QuadroRhomb
US Pat.# 5,004,409 Euro Pat.#
0334302
Jap.Pat.#2,727,197
Russ.Pat.#2032112
The notion "Displacement Machine" defines a machine with one or
more
chambers having changed volumes. Such a
machine can work as a pump, as hydro- and compressed air motor, as
a
steam- and combustion engine. The most well-known and dominant
construction of displacement machine is the cylinder-piston one; A
further example is the Wankel stator-rotor construction.
An absolutely new construction is called "QuadroRhomb", because
it has
four chambers with
rhomb-shaped cross-sections. These chambers are formed by twelve
dumb-bell-shaped elements and by one
immobile (2) and one rotating (3) plate. The twelve elements are
connected in a grid of four rhombs; all these
nine connections are joints. Therefore the grid has nine axles.
The
central axle (7) of the grid (which joints four
inner dumb-bell elements) is connected with the immobile plate
(2). Two
axles (6a and 6b) of opposite joints
(connecting only two external elements) are connected with the
rotating
plate (3). The remaining six axles of the
grid are free. The rotating plate has in its center a fixed
connection
with the power shaft (8), which rotates in a
bearing placed in the plate (10). This shaft is placed parallel to
the
axles of the grid. The distance between the
shaft (8) and the central axle (7) is a little bit smaller as
compared
with the distance between two axles of one
element of the grid. The plates (2) and (10) and intermediate part
(9)
form the case of the machine. In the
immobile plate (2) there are four openings (13a, 13b, 14a, 14b),
which
serve for input and output of the working
substance (gas, steam, liquid). These openings are controlled by
the
grid elements during their movement. If the
machine works as combustion engine with Otto- or Diesel-cycle,
only one
input and one output opening are
needed (for example 13a and 14a). But in this case into the plate
(2)
must be placed spark plugs and/or fuel
sprayers. If the power shaft (8) turns around, each chamber
changes
twice per revolution its volume from
minimum Vmin (total compressed rhombic cross-section) to maximum
Vmax
(quadratic cross-section) and vice
versa. Therefore the total volume displaced per revolution is
8´(Vmax _
Vmin). The compression Vmax /Vmin up to
35 is possible. It must be emphasized, that during rotation of the
shaft
(8) the center of masses of
QuadroRhomb stays in the same point, also if there is a liquid in
the
chamber and/or in the case. This is also
valid for the asymmetrical variant of the grid (Fig.3). As
compared with
existing displacement machines
QuadroRhomb is small, light, effective and cheap. It is very
simple: it
has no connecting rods, no crank shaft,
no balancing masses, no valves, no cam shaft, no tooth gears. It
does
not need sealing elements like piston
rings and it does not need a special fly wheel, because its
rotating
plate works as fly wheel too and smoothens
over the angle vibrations. QuadroRhomb also has no radial
vibrations,
because its mass center stays in the
same point. As a pump it pumps twice per revolution of power shaft
from
each of its chambers. As a combustion
engine QuadroRhomb performs all four strokes in each of its four
chambers only per one revolution of power
shaft and works as an 8-cylinder machine. The sealing, cooling and
lubrication problems can be successful
solved. For example, the sealing of joints can be ensured by the
fabrication accuracy of order of 0.01 mm.
Because the joints are relative small and their parts having
almost the
same temperatures, the joints remain
hermetic if themachine is going to work. Application of materials
with a
small thermal expansion (e.g. invar or
ceramics) can be also useful. The sealing between the grid and the
plates (2) and (3) is provided by the unique
peculiarity of the new machine, namely, the possibility of
operational
changing of the distance between the plates
(2) and (3). In Figure it is symbolically shown by the spring,
which
moves the plate (3) toward to the plate (2).
Such a possibility does not exist in the old machines: it is not
possible to change the diameter of cylinder or
piston, the size of stator or rotor, and therefore special sealing
elements between these parts are necessary.
The cylinder serves as a bearing for a push-pull moving of the
piston.
This bearing is attracted by mechanical
(especially when the connecting rod stays obliquely), thermal, and
chemical influences. In contrast to it, in
QuadroRhomb there are no essential mechanical forces between the
grid
and the plates, and the bearings of
axles of grid have no direct contact with the combustion gas. The
central axle (7) of the grid can be lubricated
through a channel in it (it is shown in Figure); the rest eight
axles of
the grid can be lubricated through channels
(in grid elements) connecting these axles with the case where the
oil is
sprayed because of the rotation. This oil
lubricates the plates (2), (3) also. The openings of QuadroRhomb
have
large apertures (better as with 4- valves
technique). The chambers of Wankel engine are too flat during
combustion
and first third of expansion phase.
Because of that too much thermal energy is lost by the thermal
flows to
the walls. Also the combustion is not
complete, and many poison products are generated. In contrast to
that,
the chambers of QuadroRhomb are
compact, especially if "asymmetrical", not "symmetrical" form of
grid
is used, und have
approximately the same volume-to-surface ratio as the
cylinder-piston
engine. The critical loading of the new
machine arises in the bearings of the grid and is the same order
as the
loading in the piston-finger bearing of
cylinder-piston machine. The maximal revolution rate depends on
the size
of the machine. Small machines can
rotate faster. If the maximum revolution rate is limited by the
dynamic
forces, its value is approximately the same
or some lower as compared with maximal revolution rate of existing
machines having the same volume of
chambers. But the whole productivity of QuadroRhomb is higher,
because
each of four chambers changes its
volume from maximum to minimum and vice versa two times per
revolution
of power shaft. If the maximal
revolution rate is limited by the ability of the valve's
mechanism, the
advantage of QuadroRhomb is still more,
because it has no valves. The thermodynamics of QuadroRhomb as a
heat
engine has the next advantage:
during the intake and compression strokes the working substance
contacts
with the relative cold zone of the
immobile plate (3) and only later goes into contact with the hot
zone.
Such a space division leads to a high
efficiency of the machine. Because of its simplicity the
production of
QuadroRhomb needs only a small quantity
of raw materials and energy that is better for the environment
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