Rotary piston engine

For articles on non-piston rotary combustion engines, see:

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• Wankel engine
• Quasiturbine

The rotary engine was a common type of internal combustion aircraft engine in the early years of the 20th century. It was also used in a few motorcycles and cars.

Related Topics:
Internal combustion - Aircraft engine - 20th century - Motorcycle - Cars

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In concept, a rotary engine is simple. It is a standard Otto cycle engine, but instead of having an orthodox fixed cylinder block with rotating crankshaft, the crankshaft remains stationary and the entire cylinder block rotates around it. In the most common form, the crankshaft was fixed solidly to an aircraft frame, and the propeller simply bolted onto the front of the cylinder block.

Related Topics:
Otto cycle - Cylinder block - Crankshaft - Propeller

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The effect of rotating such a large mass was an inherent large gyroscopic flywheel effect, smoothing out the power and reducing vibration. Vibration had been such a serious problem on other conventional piston engine designs that a heavy flywheels had to be added. Because the cylinders themselves functioned as a flywheel, rotary piston engines typically had a power-to-weight ratio advantage over more conventional engines.

Related Topics:
Gyroscopic - Flywheel - Power-to-weight ratio

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Most rotary engines were arranged with the cylinders pointed outwards from a single crankshaft, in the same general form as a radial, but there were also rotary boxer engines and even one cylinder rotaries.

Related Topics:
Radial - Boxer engine - One cylinder

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Rotary piston engine: History in aircraft ►