Gas-Powered Awesome
Elio Addict
One down from rotary, IMHO. It is still a piston engine with reciprocating mass. It may do away with valves, but adds the complexity of the swash plate and rotating the entire "crankcase". I'd like to know more about how they seal the sliding head. The concept has been around since the early 70's in many forms. I remember reading about similar "rotary" engines in Popular Science in the 70's.
Sadly, exactly one new four-cycle IC engine type has made it into mass production in the last 100 years: Felix Wankel's rotary engine. The thousands (tens of thousands?) of other designs have all failed. So the odds are against the Duke boys.
Sadly, exactly one new four-cycle IC engine type has made it into mass production in the last 100 years: Felix Wankel's rotary engine. The thousands (tens of thousands?) of other designs have all failed. So the odds are against the Duke boys.