Subject: Cooling system corrosion
From: ACRE
Date: 2/21/2004, 11:09 AM

Harrison Young wrote:

What is the worst corrosion anyone has seen in the aluminum parts of a
rotary engine out there? I'm thinking of the case where someone (automotive
use here) didn't maintain their cooling system with inhibitors, or ran many
years with just tap water in the radiator. Has anyone seen corrosion bad
enough to potentially "break-through" the wall of a combustion chamber?

Harrison Young

I have never seen anything really bad except in a water pump housing
and that was probably caused by cavitation due to low coolant level
rather than corrosion. 

Inside the rotor housing develop a thick coating which probably
reduces the heat transfer to the coolant. These are from Perry's
engine he got out of a junk yard, installed it as it was and flew 
for 650 hours or so as I recall. This is the worst I have seen most of
my
other half dozen rotor housings are in better shape. They all have
this coating to a lessor extent and other colors.

Paul Lamar
 
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