Horizontal 4-stroke Compressed Air Engine

[starr8719]

Hi chuck I just started building this engine from your plans but don't see any drawings of the pushrod and cam . can you help me out?

[ankit9690]

hey thanks for the video man.. I am studying the four stroke engine and it helps a lot.. just one doubt i have , there would be considerable friction between the cylinder wall and the piston .. i read that using the oil lubricates the piston as well as seals the combustion chamber so that neither the fuel air mixture goes out nor does the oil get in the chamber.. but on what principle does the oil stop from getting in the chamber ?

[cffellows]

@ankit9690 The piston rings stop the oil from getting into the combustion chamber...

[Ranran9088]

@cffellows But not completely, becouse the chamber needs to be oiled too, so if engines "burn oil" a bit, its completely ok :)

[mos213]

beautiful. why havent we seen any mainstream applications from this sort of engine? are there any real drawbacks?

[cffellows]

@mos213 This engine is designed to mimic the look and sound of an internal combustion engine. It's not very powerful nor is it very efficient. A steam engine would be much more efficient.

[seelder]

ill give you 50 bucks for it

[fridgeways]

That's pretty damn sexy, nice one!

[nibbler125]

you could use oil for air powered tools

[dauer962roadcar]

I designed a compressed air powered engine myself the other day. I dont know if yours works in the same way, but mine works by firing compressed air strait down into the cylinder, striking the piston head, which forces it down in the normal stroke procedure. When the piston returns up to TDC, it rams the compressed air out of two return valves which send the air back into the tank, to be re compressed by the pump, and fired into the cylinder again. It keeps using the same air over and over.

[dauer962roadcar]

@dauer962roadcar - The principle also works with water, especially considering that water cannot be compressed. This would mean that the pressure and force that you could achieve with water would be much greater.

[JBofBrisbane]

@dauer962roadcar - It can't possibly pump all the air back in that came out in the first place, as it would have expended some energy overcoming friction. Similarly, the pressure on both sides of the cycle would equalise, meaning there would be nothing to drive. Google "Law of Conservation of Energy" for more.

[nitrorcman108]

first running video of my nearly completed engine...there were a couple cosmetic changes made after this video was taken. i will post more videos soon. thank you chuck for the plans i love the engine and the design of it :D

[Squarerig]

What do you use for lubricant?

[cffellows]

@Squarerig I just squirt some oil on the connecting rod journal and a drop or two into the air supply opening occasionally. I just use whatever oil I have sitting around.

[jcanivan]

@cffellows

beautiful looking engine

[JerryGiesler09]

I definitely agree that you combine 8 of those single 4-stroke engine to make an air v-8 engine.

[thegrandson29]

i like it.....do you have design plans?? because i would like to build a similar one.......if you can send me them it would be great..

thanks

[thegrandson29]

hi, i like it very much......do you have designs of this engine?? because i would like to build a similar one. if you do, please answer me.....thanks

[MrJetjoe]

make it charge the batterys of a electric car and you might have something.

[fmcVlad]

Great! This is impressive:)

but I think this motor has almost zero coefficient of efficiency. Seems that all the forces acting on the crankshaft are in continual conflict and any intervention, it simply ceases to work, is not it? thanks:)

[IndigoCharlie]

If I built a steam furnace from a tin can, could I run this engine. I love what you are doing and it really looks good. Wow!

[cffellows]

@IndigoCharlie - Steam has a tendency to rust any of the parts that are steel. Also, just a warning, steam boilers, even in the model engine size can be really dangerous if they explode. I can't envision a boiler made from a tin can that would be safe...

[IndigoCharlie]

That was awesome...did you have to adjust the pressure

[cffellows]

@IndigoCharlie There is an inline ball valve that I adjust to limit the flow of air.

[dragracing3508]

are those fly wheels 2.5in or 3in diameter

[2605830]

why does a steam engine needs 4-stroke?

[cffellows]

A true steam engine doesn't need 4 stroke. But this engine was designed to look and sound like an internal combusion 4 stroke engine, but run on air as that's simpler.

[2605830]

kk ty

[madrailman91]

@cffellows in theory it could be more efficient than a traditional 2 stroke steam engine, not as powerful, but more efficient

[superfunnyman123]

Im going to take another shot at building this engine out of wood I got most of the main parts built last year but it looked kinda sloppy. im going to make it look really nice with mixed woods and stuff!

[sirthickman]

Thing of beauty

[GlowMouse09]

fantastic! What could it propel but?

ever thought of incorporating a much larger 4 cylinder design?

[THEMAKER888]

Nice Work its nice and shinny

the wheels look well made did you make them of buy them?

[cffellows]

Thx... I polished the engine all up for this video. The flywheels came from Tiny Power. I think PM Reseach also sells them for a pretty reasonable price.

[marcunator]

Hey, can you give me a basic design plan? I would be very gratefull!! Thanks in advance,

Marc

[chidito]

Do you have plans???

[rainmechanic]

I think it needs a higher tension valve spring to run at higher RPM.. Looked like it was floating pretty badly when the revs increased.... Very high quality appearence on the machinie work that went into this engine... With the way this country is heading we as a people will all be getting better aquainted with steam engines in the near future......

[slobhinav]

@rainmechanic

Not with smart people like him around (:

That's what makes us different. I don't see any real engineers in China who actually made anything worthwhile.

[ak5699]

may be it must use" el.start" at firest...

than it go...

[dcw56]

I've seen a number of these based on your original design, Chuck, and you have quite a following in it. Thanks for sharing your great builds! This one is a beauty.

[riflelord2]

do u know how much air runs throught the engines in a 25 minutes run and how much rpm does it have?

[robotpredator8]

how did u make the valve?

[steamwally]

Verry interesting. Does the engine use a compression stroke?

Could this engine be converted to run on gas, I would have thought it could be done with buzz coil ignition?

[cffellows]

There is no compression stroke. The engine freewheels between power strokes.

It would be some work to convert to gas powered. The whole point of this engine is to look and sound like a gas engine without having the extra complications of being a gas engine.

[steamwally]

Many thanks!

I must say that is a very impresive machine!

[LukeSkyscraper]

I take it the four stroke emulation is purely for aesthetics? As such is sounds great. In fact it reminds me a great deal of the engine sound of the old Sunbeam Motorcycles (500cc Single Cylinder Sidevalve engines).

[cffellows]

You're correct, the 4 stroke operation is purely for aesthetics. I've long breen trying to build a simple 4 stroke engine that runs on compressed air. It's more difficult when you only use 1 push rod (like the old hit n miss engines).

[Seabass20329]

Nicely.

[futurepredator8]

how do u make it?

[pjmasterzz]

You've got some nice engines there!

keep 'em coming!

[FORDGTFANATIC]

try to blow it up and see how fast you can get it spinning..definitely looks like a 4 stroke you can only hear it pop half as much

[cffellows]

It will run pretty fast, but it is modeled after an older style engine which typically ran pretty slow.

[FORDGTFANATIC]

now i was just thinking you should put like 400 psi to it and see what happens

[9020powrmax]

Only If you stand inline with the flywheels first? Huh?

[FORDGTFANATIC]

sure

[FORDGTFANATIC]

XD wow people take things way to seriously

[ARR016a]

is it for sale?

[cffellows]

You're probably thinking of CO2 powered RC engines. They are much smaller and much more powerful.  This engine is strictly for show.

[kawasaki600ismyride]

dont they use these in some rc airplanes?

[MuellerNick]

Great sound for a compressed air engine!

First thought 4-stroke and compressed air, what a nonsense. Well it ain't very effective, but that's not what you wanted.

Clever construction of the exhaust valve.

Great job!

[dragleras]

hey that's hell of a work :) congtrats .try it with 4-6 pistons and try to increase the air pressure with a charger or smth like that. it will be more efficient.

[winterloggan]

what part of the engine is make that clicking noise?

[cffellows]

The clicking sound is fromthe spring loaded slave valve in the head. When the poppet valve is opened by the cam, the high pressure air entering the head pushes the slave valve toward the exhaust, alowing the high pressure air into the cylinder and closing off the exhaust at the same time.

[allmackinnons]

that is called perpetual motion not possible

[AlternativeDraws]

you can also (like the guy on that video) keep blowing air untill you die... haha

[cod4madass]

no u cant because that is conservation of energy you cant do it because ther is no way that it will have the energy to keep itself running you have to add some all the time for it to work but its a vey goof thought

[deadman2141]

i need to get a lathe and a mill :( soon i'll be out of highschool and wont be able to use the ones in school.... Very cool i would love to make one

[superfunnyman123]

Im almost finished with mine! :D

[danway60]

I've made a vertical compressed air engine, runs very well with lots of WD40 and with 98PSI it gets up alot of speed. Valve is pin and ball, but due to fact that it is a single cylinder it can only be used in a vice so I have to make it all shiny and pretty with Brasso for showing offness :)

[gedasltu]

How much efficient is it?

[cffellows]

I don't know, but certainly not very. It's more for show than performance.

[nickrohn93]

aswome

[enterBJ40]

nice engine with a nice sound too.

[BOBKB3NZX]

I build air engines and im just brushing the surface, would you mind shooting me an email and discussing how this works, ive been looking for such a design, let me know, thanks

Bob

[pagani8]

my lego one cylinder engine runs much faster on 35 psi! Nice work though

[grantourismo0109]

wow does it run on compressed air ?

[cffellows]

Yes, it runs on compressed air.

[greendayfreeko]

hello sir could u take parts of a disgsuting oil machine [car] and replace them with compressed air parts and would it work? plz reply bk

[Skoda130]

Oh, man.. You should run it on steam (probably it only needs a smal boiler) and build it into a model tractor!! :)

[MushookieMan]

thats a strange question with an obvious answer.

[grantourismo0109]

i thought it runs on compressed LPG

so it acutally ignites in the pistons

[machinedcreations]

Great engine! I love the exhaust note this little engine makes.

[TommeyLeeReed]

cool.