ROTARY ENGINE TORQUE

22 December 1998, 11:21 PM

Hi,guys.Does any of you happen to have the e-mail addresses of the RAF Museum at Hendon and the NASM at the Smithsonian...if so,could you please shoot it across to me?I see that the subject of rotaries and their torque keeps popping up in these threads every so often and I'd very much like to,once and for all,come to the correct,scientific understanding of these beasts from the aero engine pundits at these museums.I'm sure SOMEONE there would know....at least,I certainly HOPE so!!!Cheers.Mukund.

23 December 1998, 08:46 AM

Hello Mukund
Heres the Hendon e-mail. http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/flat/hendon/in...ndex.htm
All the best
Ron B.

23 December 1998, 02:41 PM

For the NASM....if you go to their web page at http://www.nasm.si.edu/ the have a link to their E-Mail page. The archives division is listed there. You can E-Mail them off the page itself. I did for some info on the 'tween wars Travel Air 4000 and got a bunch of great stuff mailed to me - free - ina baout 2 weeks. Real helpful people there. Good luck !

23 December 1998, 05:18 PM

Ron and John,thanks ever so much.Regards.Mukund.

24 December 1998, 04:51 AM

To understand the torque issue you must understand a rotary engine. When a normal internal combustion engine runs the bulk of the engine is stationary and the crankshaft spins. In a rotary the crankshaft mounts solid to the firewall and the rest of the engine spins. When you have that much weight spinning out from the center of rotation it produces an enormous amount of torque. Go to: http://www.cfanet.com/mlewis/gwaa.htm to see a DR1 flying with a rotary engine. This plane is still flown regularly.