Le Rhone 80HP rotary engine

[Squiffy]

I've not really paid that much attention to engines until building the engine for my WNW Pup - 72nd scale engines being too small to really see the detail. I noticed that there's only one pushrod (and, I assume one valve) per cylinder. I presume this is the 'monosoupape' engine?

I've looked these engines up in Janes Fighting Aricraft of World War One but, apart from photos and specs. it doesn't say a great deal.

What I'm wondering is were they two-strokes, or were they four-strokes and is there some other internal method of opening whichever valve isn't served by the pushrod?

[uncletony]

They were four stroke, but like many engines of the day, the intake valve was a reed valve, forced open during the intake stroke by suction in the compression chamber as the piston moved down.

http://www.animatedengines.com/gnome.html

[uncletony]

This is a good article -- seems to have provided some source for the earlier link:

http://www.pilotfriend.com/aero_engines/aero_rotary.htm

Regarding the reed valve -- it was located in the top of the piston because the air/fuel/castor oil mixture was drawn thru the crankshaft and thru the con rod to the piston and then the combustion chamber.

Some rotaries had conventional valves and intake plumbing... Le Rhone for example

[uncletony]

Duh, the motor on the pup is a Le Rhone not a Gnome

In the case of the Le Rhone, separate conventional overhead valves for intake & exhaust, but they were activated by a single push-pull rod

[Des]

Thanks for the links Bo, they give a pretty good explanation of the principles of the rotary engine operation.

Des.

[joanblaue]

Hello,
Here is a link to the book " Les moteurs d'aviation" by Martinot-Lagarde / 1918 :

http://issuu.com/chestnuts/docs/moteurs_aviation_1918

To understand the subject ( including German engines ) // Le Rhone engines are on page 207.

I am the lucky owner of a sample of this book so feel free to ask for more details if necessary.
I also have the "Instructions sur le Montage et le Reglage des moteurs "Le Rhone" type C 80 HP ( HP in english ?! ...) and type J 110 HP.
I will leave scans of the drawing sheets.

both books are in french. I can translate if necessary.

cheers
olivier 

[Squiffy]

Thanks for the links. A valve in the piston - well, I never knew that!