Engine designs: Where did they go?

General Discussion
#22

Yes, also true of hydraulic transmissions, hydraulic motors etc… but we use them still. Low efficiency and high wear rate do not necessarily determine what we do. Cost is a big factor, reliability, availability… other factors some of them psychological. It’s pretty hard to predict what will happen out there in the big world.
Rindert

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#23

I’m keen on a super simple co-axial (same drive shaft) opposed cylinder engine with a linear electric generator in between. You’d need valves but the compression ratio would take care of itself. It’d kick like mule but would run really well on wood gas. Make knock your friend.

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#24

I just hope to still be around when these new variations of ice engines finally make it to market and not to be held up in red tape for years and years , funny how no Australian media is blowing the trumpet on that engine Steve , normally just a whisper of something Aus made or designed gets on the news sticking there tongue out to the world as we did it first apparently its well known that Aus has found the cure for so many disease’s and we now gonna live for ever .
Dave

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#25

Hello RindertW.
Many thanks for the link to the Australian Anthony Michell engineers life story.
Much new for me to learn here.
1883-86 Osborne Reynolds works on the origin of thin film oil lubrications: “Tribology”.
Then Anthony Mitchell’s original concept and development of the self-adjusting thrust bearing.
Vehicle guy me I forget about the need for this in ships, airplanes, and even large stationary power plants. This patent what gave him the credibility and royalties money to pursue his “Crankless” engines.

Dave; the Australian situation of too far, too remote, too small of a manufacturing base to get adequate credit in the Americas and Europe manufacturing centers is well lined out on page 263. True back then in the early 20th century. Maybe to day with closer developing manufacturing centers in Indonesian, Thailand, and Vietnam it is different now?

Mitchell’s high point engine seems to be on page 265 in the opposed pistons 2-stroke diesel on page 265.

I had no Internet for a few days and it took me time to get back to fully re-reading this.
Regards
Steve Unruh

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