Part 3 rotary steam engine 4 26 2009-3 25 2010.wmv

[gordongate]

just a thought,

Is the available moving surface area sufficiently large enough for the available air pressure to overcome the inertia.

it just seemed to be a very small volume at the intake position given the friction of those cam side surfaces against the cover plate.

Its still a very nice piece of engineering though,

[rayunseitig]

@gordongate Good thought, thanks for the imput. There are different ways to get the steam or air into the chamber. Perhaps a hollow shaft the delivers the steam into the cylinder cavity thru the rotating piston itself. I was picturing a cone shaped valve and seat with internal slots to regulate the time steam is allowed to pass.

I think an even greater problem is that of seals on the various surfaces vs. the friction they cause.

Thanx again Have a great 2011.

r

[gordongate]

@rayunseitig perhaps a version of how piston rings work.

a flat circle ring that sits in a groove cut within the maximum circumference before the lobe protrusion on the pistons and then you can shim the cover plate off by the same amount, it will provide a seal to the rotary piston against the cover plate with a greatly reduced surface area actually in contact against the cover plate..

[rayunseitig]

@gordongate Yes, that would take care of one of the areas of leakeage. Namely the sides. That leaves acouple of other places tho. The inner hub circle agains the outer large circumference of the adjacent rotor AND there the 4 crescent shapes intersect. Also I'm sure closer tolerances would help but not so close as they sieze up with the expansion of heat. Classical engine problems I'm sure.

[gordongate]

@rayunseitig then you need to know what the maximum expansion is of both cams at max running temp, then you can machine down the meshing surfaces a little further

The drawback is that you would need to let the steam flow warm up the metal first which should seal things up nicely, almost like the fuel tanks on a SR71 Blackbird or a formula 1 race engine.

you might have to find a good cam position and drill and tap out out a bypass hole to let the steam flow in and out until its warmed up.

[rayunseitig]

@gordongate That makes good sense. However for an automobile application one would not want to wait for the expansion of metals to get going down the road. It seems like the Wankel rotary engines have come to grips with the problems.

[gordongate]

@rayunseitig true enough,but there is only one rotor in a wankel and there is an uneven temperature gradient in this engine which requires the cooling system configured to spread the heat more evenly.

I read somewhere that the wankel engine uses a ceramic "piston ring'" to close up the tolerances, the ceramic has negligible expansion and sits in a groove at the tip of the lobes and on the edges,

the cam expands but it is always less than the diameter of the chamber the cam sits in,

[rayunseitig]

@gordongate That is interesting, now I wish I were an engineer and a master machinist with a lot of cash to play with  LOL

One fellow remarked that seals could even be of leather or similiar like 100 years ago. It show there are a lot of ways of doing things, and maybe a few would work.

[TheSupergranny]

Hi Ray..you are quite a character I see. I don't have the expertise to comment on your project, but I enjoyed the video presentation part of it...

Have you seen my video on youtube/supergrannyvideos about the fully restored,

1918 Jelbart Tractor... have a look...Francis, the restorer, has done a good job.

best wishes, Mary the Supergranny

[rayunseitig]

@TheSupergranny Thanks for your comment Mary. I love that Jelbart Tractor.

Ray

[sailingsolar]

I can see why you said it leaks badly.

[rayunseitig]

@sailingsolar Yeah, there are several surfaces that give an opportunity for the escape of air or steam get past without doing any work. Path of least resistance. LOL

[mxkko]

What if, you are putting pressure on the C02 at the bottle so it is enough to run that. Otherwise, looks pretty good rotation.

[rayunseitig]

@mxkko Thanks that's a good thought. We used to run some of our air powered nail and staple guns on CO2 to make them portable. The increased pressure might do the trick. However the pressure coming out of the compressor was set to 110 psi, so I think that a good system of seals or tighter fitting parts is the only way to go for practical purposes.

Good idea tho.

[JamesrPQ]

So I guess the air compressor didn't turn the motor.  The egg flipping was great.

[rayunseitig]

@JamesrPQ

[rayunseitig]

@JamesrPQ Thanks James, You are right, I couldn't seem to get it going. How about 2 over easy for you, with a side of hash browns.

[BlakeMason2]

Cool man! How did a whole year slip by? Amazing. Awesome spread you have in CA.  I thought it had been running some years ago.

[rayunseitig]

@BlakeMason2 Time just keeps on slipping into the future, huh. We had working better when it was hooked to a fire tube steam boiler in the garage but it never really was 'great'. The seals are an issue. Great to hear from you. :-)

[TheGuitarGig]

Your best video yet, Ray! With all the comic interludes (love the egg flipping demo), you'd be perfect for a local TV show!

[rayunseitig]

@TheGuitarGig Thanks for your great thoughts, I wonder if I have attention disorder. LOL

[JamesrPQ]

That's a great video. Good effects. What's next for your 2 cylinder Rotary Steam engine?

Jim in Davie,Fl

[rayunseitig]

@JamesrPQ Well Jim, I think it's all about seals, Perhaps I'll take another class in AutoCad and get some nice drawings and animations of how it is supposed to work usings solid works, etc.

So are you sure this is how Henry Ford got his start???? Thanks for checking in.

Ray

[rayunseitig]

Hey fellow viewers------leave a comment!!!

Cheers----

Ray in Escondido CA.