) * 2008-03-09 2011-10-11 Rotary Power LLC Rotary engine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPS515122B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1976-02-17
JPS49125713A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-12-02
DE2412309A1 (de) 1974-09-19

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4091789A (en) Stratified charge fuel injection system for rotary engine
US3754534A (en) Rotary combustion engine ignition
US3823694A (en) Rotary piston engine having alternately used external combustion chambers
US3699929A (en) Rotary combustion engine
US3422801A (en) Rotary combustion engines
US3196849A (en) Apex seal construction for rotary combustion engine
US2979042A (en) Seal vent arrangement for rotating combustion engines
US3994266A (en) Rotary diesel engine
US3812827A (en) Engine
US3762377A (en) Spark plug and rotor assembly for a rotary combustion engine
GB1191814A (en) Rotary Piston Internal Combustion Engine of the Trochoidal Type
CN110608093A (zh) 转子叶片发动机
US3606602A (en) Combustion chamber of rotary pistion engine
US3324840A (en) Rotary type engine
US3196856A (en) Combustion engine
US3893431A (en) Rotary internal combustion engine
US3987762A (en) Rotary engine
US3887311A (en) Rotary machine apex seal
US3893430A (en) Combination spark plug and precombustion chamber for rotary engine
US3483849A (en) Rotary piston engine
US3464394A (en) Rotary piston internal combustion engine
GB1512021A (en) Rotary piston internal combustion engines
US3519373A (en) Rotary piston internal combustion engine
CN211500796U (zh) 转子叶片发动机
US4020800A (en) Rotary piston internal combustion engine with a stratified charge intake port system