Quote:
Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
As an MIT-trained Mechanical Engineer, I have always been disappointed in the lack of progress that I feel the automotive companies of the world have made in engine technology. Let's face it, engines today are almost exactly the same as they were in the 1920s. The only radical concept to come out in the past few decades was the rotary engine - a design that was truly superior in simplicity, but didn't receive enough research and development to meet stringent emissions requirements.
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-Wayne
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Well, As a NON-MIT-trained Mechanical Engineer, I have always been disappointed MIT-trained Mechanical Engineers who believe that the rotary engine didn't receive enough research and development.
I studied under two phd engineers (different schools) who studied the Wankle for aircraft applications (one for US, one for Germany)-- both had the same conclusions. That is, a rotory engine, by it's very defining geometry, does a
very poor job of "capturing the bang."
...this leads to poor emissions, and blown weight savings (all the extra fuel need to be carried)