Hello Paul,


I was wondering if you went anywhere with your alum side housing idea? I am really interested
in doing this for my engine to lose weight, equalize cooling and also because I am going to
have to make my own end housings anyway. I can see doing a metal insert but would be
concerned about the plate remaining perfectly flat after being press/shrunk fit to the
aluminum. I am assuming that runout on the housing surface would have to be relative small.
Det gun spraying an aluminum surface a better option?

I figured out I could machine the housings in 2 halves on a cnc and then Alum dip braze them
together to get all of the hollow channels inside and avoid doing castings which I would have
to post machine anyway. I am taking a engine apart this weekend hopefully and see all the
little nooks and crannies I cant make out from the pics at this moment. If I can do them out
of one piece alum and the plate then all the better.

What are the exhaust port insert made of and is there an intentional air gap on the
side port version? How bad can the egt's get on these engines?

Rob

The exhaust port inserts are Inconel and the air gap maintains the high
exhaust gas temperatures to light off the catalyst as soon as possible.
Exhaust gas temperature on the peripheral exhaust port can run 1800 degrees F.
Therein lies a lot of potential energy. The temperatures in the side exhaust
port RX8 engine run about 200 F cooler. Most of that heat goes into the cooling system
I suspect and some of it perhaps is due to the reduction in unburnt hydrocarbons
burning in the exhaust manifold.

Surprisingly the lower weight engine is not that important for two rotor use in
kit aircraft. The 2 rotor engine is just about the right weight for most kit planes.
The one rotor is another matter entirely. Richard Sohn has been working
on that for at least seven years and is close to success.

We have to order our doable priorities.  My goal here is to see that the rotary achieves
its rightful place in the world of aircraft engines. A bit idealistic? Yes. A bit
unrealistic? No doubt....but as president Kennedy said about going to the moon. "We
are not doing this because it is easy. We are doing this because it is hard" :)

Mistral in Geneva Switzerland is doing its share.

Right now I think the bell housing is going to make the most difference and
it is well within our capabilities. Too many builders look at certain rotary installations
out there and are turned off by the cosmetics. Not all. Some are extremely well done like
Al Gietzen's, Bulent Alieve's and Mark Steitle's airplanes. I am focused on improving that
situation with the new bell housing.

My next project in the order of my priorities is low cost,
reliable and simple mechanical fuel injection. The slide throttle and p-ports are
well on their way to success. The mechanical fuel injection will build on that.
too many people are struggling with conventional EFI. Too hard to understand and
fix unless you happen to be an electronics engineer. The extra power of the slide
throttle P-port engine with simple mechanical fuel injection that anybody can understand
and fix will be a very attractive alternative engine package compared to the Lycomings and
Continentals.

Perhaps the next project will be a lower cost, lighter weight  constant speed prop
capable PSRU using the mass produced and low cost Ford planet gear set.

The turbo compound development is beyond what I can afford. I am convinced it is
very worth while and sooner or later somebody will do it. One cannot ignore
forever the potential 20% reduction in fuel consumption.

Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.

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