Rotary Valves by "Driving 4 Answers" on Youtube
- Thread starter Overfill
- Start date
Things I'm curious about:
Overall robustness, and wear management/lifetime.
The difference in load between this and conventional poppet valvetrains if sized for conventional lifetimes.
Overall robustness, and wear management/lifetime.
The difference in load between this and conventional poppet valvetrains if sized for conventional lifetimes.
Rotary valves were used on steam locomotives.
They can work, but generally not all that well. The lubrication requirements mean that an oil and gas mix is likely, like a 2 stroke. Combustion pressure causes some problems too. In the end, a 4 valve head with proper tuning can achieve a volumetric efficiency better than 100%. I don't think one can size and shape a rotating drum's port for adequate, high performance flow that matches a modern 4 valve, and still have structural integrity.
When I did my engineering thesis (1990), it was on intake manifold air and fuel flow, and the development of a test rig for measuring flow, swirl, and tumble in cylinder heads. (only got the design for the latter, but great insights on the former, including that CRC system 1 fuel cleaner was the only cleaner that would get the deposits out of the injectors after a guy the year before ran methanol though the rig.).
The design had to accomodate the J-Car engine in multiple two and 4 valve variants, a DFV head, and the Uni had access to Arthur Bishop's then current experimental rotary valve heads - Aurhtur Bishop, he's the bloke who invented variable ratio Rack and Pinion steering (he had a great induction heat treat furnace, where the rack was measured with optices, and the heat treat altered to increase the case thickness in places to correct emergent bending.
Anyway, he was developing a rotary valve head for the J Car, and I got to see the single cylinder version (on a Kawasaki engine) on the dyno.
Had a LOT of advantages in creating stratified charges, much better opening and closing ramps available etc.
Used a lot of materials that weren't available in the 50s, and would be familiar with people working on mechanical seals.
Very low bonnet (hood) height as well.
Edit...to add additional information...
The design had to accomodate the J-Car engine in multiple two and 4 valve variants, a DFV head, and the Uni had access to Arthur Bishop's then current experimental rotary valve heads - Aurhtur Bishop, he's the bloke who invented variable ratio Rack and Pinion steering (he had a great induction heat treat furnace, where the rack was measured with optices, and the heat treat altered to increase the case thickness in places to correct emergent bending.
Anyway, he was developing a rotary valve head for the J Car, and I got to see the single cylinder version (on a Kawasaki engine) on the dyno.
Had a LOT of advantages in creating stratified charges, much better opening and closing ramps available etc.
Used a lot of materials that weren't available in the 50s, and would be familiar with people working on mechanical seals.
Very low bonnet (hood) height as well.
Edit...to add additional information...
US4852532A - Rotary valve for internal combustion engines - Google Patents
A rotary valve for an internal combustion engine having a hollow cylindrical rotor having along its bore an inclined integral baffle with ports on either side of the baffle arranged to be brought into communication with a window as the hollow cylindrical rotor rotates, the rotor being supported...
patents.google.com
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