Oddball engines and prototypes

[Frits Overmars]

Talk about the Enigma Machine!

Enigma is good! Trying to figure out its frame construction gave me almost as much of a headache as this Ikea drawing:

[tjbw]

Enigma is good! Trying to figure out its frame construction gave me almost as much of a headache as this Ikea drawing:

Brilliant, so many optical illusions. There are pi-3 nuts missing!

[WilDun]

Enigma is good! Trying to figure out its frame construction gave me almost as much of a headache as this Ikea drawing:

Think I'll try and make one of those in my workshop ......... maybe tomorrow ....

[Frits Overmars]

Think I'll try and make one of those in my workshop ......... maybe tomorrow ....

I'd like a handful of those ambihelical hexnuts .

[Grumph]

Enigma is good! Trying to figure out its frame construction gave me almost as much of a headache as this Ikea drawing:

My engineering trade drawing teacher loved giving us things like that to draw as a comprehension test.

I'd like a handful of those ambihelical hexnuts .

You draw one, Neil will make it, LOL....

[WilDun]

My engineering trade drawing teacher loved giving us things like that to draw as a comprehension test.
You draw one, Neil will make it, LOL....

I remember when teaching apprentices (at work) one of the things they had to learn was how to sharpen drills etc.
When they had become reasonably proficient I gave them a few left hand drills mixed in with the rest and watched them try to sharpen them.
They stood there scratching their heads, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Some twigged faster than others - it was good entertainment!

[Muciek]

More (?) info on CITS engine some pdf's and other documents
http://www.2taktforumat.com/t397f117...en.html#msg914

[WilDun]

Looks like he is a real trier! - I had just assumed (because of the name) that he is Dutch and I hadn't considered that he might be South African. - Now he's an Aussie!

He certainly has packed a lot of experiences into his life, but not having followed the car racing around that period, I can't remember his name although it seems he was right up there!

Think I first saw his two stroke idea about 3 years ago - it seems to be up and running now and of course he is not hampered by racing rules etc. so he's really got a free hand.
I'd say that the stigma against the two stroke will be a hard nut to crack and to break into the prejudiced four stroke dominated automotive market will be difficult, to say the least!
Maybe the cost will be a redeeming factor here.

I hope the two stroke is going to make a comeback with projects like this.

[Flettner]

Will, good to see you up and running again. Crank that workshop up!
I've also spent a lot of my working life in development, just had to get into the CNC's when I started building these aviation gearboxes, way too slow on the manual mill (and lathe) but they (CNC's) sure took some getting used to! Having never even seen one apart from Emex shows.
I remember saying to my wife (the same one that had rubber stamped the bank loan) some months after purchacing my first one, "what the hell have I done?" spent all our money on a big cast iron boat anchor. We don't even have a boat to anchor to it she said Yes, much frowning! But after getting a friend of mine out to help for a few weekends, we were away, much to my relief (and the wife's).
We use off line programing with Gibbs Cam, If that means anything? Funny thing though, in the weekends when I'm doing my stuff I usually use the manual machines still, I guess it's what you get used to.

[WilDun]

Will, good to see you up and running again. Crank that workshop up!
We use off line programing with Gibbs Cam, If that means anything? Funny thing though, in the weekends when I'm doing my stuff I usually use the manual machines still, I guess it's what you get used to.

Thanks Neil,
First time in a few months I spent all day in my extremely cluttered workshop but I enjoyed it very much - got so much to do making accessories for my lathe etc.
Tomorrow I might start on the foundry stuff too and have it all up and running soon (before the bad weather sets in), but I think I'm going to have to pace myself.

I'm very interested in CNC of course and it's essential for survival these days, but in my case, I think that time is of the essence and it might be best to stick to the manual stuff and enjoy what I have for as long as I can.

I have a friend who owns a gearcutting shop with all the cutting edge machinery (and older stuff too) who is an avid experimenter like yourself, so if I need CNC work done - no problem.

[tjbw]

The Red Baron is a souped up bike that had its engine pulled out and replaced with a Rotec Radial R3600, which is a 150-horsepower, nine-cylinder engine.

Nice project, might benefit from more work on suspension though.

http://www.ohgizmo.com/2013/05/22/ki...rplane-engine/

[WilDun]

Haven't been too good healthwise for some time and hadn't even noticed that there had been a lot of stuff posted.

Looks like a seriously rich enthusiast - guess that engine wouldn't be cheap!
Pity he couldn't make use of the natural shape of the "round" engine so it could be leaned, but I guess the diameter is just a bit too big.

Personally I'd rather see the engine on an aircraft that I had built myself!

[husaberg]

Haven't been too good healthwise for some time and hadn't even noticed that there had been a lot of stuff posted.

Welcome back Will
I seen this today, I haven't had a chance to look it over yet.
http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/P...eng/riley2.jpg

http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/P...g/axial-IC.htm

It looks like a Swashplate crank like some hydraulic pumps have

[WilDun]

It's a wobble plate axial engine (as opposed to the swashplate hydraulic motors and pumps). The only reasonably successful example was one made for Bristol Tramways between the world wars.
However, the Duke engine being developed just a few kms from where I live in Auckland has improved the concept to where it's just about ready for production, but the next step is to make it appealing to manufacturers as a viable alternative to our well known engines, a very tough nut to crack.
We'll see what happens, but trying to compete in the well established conventional piston engine market would be a challenge! - does look promising though, it would look good on a bike and would be a very neat package.
Then again, remember what happened with the Wankel and of course there's the Tesla etc. to compete with now! - there won't be any easy solutions, no instant breakthroughs these days!

http://www.dukeengines.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19kn3drdFU

[tjbw]

It's a wobble plate axial engine (as opposed to the swashplate hydraulic motors and pumps). The only reasonably successful example was one made for Bristol Tramways between the world wars.
However, the Duke engine being developed just a few kms from where I live in Auckland has improved the concept to where it's just about ready for production, but the next step is to make it appealing to manufacturers as a viable alternative to our well known engines, a very tough nut to crack.
We'll see what happens, but trying to compete in the well established conventional piston engine market would be a challenge! - does look promising though, it would look good on a bike and would be a very neat package.
Then again, remember what happened with the Wankel and of course there's the Tesla etc. to compete with now! - there won't be any easy solutions, no instant breakthroughs these days!

http://www.dukeengines.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19kn3drdFU

Good to see you back Will.

I was surprised to find that John DeLorean, the well known County Antrim car builder, patented a swashplate engine in 1985. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/4557232.pdf

Some of his handwritten notes from 1980 on axial engine design can be found here:

http://jalopnik.com/deloreans-next-r...531/1484290943

Some interesting ideas in there, including laser ignition, ceramic block, variable compression, energy recovery, and rotary valves.