Rick writes “Animated examples of many different types of internal combustion and heat engine along with an explanation of how they work. My favorite is the Wankel engine (The Wankel a triangular rotor incorporating a central ring gear is driven around a fixed pinion within an oblong chamber). Somehow it just shouldn’t work.” Link.
6 thoughts on “Animated Engines”
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The Wankel is the motor used in the Mazda RX-8, right?
Yes, it is. Mazda has used the wankel engine in their entire RX series. The most successful being the turbo charged 3rd gen RX-7. The Wankel’s main benefit is its ability to utilize an RPM range only obtainable in high end race designed 4-stroke I.C.E.’s. Their only downfall is their lack of torque. This is why they are used in such lightweight cars.
Having owned an RX-7, lack of torque isn’t strictly the ONLY downfall. While I love the design, there are behaviors that make it a quirky powerplant. (Emissions, Mileage, oil useage)
Still, I luvum…and need to get my visible wankle model finished so I can have it out on display.