This invention relates to a rotary engine of general application that may be an internal or external combustion engine.
Various rotary engines have been developed wherein a cycle of fluid intake, compression, ignition or heating, and fluid exhaust are used to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy. A well known type of rotary engine is the Wankel Engine wherein a rotating piston opens and closes ports in a cylinder wall so that the piston controls the intake and exhaust in the engine. The Wankel Engine employs a triangular piston which rotates in a housing having a epitrochoid opening. As the piston rotates, seals mounted in the three corners of the piston sweep the wall of the opening to define three enclosed spaces which successively increase and decrease in size to draw an air/fuel mixture into the chamber, compress the mixture prior to ignition, and discharge the exhaust gases through an outlet port.
One of the main problems with conventional rotary piston engines is maintaining a seal between the chambers of the engine. In rotary piston engines having a solid piston, the corners of the piston form a seal with the inner wall of the housing by sweeping against the inner wall in direct frictional contact resulting in the wear of the seals after extended use and an inherent loss of energy. Thus the present invention is directed to providing a rotary engine which eliminates the need for sweeping frictional contacts seal which contact the opening of the housing to maintain a seal between chambers.