Wankel engine
The
Wankel engine is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. Over the commonly used reciprocating piston designs the Wankel engine delivers advantages of: simplicity, smoothness, compactness, high revolutions per minute and a high power to weight ratio. The engine is commonly referred to as a
rotary engine, though this name applies also to other completely different designs. Its four-stroke cycle occurs in a moving combustion chamber between the inside of an oval-like epitrochoid-shaped housing and a rotor that is similar in shape to a Reuleaux triangle with sides that are somewhat flatter. The engine was invented by German engineer Felix Wankel. He received his first patent for the engine in 1929, began development in the early 1950s at NSU and completed a working prototype in 1957. NSU subsequently licensed the design to companies around the world, who have continually improved the design.