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Wankel
Rotary Engine

Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

Submitted to-Mr. Ashish Nayyar

By- Mayank Sanwal
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

History
• Designed by German engineer Felix Wankel in
1954
• Manufactured mainly by Mazda, currently used
in Mazda RX-8
• Extremely lightweight and small when compared
to engines with similar power output
• Used in a lot of aircraft
• Main disadvantage is fuel inefficiency
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

WANKEL ENGINE
• Among most of the rotary engine the
most notable is the pistonless rotary
engine ,the wankel engine.

 The Wankel rotary engine is a type of

internal combustion engine, invented
by German engineer Felix Wankel,
which uses a rotor instead of
reciprocating pistons. This design
delivers smooth high-rpm power from
a compact, lightweight engine.
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

Cylinder vs. Rotary Engines

• Uses pistons to regulate • Has a spinning rotor that creates
intake and exhaust of fuel three separate chambers and
and gas. regulates the inflow and outflow
• All four strokes, intake of gasses.
compression, combustion • Each chamber draws in air and
and exhaust occur in fuel, is compressed, ignited and
same cylinder. combusted then expelled creating
• Pistons continually power while at the same time
forcing the other two chambers
reverse direction creating
to do the same.
more wear and tear on
• Rotors move in a continuous
the engine
direction making it
• poor power to weight smoother
ratio in comparison • Only about three moving parts
• Lower rev limit creating less friction and less
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

WORKING PRINCIPLE
• Rotor Wankel engine, a single
oval (technically a epitrochoid)
housing surrounds a three-sided
rotor (a Reuleaux triangle) which
turns and moves within the housing.

• The shaft turns 3 times for each

rotation of the rotor around the lobe
and once for each orbital revolution
around the eccentric shaft.
• The Wankel engine works on a
typical Otto cycle
Intake and Compression

19/04/2014 Mayank Sanwal

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Combustion and Exhaust

19/04/2014 Mayank Sanwal

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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

ADVANTAGES
• Have higher output for similar displacement and
physical size.
• It is simple and have fewer moving parts.
• No need for connecting rods, a conventional
crankshaft, crankshaft balance weights, etc.
• Smoother flow of power but also the ability to
produce more power by running at higher rpm.
• fuel of very low octane number can be used
without preignition or knock.
• It’s substantial safety benefit makes it useful in
aircraft.
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

DISADVANTAGE
• Time available for fuel to be injected into a Wankel engine
is significantly shorter .

• More complicated fuel injection technologies are required .

• In terms of fuel economy, Wankel engines are generally

less efficient than four stroke piston engines .

• Sealing loss is high.

• the compression ratio is lower. This lowers the

thermal efficiency and thus the fuel economy.

• It is difficult to expand the engine to more than

two rotors.
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

APPLICATION
• Used in aircraft.
• Racing car.
• For mini, micro, and micro-mini engine
designs.
• The most exotic use of the Wankel design
is in the seat belt pre-tensioner system of
some Mercedes-Benz.
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Mayank Sanwal 19/04/2014

Challenges & Difficulties

• Transmission
▫ Many moving parts
▫ Gear ratios were very difficult to get right
▫ Constraints started conflicting
• Engine
▫ Measurements for rotor pieces and rotor housing were difficult to
obtain
▫ Some pieces needed to be generated by equations
▫ Interference between housing and rotor was an issue
▫ Inserting gear constraints between all moving parts was difficult
to get right
• Assembly
▫ Pieces needed to be continually adjusted to fit together properly