GB1124509A - Improved rotary internal combustion engine - Google Patents

Abstract

1,124,509. Rotary internal combustion engines. L. SHARPLES. Dec. 15, 1965 [Dec.18, 1964], No. 51550/65. Heading F1F. A rotary I. C. engine of the geared-vane type comprises a cylindrical casing 1, Figs. 2, 3, having outer and inner walls providing a watercooling jacket 8 with the inner wall 4 forming the outer wall of an annular combustion chamber 5, inlet and outlet ports 6, 7a extending arcuately towards each other around the wall 4 connected respectively to a carburetter (or fuel-injector) and exhaust, and a firing point 9. End casing components 2, 3 secured to the casing 1 bearingly support shafts 28, 29 formed with flanges 31 connected together in spaced relationship by an intermediate shaft 54 and a spacing-ring 32. The spacing-ring 32 with sealing rings 42 form the inner wall of the combustion chamber 5 and with the flanges 31 form a hollow flywheel 30 within which is rotatably and coaxially mounted on the shaft 54 a pair of rotors 52. Each rotor 52 is formed with a pair of opposite and radial arms 51 with each arm passing through a slot 33 in the spacing-ring 32 and carrying an arcuate piston 56 of rectanuglar iron-section rotable in the annular chamber 5. Each arm is connected by a gudgeon-pin 53 to one end of a connecting rod 50 whose other end is connected to a tubular pin 49 eccentric with a member formed at its ends with pinions 48 which mesh with fixed sunwheels 21 formed on or secured to the end components 2, 3, so that as the engine operates, the pistons 56 move in pairs towards and away from each other to carry out a four-stroke cycle of induction; compression, expansion and exhaust in each space between adjacent pistons. The ends of each piston 56 are formed with annular grooves 57 in each of which is mounted a pair of L-shaped piston rings 58 Fig. 7, urged into sealing engagement by leaf-springs 59 with the walls of the combustion chamber with the gap in one ring covered by the angle of the "L" in the other ring. The adjacent faces of the spacing-ring 32 and sealing rings 42 are formed with complementary stepped helical surfaces which are urged apart by springs between the steps to urge the rings 42 sealingly against the end components 2, 3 and the pistons 56. The shaft 29 is the power output shaft whilst the shaft 28 drives the auxiliaries such as a contact-breaker, and oil-feed and oilscavenging pumps force-feeding lubricant to the engine through a duct 36 in the shafts 28, 29 and radial ducts. Oil is returned from the engine through connections 23 and air vented from the casing through connections 24.