Lecture-30

Prepared under
QIP-CD Cell Project

Internal Combustion Engines

Ujjwal K Saha, Ph.D.

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati

1

Four stroke engines

History of Wankel Engine

Dr. Ing Felix Wankel

Wankel first conceived the rotary engine in

1924.
Received first patent in 1929.
In 1951, he collaborated with NSU, a
motorcycle bulider, and equipped them
with rotary engines.
3

Other Companies that Have Produced

the Rotary

General Motors
Mazda
Ford
Mercedes-Benz (Diamler-Benz)
NSU (Neckarsulmer Strickmachinen Union)
Citroen
4

Overview
RCE engines are Otto Cycle engines. (4 phases
in combustion cycle)
Compression is achieved by volume reduction.
There are three separate volumes of gas at any
point.

Overview
In a piston engine the
same volume of space
does four different jobs
(intake, compression,
combustion and exhaust).

A Rotary engine does

the same four jobs in
separate parts of the
housing.

Wankel Engine Cycles

Intake
Compression
Combustion
Exhaust

Engine Geometry
Rotor has equilateral
curved-sided
triangular shape
Stationary part of RC
engine has inner
contour of two-lobed
epitrochoid

Intake Cycle
Vacuum pulls air fuel mixture in chamber

Compression
Air- fuel mixture is compressed

10

Spark Plugs fire

spark plugs ignite
the air/fuel mixture
pressure quickly
builds
forces the rotor to
move

11

Combustion cycle

combustion
gases continue
to expand
moving the rotor
and creating
power

12

Exhaust
high-pressure
combustion
gases are free
to flow out the
exhaust

13

Parts
Rotor
Housing

Output Shaft.
Intake & exhaust ports

14

 Three convex faces

Each act as piston

Rotor

15

16

Housing

The
housing
is
epitrochoid in shape.
Designed to keep all
three tips of rotor in
contact with housing
at all times.
Creates three separate
volumes of gas at any
time during rotation.
Housing is designed
with
four
parts
specifically dedicated
to one of the following:
Intake,compression,
combustion and exhaust.
17

Output Shaft
Output shaft has lobes mounted offset
from the centerline of the shaft. Rotors
are mounted on these lobes.
Each lobe acts as a crankshaft on the
piston engine.
When rotor follows the surface of the
housing it creates torque on the lobes
making the output shaft rotate.

18

Intake and Exhaust Ports

Ports are created in the
housing
eliminating
valves,
camshafts,
cams, lifter rods and
timing belts.
Rotary engines have 4
or 6 ports for intake and
exhaust.
6 port rotary engines
use one extra intake
port per rotor used only
at higher RPMS.
19

Differences
No piston, cylinder, and mechanical
valves, there is a triangular rotor
Rotary has 40 % fewer parts and
roughly 1/3 less the bulk and weight
capable of running at unusually high
speeds for long periods of time
motor exhibits
weight ratio

high

power-to20

 exceptionally good torque

curve at all engine speeds
tremendous
horsepower
for its size
Piston
engines
restrict
engine speed with the
valve mechanism
piston
engine
cause
shaking and rattling
Also there is power lost
when the piston moves
around (points of zero
momentum and speed)
21

Disadvantages
High surface to volume ratio in
combustion chamber (two spark
plugs)
Higher fuel consumption in naive
designs
Higher carbon monoxide (CO)
emissions in naive designs

22

Features of Rotary engine

No reciprocating parts.
No separate intake-exhaust valve
mechanism.
One explosion for one rotation of output
shaft
No cranking mechanism required

23

Applications

High performance motor cycle (Comotor)

Snowmobile (Outboard marine USA)
Helicopter engine (U.S. Air force)
Industrial engine( Ingersoll-Rand USA)
Passenger cars (Maszda,Japan)

24

Cars with rotary engines

RX-2

RX-7

RX-5

RX-8

25

Future of RCE Engines

New triple rotor

engine in
development
by Mazda Corp.

26

References
1.

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4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Crouse WH, and Anglin DL,

DL (1985), Automotive Engines, Tata McGraw Hill.
Eastop TD, and McConkey A, (1993), Applied Thermodynamics for Engg.
Technologists, Addison Wisley.
Fergusan CR, and Kirkpatrick AT, (2001), Internal Combustion Engines,
John Wiley & Sons.
Gill PW, Smith JH, and Ziurys EJ, (1959), Fundamentals of I. C. Engines,
Oxford and IBH Pub Ltd.
Heisler H, (1999), Vehicle and Engine Technology, Arnold Publishers.
Heywood JB, (1989), Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals, McGraw Hill.
Heywood JB, and Sher E, (1999), The Two-Stroke Cycle Engine, Taylor &
Francis.
Mathur ML, and Sharma RP, (1994), A Course in Internal Combustion
Engines, Dhanpat Rai & Sons, New Delhi.
Pulkrabek WW, (1997), Engineering Fundamentals of the I. C. Engine, Prentice
Hall.
Rogers GFC, and Mayhew YR,
YR (1992), Engineering Thermodynamics, Addison
Wisley.
Stone R, (1992), Internal Combustion Engines, The Macmillan Press Limited,
London.
Taylor CF, (1985), The Internal-Combustion Engine in Theory and Practice, Vol. 1
& 2, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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http://widget.ecn.purdue.edu/~yanchen/ME200/ME200-8.ppt 28