Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: SkyActivG
After researching the Wankel further in Depth... I discovered that the motor itself has some serious design flaws. I love the Wankel, but these unavoidable defects kill the Wankel
Felix Wankel's greatest achievement was in the area of sealing.Sealing technology requires that the seal actually seal for the shortest possible length (like a bubble is the smallest surface area sealed volume).
The wankel, per unit volume has a ridiculous amount of stationary seal area (trochoid peanut shaped gasketx2), and similarly for the sweeping seals (apex and rotor sides)....compare them to a regular fire ring and piston ring pack for comparison...Only worse IMO is the Sarich, and when I was 12, I came up with a vane type compressor "two stroke" which would have been worse still.
Then volume/heat loss area, the wankel loses again.
It allowed ridiculously low octane (even acceptable on hydrogen), but made a bad engine.
Surprised (really) that it made is so long, although perversely happy that it did.
I think the Wankel made it so long, because Mazda didn't start out as an automaker, but a Wankel Rotary scooter maker. I've searched for one of these scooters, but my attempt has yielded 0. I think Mazda should get back into scooters and possibly generators like Subaru Robin. The Subaru generators aren't Boxers
unfortunately, but a Rotary could downsize the generator size. Who knows at this point Trump could roll back the EPA [censored] and we could have a Furai