piston engine internal combustion known for more than a century, and almost the same, or rather since 1886, it has been used on cars. The fundamental solution to this type of engine was found by German engineers E. Langen and N. Otto in 1867. It turned out to be quite successful in order to provide this type of engine with a leading position that has been preserved in the automotive industry to this day. However, the inventors of many countries tirelessly sought to build a different engine capable of the most important technical indicators surpass the piston internal combustion engine. What are these indicators? First of all, this is the so-called effective coefficient useful action(efficiency), which characterizes how much heat that was in the consumed fuel is converted into mechanical work. The efficiency for a diesel internal combustion engine is 0.39, and for a carburetor - 0.31. In other words, the effective efficiency characterizes the efficiency of the engine. Specific indicators are no less significant: specific occupied volume (hp / m3) and specific gravity (kg / hp), which indicate compactness and lightness of the design. Equally important is the ability of the engine to adapt to various loads, as well as the complexity of manufacturing, the simplicity of the device, the noise level, and the content of toxic substances in the combustion products. For all positive aspects any concept power plant the period from the beginning of theoretical developments to its introduction into mass production sometimes takes a very long time. Thus, the creator of the rotary piston engine, the German inventor F. Wankel, took 30 years, despite his continuous work, in order to bring his unit to an industrial design. By the way, it will be said that it took almost 30 years to introduce a diesel engine on a production car (Benz, 1923). But it was not technical conservatism that caused such a long delay, but the need to exhaustively work out new design, that is, create necessary materials and technology to enable its mass production. This page contains a description of some types of non-traditional engines, but which have proven their viability in practice. A piston internal combustion engine has one of its most significant drawbacks - it is a rather massive crank mechanism, because the main friction losses are associated with its operation. Already at the beginning of our century, attempts were made to get rid of such a mechanism. Since that time, many ingenious designs have been proposed that convert the reciprocating motion of a piston into the rotational motion of a shaft of this design.
Connecting rodless engine S. Balandin
Reciprocating motion conversion piston group into rotational movement is carried out by a mechanism based on the kinematics of the "exact straight line". That is, two pistons are rigidly connected by a rod acting on a crankshaft rotating with gear rims in the cranks. A successful solution to the problem was found by the Soviet engineer S. Balandin. In the 1940s and 1950s, he designed and built several models of aircraft engines, where the rod that connected the pistons to the converting mechanism did not oscillate. Such a connecting rodless design, although to some extent more complicated than the mechanism, occupied a smaller volume and provided less friction losses. It should be noted that an engine similar in design was tested in England at the end of the twenties. But the merit of S. Balandin is that he considered the new possibilities of a transforming mechanism without a connecting rod. Since the rod in such an engine does not swing relative to the piston, then it is also possible to attach a combustion chamber on the other side of the piston with a structurally simple seal of the rod passing through its cover.
Rotary piston engine F. Wankel
It has a trihedral rotor, which makes a planetary movement around the eccentric shaft. The changing volume of the three cavities formed by the walls of the rotor and the internal cavity of the crankcase allows for a working cycle heat engine with gas expansion. Since 1964, on mass-produced cars in which rotary piston engines are installed, the piston function is performed by a trihedral rotor. The movement of the rotor required in the housing relative to the eccentric shaft is provided by a planetary-gear matching mechanism (see figure). Such an engine, with equal power to a piston engine, is more compact (has a 30% smaller volume), 10-15% lighter, has fewer parts and is better balanced. But at the same time, it was inferior to a piston engine in terms of durability, reliability of seals in working cavities, it consumed more fuel, and its exhaust gases contained more toxic substances. But, after many years of fine-tuning, these shortcomings were eliminated. However, mass production of cars with rotary piston engines is currently limited. In addition to the construction of F. Wankel, numerous constructions are known rotary piston engines other inventors (E. Kauertz, G. Bradshaw, R. Seyrich, G. Ruzhitsky, etc.). However, objective reasons did not give them the opportunity to leave the experimental stage - often due to insufficient technical merit.
Gas twin-shaft turbine
From the combustion chamber, gases rush to two turbine impellers, each connected to independent shafts. A centrifugal compressor is driven from the right wheel, and power directed to the wheels of the car is taken from the left. The air injected by it enters the combustion chamber passing through the heat exchanger, where it is heated by the exhaust gases. A gas turbine power plant with the same power is more compact and lighter than a piston internal combustion engine, and is also well balanced. Less toxic and exhaust gases. Due to the peculiarities of its traction characteristics, a gas turbine can be used on a car without a gearbox. Production technology gas turbines has long been mastered in the aviation industry. For what reason, given the ongoing over 30 years of experiments with gas turbine machines, do they not go into mass production? The main reason is the low effective efficiency and low efficiency in comparison with piston internal combustion engines. Also, gas turbine engines are quite expensive to manufacture, so that they are currently only found on experimental cars.Steam piston engine
Steam is alternately supplied to the two opposite sides of the piston. Its supply is regulated by a spool that slides over the cylinder in the steam distribution box. In the cylinder, the piston rod is sealed with a sleeve and connected to a fairly massive crosshead mechanism, which converts its reciprocating motion into rotational.R. Stirling engine. External combustion engine
Two pistons (lower - working, upper - displacement) are connected to crank mechanism concentric rods. The gas located in the cavities above and below the displacement piston, being heated alternately from the burner in the cylinder head, passes through the heat exchanger, cooler and back. A cyclic change in the temperature of the gas is accompanied by a change in volume and, accordingly, an effect on the movement of the pistons. Similar engines ran on fuel oil, wood, coal. Their advantages include durability, smooth operation, excellent traction characteristics, which makes it possible to do without a gearbox at all. The main disadvantages: the impressive mass of the power unit and low efficiency. Experimental developments of recent years (for example, the American B. Lear and others) made it possible to design closed-cycle units (with complete condensation of water), to select the compositions of vapor-forming liquids with indicators more favorable than water. Nevertheless, not a single plant has dared to mass-produce cars with steam engines in recent years. The hot-air engine, the idea of which was proposed by R. Stirling back in 1816, refers to engines external combustion. In it, the working fluid is helium or hydrogen, which is under pressure, alternately cooled and heated. Such an engine (see figure) is simple in principle, has a lower fuel consumption than internal combustion reciprocating engines, does not emit gases during operation, which have harmful substances, and also has a high effective efficiency equal to 0.38. However, the introduction of the R. Stirling engine into mass production is hindered by serious difficulties. It is heavy and very bulky, slowly gaining momentum compared to a reciprocating internal combustion engine. Moreover, it is technically difficult to ensure reliable sealing of working cavities. Among non-traditional engines, ceramic stands apart, which does not differ structurally from a traditional four-stroke piston internal combustion engine. Only him important details made of ceramic material capable of withstanding temperatures 1.5 times higher than metal. Accordingly, the ceramic engine does not require a cooling system and thus there are no heat losses that are associated with its operation. This makes it possible to design an engine that will operate on the so-called adiabatic cycle, which promises a significant reduction in fuel consumption. Meanwhile similar works are being conducted by American and Japanese specialists, but have not yet left the stage of searching for solutions. Although there is still no shortage of experiments with a variety of non-traditional engines, the dominant position on cars, as noted above, is retained and, possibly, will remain for a long time to come. four-stroke engines internal combustion.Even those that we once called unusual, boxer engines or twin-cylinder engines, for example, become templates for young engineers who draw inspiration in search of the ideal layout of modernity. But not every car manufacturer plays by the rules when designing their engines. Some of the auto-nonconformists are quite strange and . There is also a category that goes beyond the usual, a category that has become avant-garde from the first day of its appearance and remains so to this day.
It doesn’t matter what these were made for, in an attempt to create the most economical motor, or vice versa, the most powerful. Another fact is important - these engines were created and they exist in real working copies. We are happy about this and invite our readers to look with us at the 10 craziest automotive engines that we were able to find.
To compile our list of 10 crazy car engines, we followed some rules: only power plants of serial cars; no racing motors or experimental models, because they are unusual, by definition. We also did not use engines from the category of "very-most", the largest or the most powerful, exclusivity was calculated according to other criteria. The immediate purpose of this article is to highlight the unusual, sometimes crazy, engine design.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
8.0 liters, over 1000 hp The W-16 is the most powerful and difficult to manufacture engine in history. It has 64 valves, four turbochargers, and enough torque to change the direction of the Earth's rotation - 1,500 Nm at 3,000 rpm. Its W-shaped, 16-cylinder, essentially multi-engine combo, never existed before, and on, no other model than the new car. By the way, this engine is guaranteed to work its entire service life without breakdowns, the manufacturer assures of this.
Bugatti Veyron W-16 (2005-2015)
The Bugatti Veyron is the only car to date to see the W-shaped monster in action. Bugatti opens the list (pictured is 2011 16.4 Super Sport).
At the beginning of the last century, automotive engineer Charles Knight Yale had an epiphany. Traditional poppet valves, he reasoned, were too complicated, return springs and pushrods too inefficient. He created his own kind of valves. His solution was dubbed the "spool valve" - a shaft-driven sliding sleeve around the piston that opens the intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder wall.
Knight Sleeve Valve (1903-1933)
Surprisingly, it worked. Spool valve engines offered high volumetric efficiency, low level noise and no risk of valve sticking. There were few drawbacks, these included increased oil consumption. Knight patented his idea in 1908. Subsequently, it began to be used by all brands, from Mercedes-Benz to Panhard and Peugeot cars. Technology became a thing of the past when classic valves were better able to handle high temperatures and high turnover. (1913-Knight 16/45).
Imagine, in the 1950s, you are an automaker trying to develop a new car model. Some German guy named Felix comes into your office and tries to sell you the idea of a triangular piston rotating inside an oval box (special profile cylinder) to fit on your future model. Did you agree to this? Probably yes! The operation of this type of engine is so mesmerizing that it is difficult to tear yourself away from contemplating this process.
An integral minus of everything unusual is complexity. In this case, the main difficulty was that the engine must be incredibly balanced, with precisely fitted parts.
Mazda/NSU Wankel Rotary (1958-2014)
The rotor itself is triangular with convex edges, three of its corners are vertices. As the rotor rotates inside the housing, it creates three chambers that are responsible for the four phases of the cycle: intake, compression, power stroke and exhaust. Each side of the rotor, when the engine is running, performs one of the stages of the cycle. No wonder the rotary piston type of engine is one of the most efficient internal combustion engines in the world. It is a pity that normal fuel consumption from Wankel engines could not be achieved.
Unusual motor, isn't it? And you know what's even weirder? This motor was in production until 2012 and it was put on a sports car! (1967-1972 Mazda Cosmo 110S).
The Connecticut Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Company was founded by John Eisenhuth, a New York City man who claimed to have invented the gasoline engine and had a nasty habit of getting lawsuits from his business associates.
His Compound models of 1904-1907 were distinguished by their three-cylinder engines, in which the two outer cylinders were driven by ignition, the middle "dead" cylinder was powered by the exhaust gases of the first two cylinders.
Eisenhuth Compound (1904-1907)
Eisenhuth promised a 47% increase in fuel efficiency than it was in standard engines similar size. The humane idea fell out of favor at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time no one thought about saving. The result is bankruptcy in 1907. (pictured 1906 Eisenhuth Compound Model 7.5)
Leave the opportunity for the French to develop interesting engines that look ordinary at first glance. The well-known Gali manufacturer Panhard, mainly remembered for its Panhard jet rod of the same name, installed a series of boxer engines with air-cooled and aluminum blocks.
Panhard Flat-Twin (1947-1967)
The volume varied from 610 to 850 cm3. Power output was between 42 hp. and 60 hp, depending on the model. The best part cars? The Panhard twin has ever won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (pictured 1954 Panhard Dyna Z).
A strange name, sure, but the engine is even weirder. The 3.3-liter Commer TS3 was a supercharged, opposed-piston, three-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine. Each cylinder has two pistons, facing each other, with one piston located in one cylinder. central candle. It didn't have a cylinder head. A single crankshaft was used (most boxer engines have two).
Commer/Rootes TS3 "Commer Knocler" (1954-1968)
Rootes Group came up with this motor for their brand trucks and Commer buses. (Bus Commer TS3)
Lanchester Twin-Crank Twin (1900-1904)
The result was 10.5 hp. at 1,250 rpm and no noticeable vibrations. If you've ever wondered, take a look at the engine in this car. (1901 Lanchester).
Like the Veyron, the limited-edition Cizeta (née Cizeta-Moroder) V16T supercar is defined by its engine. The 560 horsepower 6.0-liter V16 in the womb of the Cizeta was one of the most hyped engines of its time. The intrigue was that the Cizeta engine, in fact, was not a true V16. In fact, it was two V8 engines combined into one. For two V8s, a single block and a central timing were used. What doesn't make it any more insane is the location. The engine is mounted transversely, the central shaft supplies power to the rear wheels.
Cizeta-Moroder/Cizeta V16T (1991-1995)
The supercar was produced from 1991 to 1995, this car had a manual assembly. Initially, it was planned to produce 40 supercars a year, then this bar was lowered to 10, but in the end, in almost 5 years of production, only 20 cars were produced. (Photo 1991 Cizeta-16T Moroder)
Commer Knocker engines were actually inspired by the family of these French engines with opposite pistons, which were produced with two-, four-, six-cylinders until the early 1920s. Here's how it works in the two-cylinder version: two rows of pistons opposite each other in common cylinders so that the pistons of each cylinder move towards each other and form a common combustion chamber. The crankshafts are mechanically synchronized, and the exhaust shaft rotates ahead of the intake shaft by 15-22 °, power is taken from either one or both of them.
Gobron-Brillié Opposed Piston (1898-1922)
Serial engines were produced in the range from 2.3-liter "twos" to 11.4-liter sixes. There was also a monstrous 13.5-liter four-cylinder racing version of the engine. In a car with such a motor, the racer Louis Rigoli first reached a speed of 160 km / h in 1904 (1900 Nagant-Gobron)
Adams-Farwell (1904-1913)
If the idea of a rear-spinning engine doesn't faze you, then Adams-Farwell vehicles are perfect for you. True, not all of them rotated, only the cylinders and pistons, because the crankshafts on these three- and five-cylinder engines were static. Arranged radially, the cylinders were air-cooled and acted as a flywheel once the engine was fired and started to run. The motors were light for their time, 86 kg weighed a 4.3 liter three-cylinder engine and 120 kg - 8.0 liter engine. Video.
Adams-Farwell (1904-1913)
The cars themselves were rear location engine, the passenger compartment was in front heavy engine, the layout was ideal for getting the maximum damage from passengers in an accident. At the dawn of the automotive industry, high-quality materials and reliable construction were not thought of; in the first self-propelled carriages, wood, copper, and occasionally metal, of not the highest quality, were used in the old fashioned way. It was probably not very comfortable to feel the work of a 120 kg motor spinning up to 1,000 rpm behind your back. However, the car was produced for 9 years. (Photo 1906 Adams-Farwell 6A Convertible Runabout).
Thirty cylinders, five blocks, five carburettors, 20.5 liters. This engine in Detroit was developed specifically for the war. Chrysler built the A57 as a way to fill an order for a tank engine for World War II. Engineers had to work in a hurry, making the most of the available components as much as possible.
BONUS. Incredible non-production engines: Chrysler A57 Multibank
The engine consisted of five 251 cc inline sixes from passenger cars located radially around the central output shaft. The output turned out to be 425 hp. used in the M3A4 Lee and M4A4 Sherman tanks.
The second bonus is the only racing engine included in the review. 3.0-liter engine used by BRM (British Racing Motors), 32-valve H-16 engine, combining essentially two flat eights (H-shaped engine - an engine whose cylinder block configuration is the letter "H" in a vertical or horizontal arrangement H-engine can be thought of as two boxer engines, one on top of the other or one next to the other, each with its own crankshafts). The power of the sports engine of the late 60s was more than high, more than 400 hp, but the H-16 was seriously inferior to other modifications in terms of weight and reliability. saw the podium once, at the U.S. Grand Prix, when Jim Clark won in 1966.
BONUS. Incredible non-production engines: British Racing Motors H-16 (1966-1968)
The 16-cylinder engine wasn't the only one the guys at BRM were working on. They also developed a supercharged 1.5 liter V16. It revs up to 12,000 rpm and produces approximately 485 hp. It would probably be cool to install such an engine on Toyota Corolla AE86, enthusiasts from all over the world have thought about this more than once.
Most modern car engines are very similar to each other. Even those that may at first glance seem special, like the six-cylinder Porsche or the new two-cylinder Fiat, are built on the same well-worn technology that has been used in engine design for more than 50 years. However, not all manufacturers follow this trend. Some engines are truly unique, and some are simply shocking. Someone was chasing efficiency, others - originality. Either way, their designs are amazing.
Today I will tell you about the ten most unusual engines in the history of the automotive industry, however, there are some rules. Only serial engines are eligible to be included in this list. passenger cars, no custom projects. So let's get started!
Bugatti Veyron W16
Of course, where without it, the great and mighty Veyron W16. The numbers alone are amazing: 8 liters, more than 1000 Horse power, 16 cylinders - this engine is the most powerful and complex among all stock cars. It has 64 valves, four turbos, a W-configuration we've never seen before. And yes, it has a warranty.
Such engines are surprisingly rare, so we should appreciate the fact that we were able to catch such unique technological breakthroughs.
Knight Sleeve Valve
At the beginning of the last century, Charles Yale Knight decided that it was time to bring something new to the design of engines, and came up with a valveless engine with sleeve distribution. To everyone's surprise, the technology turned out to be working. These engines were very efficient, quiet and reliable. Among the minuses can be noted the consumption of oil. The engine was patented in 1908 and later appeared in many cars, including Mercedes-Benz, Panhard and Peugeot. Technology took a backseat as engines started to rev faster, which the traditional valve system did much better.
Mazda Wankel Rotary
One guy came to the Mazda office and suggested making an engine in which a three-pointed piston should rotate in an oval space. Basically, it was like a soccer ball. washing machine, but in fact the engine turned out to be remarkably balanced.
As the rotor rotates, it creates three small cavities that are responsible for the four phases of the power cycle: injection, compression, power, and exhaust. Sounds efficient, and it is. The ratio of power and volume is quite high, but the engine itself is not gushing, because its combustion chamber is greatly elongated.
Strange, isn't it? And you know what's even weirder? It's still in production. Buy a Mazda RX-8 and get a crazy engine that spins up to 9000 rpm. What are you waiting for? More to the salon!
Eisenhuth Compound
John Eisenhut is famous for inventing an interesting three-cylinder engine in which the two outermost cylinders fed the middle, "dead" unlit cylinder with their exhaust gases, which, in turn, was responsible for the outgoing energy. Eisenhut predicted a 47 percent fuel economy for his engine. A couple of years later, the company collapsed and went bankrupt. Draw your own conclusions.
Panhard Flat Twin
The French company Panhard became known for its interesting engines with aluminum blocks. Their highlight is the design. The bottom line is that the block and cylinder head are welded into a single unit. Engine displacement ranged from 0.61 to 0.85 liters, power - from 42 to 60 hp, depending on the model. Amazing Fact: this engine is the strangest participant and winner (!!!) of Le Mans races.
Commer Rootes TS3
Strange engine with a strange name. The three-liter Commer TS3 boxer engine was equipped with a compressor and one crankshaft (most boxer engines have two). A very interesting colossus in every sense of the word.
Lanchester Twin-Crank Twin
Lanchester was founded in 1899, and a year later they released their first Lanchester Ten car, equipped with a four-liter naturally aspirated engine with two crankshafts. He squeezed out 10.5 horsepower at 1250 rpm. If you haven't seen an elegant piece of engineering yet, here it is.
Cizeta-Moroder Cizeta V16T
Like the Veyron, the Cizeta supercar was produced in a limited edition, and its engine was a key part. 560 horses, 6 liters, V-16 layout. In fact, these are two V8 engines using a common block. Finding this car is now more difficult than an honest official. The number of cars produced is kept secret.
Gobron Brillie Opposed Piston
The Commer TS3 engine was built with inspiration from this French engineering marvel. The pistons were located opposite each other. The first pair was responsible for the crankshaft, the second - for the connecting rods connected to the crankshaft at an angle of 180 °.
The company produced a wide range of engines, from 2.3-liter twin-cylinders to 11.4-liter six-cylinders. There was also a huge 13.5-liter four-cylinder racing engine that first broke the 100 mph mark in 1904.
Adams Farwell
The very idea of having an engine spinning behind you in a car is quite interesting, which is why this engine made it to our list. In general, not the entire engine rotated, but only the cylinders and pistons, because the crankshafts were firmly fixed. Installed in a circle, the cylinders were cooled by air and resembled a spinning wheel.
The engine itself was installed behind the driver's seat, which was pushed as far forward as possible. The ideal circuit for a lethal outcome during an accident.
Bonus! Crazy non-stock car engines
Chrysler A57 Multibank
30 cylinders, five carburetors, five distributors - that's what happens when America goes on the warpath. This monster powered such famous tanks as the M3A4 Lee and M4A4 Sherman with its 425 forces.
British Racing Motors H-16
Not to mention it would be a crime. The three-litre engine had 32 H-16 valves, essentially two eight-cylinder engines put together by an engineer named Tony Rudd. It put out over 400 hp but was unreliable and terribly high. In 1966, this engine won the Formula 1 US Grand Prix, driven by Jim Clark.
Automotive steam engine and internal combustion engine are almost the same age. The efficiency of a steam engine of that design in those years was about 10%. Engine efficiency Lenoir was only 4%. Only 22 years later, by 1882, August Otto improved it so much that the efficiency of the now gasoline engine reached ... as much as 15%
Starting in 1801, the history of steam transport continued actively for almost 159 years. In 1960 (!) buses and trucks with steam engines were still being built in the USA. Steam engines have improved significantly during this time. In 1900 in the US, 50% of the car fleet was "steamed". Already in those years, competition arose between steam, gasoline and - attention! - electric carriages. After the market success of the "Model-T" Ford and, it would seem, the defeat steam engine a new surge in the popularity of steam cars came in the 20s of the last century: the cost of fuel for them (fuel oil, kerosene) was significantly lower than the cost of gasoline.
The "classic" steam engine, which released exhaust steam into the atmosphere, has an efficiency of no more than 8%. However, a steam engine with a condenser and a profiled flow part has an efficiency of up to 25–30%. The steam turbine provides 30–42%. Combined-cycle plants, where gas and steam turbines, have an efficiency of up to 55–65%. The latter circumstance prompted BMW engineers to start working on options for using this scheme in cars. By the way, the efficiency of modern gasoline engines is 34%.
The cost of manufacturing a steam engine at all times was lower than the cost of carburetor and diesel engines of the same power. Liquid fuel consumption in new steam engines operating in a closed cycle on superheated (dry) steam and equipped with modern systems lubrication, quality bearings and electronic duty cycle control systems, is only 40% of the previous one.
The steam engine starts slowly. And it was once ... Even Stanley production cars "bred pairs" from 10 to 20 minutes. Improvement in the design of the boiler and the introduction of a cascade heating mode made it possible to reduce the readiness time to 40-60 seconds.
The steam car is too slow. This is wrong. The speed record of 1906 - 205.44 km / h - belongs to a steam car. In those years, cars gasoline engines didn't know how to drive that fast. In 1985 on steam car traveled at a speed of 234.33 km / h. And in 2009, a group of British engineers designed a steam turbine "bolide" with a steam drive with a capacity of 360 hp. with., which was able to move at a record average speed in the race - 241.7 km / h.
Interestingly, current research in the field hydrogen fuel For automobile motors gave rise to a number of "side branches": hydrogen as a fuel for classic reciprocating steam engines and in particular for steam turbine engines provides absolute environmental friendliness. The "smoke" from such a motor is ... water vapor.
The steam engine is capricious. It is not true. It is structurally much simpler than an internal combustion engine, which in itself means greater reliability and unpretentiousness. The resource of steam engines is many tens of thousands of hours continuous work, which is not typical for other types of engines. However, the matter is not limited to this. By virtue of the principles of operation, a steam engine does not lose efficiency when atmospheric pressure decreases. Exactly because of this reason vehicles steam-powered are exceptionally well suited for use in the highlands, on heavy mountain passes.
It is interesting to note one more useful property of a steam engine, which, by the way, is similar to an electric motor. direct current. A decrease in the shaft speed (for example, with an increase in load) causes an increase in torque. By virtue of this property, cars with steam engines do not fundamentally need gearboxes - they themselves are very complex and sometimes capricious mechanisms.
The concept of the engine, invented by Carmelo Scuderi, an American self-taught auto mechanic, is based on the principle of separating cylinders into working and auxiliary ones. Unlike the Otto scheme, in an SCC (Split-Cycle Combustion) engine, there is one working cycle for each revolution of the shaft. Auxiliary cylinders, in which the piston compresses air, are connected to the main ones through bypass channels. In each of the channels there are two valves - compression and expansion. In the space between them, the air reaches its maximum level of compression. Fuel injection into the combustion chamber of the working cylinder occurs simultaneously with the opening of the expansion valve, and ignition occurs after the piston passes through top dead points. A wave of gases, as it were, catches up with it, excluding the detonation of the mixture. During virtual tests of the Scuderi in-line prototype engine, it was found that it is very stable. The coefficient of deviation of the parameters of working cycles from the average value in the most “problematic” speed zone - from idle to one and a half thousand - for SCC is almost twice as low as for the Otto internal combustion engine: 1.4% versus 2.5. At first glance, this is not much, but for professionals the difference is huge. This indicator indicates a very high quality of the mixture and its most accurate dosage. The naturally aspirated four-cylinder in-line Scuderi engine is 25% more economical than conventional counterparts in terms of power, and its original hybridized version of the Scuderi Air-Hybrid is 30-36%. In the Air-Hybrid, the air in the air accumulator is pre-compressed when the vehicle is decelerating. Air is then supplied to the bypass, reducing the load on the auxiliary cylinder piston.
Skunderi engine. The production of engines of the Carmelo Scuderi system can be easily organized at any engine building enterprise using traditional assemblies. But do manufacturers need it? ..
In 2011, the company will introduce a second-generation engine with a V-shaped architecture, in which the bypass channels will be made in the form of separate modules. In the first version - with a solid head - they were in the wall between pairs of cylinders. The V-shaped layout allows for better access to them from the receiver and provides more efficient cooling node. According to the forecasts of scientists from the Southwest Research Institute, who are closely involved in fine-tuning virtual model inline engine, the difference in efficiency between such a “four” and an equivalent Otto motor will reach 50%. Light weight, excellent power density (135 hp per liter) and technological simplicity of the SCC make it very promising for implementation. It is known that several players of the major league of the global automotive industry, as well as component manufacturers, are showing close interest in it at once. In particular, the famous company Robert Bosch. Scuderi Group President Sal Scuderi is sure that in three years his father's brainchild will go into series.
It is unlikely that Lotus Omnivore will ever become the main power unit for auto. But as an auxiliary - for example, a generator - it is quite suitable.
Lotus Omnivore
Who said two bars are a thing of the past? Lotus Engineering engineers believe that the potential of two-stroke engines is seriously underestimated by automakers, and gluttony is just a myth. They predict their triumphant return in 2013 under the hoods of production cars. In 2009, in Geneva, the company presented the concept 500 cc Omnivore engine, which runs on any type of liquid fuel. The motor shines at once with several innovative technologies, the main one being variable degree compression by means of a movable upper wall of the combustion chamber. Depending on the type of fuel and load, the compression in the Omnivore can vary from 10 to 40 to one. The preparation of a balanced air-fuel mixture is provided by the Orbital FlexDI direct injection system with two injectors, and the exhaust gas parameters are controlled by the patented CTV (Charge Trapping Valve) catching valve. It seems that the British succeeded in what all developers of innovative internal combustion engines strive for: in the cycle of bench tests, Omnivore confidently maintained the HCCI combustion mode even at revs idle move and in the red zone. The Omnivore design is also remarkable in that its block and head are molded in one single piece.
Ecomotors OPOC. One of the main advantages of Professor Hoffbauer's design is the ability to "put" more and more pairs of cylinders on the crankshaft, getting something like a modular engine.
According to the specification, the concept is 10% more economical than naturally aspirated gasoline engines of equal power, and in terms of exhaust cleanliness, it easily reaches Euro-6 standards. If Lotus is able to interest automakers, then the descendants of the concept Omnivore will be the first candidates for the role of on-board generators for electric hybrids. For this, they have everything: unpretentiousness, maximum compactness and high energy intensity.
Ecomotors OPOC
Among the companies trying to send the classic internal combustion engine to the dump, the American Ecomotors stands apart not only because of the extravagance of their ideas. Working on superpower boxer engine OPOC has been blessed by venture capital titan Vinod Khosla and billionaire Bill Gates. The board of directors of the tiny company includes several people whose names serve as a pass to the closed club of automakers, and Ecomotors stands have become familiar at the world's most elite car dealerships.
The opposed two-stroke two-cylinder modular internal combustion engine called OPOC was invented back in the late 1990s by Professor Peter Hoffbauer, for a long time who worked as a chief minder at Volkswagen. The super-compact Hoffbauer diesel engine demonstrates an unprecedented high specific power of about 3 hp. per kilogram of weight. For example, a hundred-kilogram "pipe" produces 325 hp. and 900 Nm of torque. At the same time, the efficiency of OPOC is very close to 60%, twice outperforming modern diesel engines with complex supercharging. One of the main "chips" of this opponent is the ability to make up of separate modules, each of which is a full-fledged engine, power plants of in-line 4-, 6- and 8-cylinder configurations. Paradoxically, for all its charge, OPOC operates at rather modest compression ratios within 15-16 to one and does not require special fuel preparation.
In principle, OPOC is a pipe with two pairs of pistons making simultaneous multidirectional movements. The space between the pair is the combustion chamber. Connecting rods with an unusually long stem connect the pistons to a central crankshaft. The injection nozzle is installed in the center of the chamber, and the inlet and outlet ports are located in the area of the bottom dead center of the central pistons. Ports replace a complex valve train and camshaft. Important element designs - electric turbocharger with air preheating, replacing, in particular, the usual glow plugs. At the time of startup, the turbine supplies a charge to the combustion chamber compressed air heated to 100 °C.
IRIS. The main "feature" of the Iris engine design is the high usable area of the "piston" petals. The fixed walls occupy only 30% of the total area of the combustion chamber, which can significantly increase the efficiency of the engine.
According to company president Donald Runkle, former vice president General Motors, the sixth generation of the engine is currently being bench tested at Ecomotors' own technical center and will be completed in early 2012. And it will no longer be another working prototype, but a unit designed for the conveyor. However, interest in the development is not only among motorists, but also among the military, aircraft manufacturers, builders and miners. It is planned to produce four types of OPOC modules at once with piston diameters of 30, 65, 75 and 100 mm.
IRIS
For many people, watching bizarrely moving, spinning, and pulsing machinery is a successful substitute for stress pills.
The eye-catching brainchild of Denver scientist, inventor and entrepreneur Timber Dick, who tragically died in a car accident in 2008, can be attributed to homeopathic remedies in this category. But the internal combustion engine IRIS (Internally Radiating Impulse Structure), despite all its originality, is not an empty shell at all. Protected on all sides by patents, it has received innovation awards from NASA, oil corporation ConocoPhillips and chemical giant Dow Chemical. Two-stroke internal combustion engine With variable geometry and piston area, according to calculations, has an efficiency of 45%, compact dimensions and low weight. In addition, if it is adopted by automakers, the buyer will not have to overpay - the price of the unit will not be higher than that of conventional gasoline engines.
RLDVS. The difference between a rotary vane engine and all the others mentioned in the material is that it is a few millimeters from serial production. In 2011, tests of the Russian Yo-mobile with a similar engine are scheduled, and from 2012 - a series.
According to Dick, in a standard pair of "combustion chamber - working surface piston "most weak point is the constant contact area. The head accounts for only 25% of the total camera area. In the IRIS concept, six pistons, which are steel, wave-curved petals, have a usable area of almost three times larger - the fixed chamber walls occupy only 30% of the area.
Air enters the combustion chamber through intake valves when the petals are at the maximum distance from the center. At the same time, the exhaust gas is removed through the open exhaust valves. Then the petals, oscillating on the shafts, close to the middle of the chamber, compressing the air. At the moment of maximum approach with fully closed valves, fuel is injected and ignited. As the hot gases expand, they move apart the piston petals, which, in turn, causes the shafts to rotate. Top dead center exhaust valves open. Then everything repeats over and over again. A fairly simple gearbox converts the oscillation of six shafts into rotation of the main shaft.
Russian rotary vane
The rotary vane engine (RLDVS) is not a development of the 21st century at all. Its design was invented back in the 1930s, and since then not a decade has passed without the appearance of another patent for a new RLD. The most famous was, perhaps, the Vigriyanov engine, created in 1973. But they didn’t want to get into the RLD series. The main problem was the difficulty of synchronizing the shafts of the rotors, and even more so removing the moment from them - in times of poor development of electronics, the synchronizer occupied almost the whole room; RLD could only be used as a stationary power plant. This negated one of its main advantages - compactness and low weight.
RLD is a cylinder, inside of which two rotors are installed on the same axis, each with a pair of blades. The blades divide the cylinder space into working chambers; in each, four working cycles are performed per revolution of the shaft. The complexity of synchronization is primarily due to the uneven movement of the rotors relative to each other, their "pulsation".
But as soon as a compact and convenient synchronization mechanism appeared, the RLD immediately gained a serious serial perspective. The most interesting and pleasant thing is that such a mechanism was developed in Russia, within the framework of the sensational “yo-mobile” project. The yo-mobile power plant weighs only 55 kg (35 for a synchronized engine, 20 for an electric generator), and the power can produce about 100 kW, although it will be limited to 45 kW (60 hp) for production models. In addition to compactness, RLD is characterized by the possibility of scaling. It can easily be scaled up to a small 1000 kW marine engine. The power-to-weight ratio of the “yo-mobile” power plant is similar to a two-liter 150-horsepower internal combustion engine of a traditional layout.
