Rotary combustion engines
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- ASTI:p. 1580 (Internal combustion engines--Rotary)
- Engr. index(hdg.: Rotary engines)
- www.Yahoo.Wankel Rotary engines-Theory and design(There are three main types of true rotary engines: 1) Wankel types based on eccentric rotors, 2) Scissor action types using vanes or pistons, and 3) Revolving block types)
- Collier's index(Rotary combustion engines)
- Britannica Micro.:v. 10, p. 199 (rotary engine)
- NASA thes(Rotary engines)
- Americana:v. 23, p. 803 (rotary engine: an internal combustion engine in which the standard reciprocating pistons, with their up and down motion, are replaced with pistons or equivalent parts that rotate on an axis.)
- Random House(rotary engine: 1) an engine as a turbine. 2) a revolving radial engine)
The rotary engine is an early type of internal combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration. The engine's crankshaft remained stationary in operation, while the entire crankcase and its attached cylinders rotated around it as a unit. Its main application was in aviation, although it also saw use in a few early motorcycles and automobiles. This type of engine was widely used as an alternative to conventional inline engines (straight or V) during World War I and the years immediately preceding that conflict. It has been described as "a very efficient solution to the problems of power output, weight, and reliability". By the early 1920s, the inherent limitations of this type of engine had rendered it obsolete.
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