http://thevintageaviator.co.nz/projects/oberursel-engine/oberursel-ur-ii-rotary-engine-build-history these guys went to a tremendous amount of work and effort to prooduce new engines for ww1 era aircraft. look closely, you will notice that the crankshaft is fixed, and that cylinders, crankcase and heads revolve around it!
I am amazed at absolutely everything on that site. It strikes me suddenly that human beings will only go to that much trouble... For a hobby... And for a war! Is our gearhead hobby just nature's way of using all our genetic tendencies toward extremely elaborate ways of killing one another when we don't have a war handy?? Or is war complicated by our genetic tendency to make elaborate devices instead of just bashing one another with rocks?? Anyway, there is some kind of intricate relationship there. There's no such thing as a rodder who isn't fascinated by combat aviation stuff.
Not only is that thing amazing but my mind is spinning trying to figure out the fuel distribution! I love the picture of it mounted to the back of the old truck!
Thanks for the link. I think if i were a more "affluent" individual i would be the owner/pilot of a WWI or WW2 fighter. While intoxicating that is truly a rich mans sport.
While I agree with the post above,it could be that the intoxication comes from the castor oil used for lubrication. My neighbor has and flies these rotaries and it seems I recall him telling how the castor oil fumes and leaks tend to clean a pilots intestines out pretty well. Below are some links were he describes the fuel,valve, and ignition operation of these early engines.I know they're loud and really rough sounding when he flies them. http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/scout.htm http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/standarde1.htm http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/monoplane.htm http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/morane.htm http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/fokkerdviii.htm Big show here in Nov. Vintage Land , Sea , and air machines. I'd love to see some Hot Rods enter and show up the old Jags on the parking lot autocross. Info below: http://www.roar-n-soar.com/ http://www.fantasyofflight.com/index.htm
I believe the old Gnome-LeRone roterys were two stroke motors. In the old movies you here the engine rev up then get quiet then rev again. That's because they had no throttle. Always ran wide open. Speed controll was sutting off the ignition when you got going to fast, turning it back on when you got going to slow. Be a cool way to drive to work.
It's been a really long time since I worked on big round blown hemi engines so maybe somebody will jump in here and make corrections. All of the engines I worked on were two rows of 9 cylinders. Four stroke, radial, not rotery. So nine cylinders all on the same crank throw with one cam to work all the intakes and one for the exhaust. The firing order would be 1-3-5-7-9-2-4-6-8. So a lobe has to open #1 intake valve, next in line is #3 and so on. Since the lobe that just opened #1 is heading for #2 next but #2 won't fire until next revolution the cam has to have 5 lobes and turn at 1/9th of crank speed. At least that's how i see it.
The Jalopy Journal
