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Radial Engines

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7 years 8 months ago - 7 years 8 months ago #172833 by Lang
Radial Engines was created by Lang
For no other reason than the workings of a radial engine are one of the great mysteries of life to many people this explains it in one simple picture.

Click on the full resolution button at the bottom.For a clearer look.

Lang

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_engine#/med...ine_timing-small.gif
Last edit: 7 years 8 months ago by Lang.

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7 years 8 months ago #172837 by Zuffen
Replied by Zuffen on topic Radial Engines
Whilst a Radial is pretty simple a Rotary (early type not a Wankle) has so many sealing issues I can never understand how they made them work.

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7 years 8 months ago - 7 years 8 months ago #172847 by Lang
Replied by Lang on topic Radial Engines
A rotary engine is completely different to a radial engine. The Wankel engines are called Rotary but they are not, in original definition of a rotary which has fixed pistons and the whole engine rotates around the off-set crankshaft. The Wankel is more related to a radial engine.

Rotary engine as used in WW1 aircraft and other stationary applications up to the 30's. The prop or drive output is attached to the engine "case". They mostly ran at a constant fuel flow ie full power with no proper carburettor. Speed control was via a "blip" switch" which the operator used to cut the ignition on and off. The huge gyroscopic forces of an entire spinning engine and lack of a proper variable speed control killed the design but while it lasted it produced huge horsepower from a small weight, far more than an in-line engine.

In this link click on the side arrows to see some photos of rotary engines, not only in aircraft but bicycles as well.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_engine#/med...animation_slower.gif
Last edit: 7 years 8 months ago by Lang.

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7 years 8 months ago - 7 years 8 months ago #172850 by Dave_64
Replied by Dave_64 on topic Radial Engines
Thanks for the posts, Guys.When you see a simple animation as on those sites, explains a lot. Going by what I have read over a bit of time, the radial was by far the most utilised of the two. I would hazard a guess and say that had a lot to do with having more control over the engine with a lot more complex carburettor, whereas the rotary , as explained by Lang, seems to have more a simple one, engine either being full noise or stopped.
Still, both versions fascinating developments in their day
If you have a good look at those animations, begin to see why you could develop a RADIAL diesel, but a ROTARY diesel would require an incredibly complex fuel delivery system.
Dave_64
Last edit: 7 years 8 months ago by Dave_64. Reason: Additional text

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7 years 8 months ago #172869 by jeffo
Replied by jeffo on topic Radial Engines
I think lubrication was also a problem for those old WW1 aero engines.
No fancy synthetic smokeless oil back then, think they used castor oil which is why the aviators were covered in it.
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7 years 8 months ago #172872 by Lang
Replied by Lang on topic Radial Engines
It was a total loss oil system. Rockers were greased each flight but bearing castor oil just flowed straight through.

Another of the little stories lost in the telling of the early feats was few aircrew completed the war without soiling their pants. Many wore folded towels inside their underwear. A 90 minute flight in some types of aircraft would have the pilot breathing enough mist to equal half a bottle of castor oil - no matter how much control you had over your bowels it had to fail occasionally.

Constipation was a serious problem with the infantry in the trenches living on tinned meat and biscuits for up to 3 weeks at a time beween rests behind the lines and a decent meal. The pilots had decent meals all the time and certainly did not need their daily dose of castor oil!

Lang
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7 years 8 months ago #172883 by Zuffen
Replied by Zuffen on topic Radial Engines
Castrol, the oil company which was originally called Wakefield but changed when castor oil was used as an additive.

From what I can learn the early aero engines ran on a mix of mineral oil and castor oil.

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7 years 8 months ago #172949 by geoffb
Replied by geoffb on topic Radial Engines
Don't mention castor oil
As a kid mum can't go to school feel crook Here have some castor oil
Didn't long to feel better
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7 years 8 months ago #172962 by Lang
Replied by Lang on topic Radial Engines
I can still smell the wonderful aroma of castor oil at motorbike scrambles and hill climbs when I was a kid. There is an old fellow near me who is in the vintage bike club and puts a teaspoon of castor oil in his old Triumph just to get the smell. Tastes like s..... but when coming out of an exhaust pipe it is terrific.

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7 years 8 months ago #172963 by wedgetail84
Replied by wedgetail84 on topic Radial Engines

Lang wrote: The huge gyroscopic forces of an entire spinning engine

I read somewhere some pilots used this to their advantage by using the gyroscopic force to make extremely sudden and tight turns - obviously in only one direction. Sopwith Camels I think...

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