Rotary Engines

[bednobs]

why have they never really caught on?

[Hopkirk]

I believe there were problems with wear at the tips of the rotors, very hard to lubricate without burning lots of oil.

[Baldric]

Just about sums it up ^^^

[bednobs]

thanks

[Buenchico]

Scroll down to 'Reality sets in' here:
https://hackaday.com/2016/03/03/broken-promises-of-the-wankel-engine/

[EDDIE51]

Yes as said, they just could not solve the wear on the rotor tips problem. The only viable solution was a 'total loss' lube oil system that caused pollution when the oil burned as the engine ran.
They had their advantages ,highest power to weight ratio of any internal combustion engine
https://nationalspeedinc.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-rotary-engine/
Their original name was the Wankel.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wankel_engine
My next door neighbour had a Wankel.

[BigRooster]

I've got a mazda Rx8 and had it now 10 yrs the trouble is when people bought them they treated it like a normal piston engine which it not and on the oil it doesn't uses that much

[EDDIE51]

Felix Wankel the inventor was a supporter & member of the Nazi party and served time in jail for his beliefs
''Young Wankel’s checkered history includes membership in several anti-semitic groups in the 1920’s. He was also involved with the founding of the Nazi party. His conflicting views on the direction of the party lead to his arrest in 1933. Eventually released through action of Hitler himself, Wankel joined the SS in 1940. The end of the war saw Wankel spending several months in a French prison fo''

[EDDIE51]

The Wankel may have been most used by Mazda, but it was NSU that introduced it in the RO80 from 1968 (50 years ago .)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80

[zebo]

BigRooster, what's the fuel economy like on the Mazda, I love that car?

[tonyav]

The rotary engine was the kiss of death for NSU ( Ro 80 ).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSU_Ro_80

[EDDIE51]

^^ That was another problem ,the fuel economy was terrible. The NSU Ro80 could barely manage 20mpg. It burned fuel like a 5 liter V8.

[BigRooster]

not great its a 61 ltr tank you can get about 230miles some have had 300 but how many affordable do you no that can rev to 9000 if I had the money would love to get Rx7

[Hopkirk]

It wouldn't take the heat

[EDDIE51]

It is possible that modern materials could now solve the rotor seal problem. But the poor fuel efficiency and high exhaust emissions would rule it out in an age where being 'green' is all important. The Wankel could never meet today's emission standards.

[nescio]

spathiphyllum,
no, the heat shield on the Apollo spacecraft, which went to the moon, was an epoxy-based material. The space shuttle had silica tiles. By the way, you seem to be confusing silicone and silicon - very different things.