Mission for Zak?

[TiG]

Considuring the success of Zak's this is how a Engine works, What is grip, etc etc. in the cars and bikes forums.

What about we set a mission for him to do something similar for FB?

TiG

[Zak33]

that would NOT help ne1

you know it

[Nick]

yeah, I'll start the ball floating then...

Zak, oh meister of machanics... explain to me the difference between a radial engine and a rotary engine.

(For eveyone else, get yer bums up to the Shuttleworth collection, they have THE MOST EXCELLENT model of how this works there.)

ps. and the dude we chatted to about it said that Mrs. Deckard was the first person he had seen to get the model to work properly!

So, of course, Zak and I promptly did our best to sod it up trying to get it to work for us....

[Zak33]

Oh....this was AMAZING.....all on a little ply wood model!

Radial engines, such as we have all seen, have air fins on the cylinders, for cooling and the pistons inside each kind of push a central flywheel around......its fitted off-set to the centre of the crank shaft......so the pistons really kind of Chase it round and round.

I have seen these before....BUT...ROTARY...oh my GAWD!!!!!

The thing that bemused me was the cylinders , air vents, inelt ducting.,,,,it ALL ROTATES with the prop!!

All of it...its mammoth and weighs loads and it revs....no wonder old planes used to turn better one direction than the other....

we are talking HUGE TORQUE forces acting on the plane....unreal.

and yeah...I broke that model twice

[Zak33]

[Zak33]

that entire thing turns ..all of it.

Its HOOGE!!!!!! and the prop turns at the same speed....not on a gear ratio.....

I'll get you a link
http://www.aviation-history.com/engi...ary-theory.htm

[Tumble]

that engine design has always seemed a little.... nut flavoured to me. Spose it's a good way of keeping the thing cool tho...