Motor Car History
Technical History of the Motor Car

      

1890s  1900s  1910s  1920s  1930s  1940s  1950s  1960s   1970s  1980s  1990s  2000s  2010s

Toggle Navigation
  • Home
  • Makes and models
  • Motor car History
  • Maintenance Guide
    • Engines By Make
    • Engine Components
    • Electrical & electronic
    • Gearbox & Drivetrain
    • Induction & Exhaust
    • Suspension Types
    • Tyres wheels Brakes
    • Vehicle Body types
  • Trivia
  • Register
  • *Top rated*
  • You are here:  
  • Motor Car
  • Maintenance Guide
  • Engine Guide
  • Rotary Engine explained
Category
Technical Guides

Rotary Engine how it works

The Rotary Engine explained, how it works and use in cars.

The Rotary Engine explained, how it works and use in cars.
The chief limitation of modern piston engines is the stress set up in components between piston and crankshaft when they change direction of movement. The stress
increases rapidly as the engine speed rises until a point is reached at which moving parts would disintegrate. For this reason, the distance travelled by reciprocating parts has been kept to a minimum as engine speeds have increased, resulting in the "over square" design of today.

Two successful types of engines have resulted from a complete change of design that eliminates reciprocating motion. The gas turbine, for example, is virtually commonly employed in modern aeroplanes. The other is a rotary member unit, which has a triangle rotor that moves in an oval housing and is powered by a spark plug. During development, the latter kind had a number of issues, including rotor sealing, cooling, noise, and lubrication, but they have now been completely resolved.
Early engines employed the two-stroke cycle, but in common with piston counterparts suffered from poor breathing as engine speed increased; this in turn resulted in poor thermal efficiency and short component life. The successful unit which is now used in current production road vehicles, has, for this reason adopted the four-stroke cycle. When the power desired is fairly high, more than one rotor is used in the same way as cylinders are multiplied with piston engines. No valves are incorporated.
Maximum power output was initially produced at a rotor speed considerably higher than a normal piston engine but lower than a gas turbine.
In service, the stresses produced on rotor seals and casing led to a comparatively short engine life coupled with starting difficulties.
Alterations in design have subsequently reduced the operating speed to that of normal piston engines. To improve the combustion efficiency, two spark plugs are sometimes fitted. These are arranged to spark separately, one slightly after the other to lessen the distance of flame Advantages over piston engines include smoother power delivery and more compact construction coupled with a much-improved power to weight ratio, especially in the larger engines.

 

How the Rotary Engine works.

The Rotary Engine type
Intake is starting between 1 and 3 Compression is occurring between 1 and 2
Power is being produced between 2 and 3 Exhaust is finishing between 3 and 1

The Rotary Engine workings

Intake is finishing between 1 and 3 Spark is occurring between 1 and 2. Exhaust is occurring between 2 and 3.

The Rotary Engine workings

Intake continues between 1 and 3 Compression continues between 1 and 2 Power is finishing between 2 and 3

The Rotary Engine specifications

Intake is finished between 1 and 3 Power is being produced between 1 and 2 Exhaust is continuing between 2 and 3

  • Engine Guide Previous 139 / 194 Next

Engine Makes

  • Alfa Romeo
  • AMC
  • Audi
  • Aston Martin
  • Aster
  • Austin
  • Blackburne
  • British Leyland
  • BMW
  • Bentley
  • Cosworth
  • Chapuis-Dornier
  • Coventry Climax
  • Citroen
  • Chevrolet
  • Dorman
  • Daihatsu
  • Dodge
  • Daimler
  • Ferrari
  • Fafnir
  • Ford
  • Honda
  • Hyundai
  • ILO
  • Jap
  • Jaguar
  • Lamborghini
  • Lexus
  • Lancia
  • Land Rover
  • Leyland
  • Lotus
  • Mazda
  • Meadows
  • Mercedes
  • MG
  • Nissan
  • Porsche
  • Perkins
  • Reliant
  • Renault
  • Rolls-Royce
  • Rover
  • Sachs
  • Saab
  • SEAT
  • Subaru
  • Suzuki
  • Toyota
  • Triumph
  • TVR
  • Vauxhall-Opel
  • Vickers
  • Villiers
  • Volkswagen
  • Volvo
  • White & Poppe
  • Worldwide
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • British
  • Bulgaria
  • canada
  • Czech
  • Chile
  • Czechoslovakia
  • China
  • Denmark
  • Egypt
  • Finland
  • Greece
  • Guernsey
  • Germany
  • Hungary
  • India
  • Ireland
  • Indonesia
  • Korean
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Philippines
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • South Africa
  • sweden
  • Romania
  • Turkey
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Serbia
  • Uruguay
  • Ukraine
  • United States
  • Venezuela
  • Yugoslavia

On Motor Car

  • Maintenance Guide
  • Makes and Models
  • Motor car History
  • Film & TV
  • Your Top Rated *****
  • Join here

log on

Log in to Motor car

  • Forgot your username?
  • Forgot your password?

Welcome To Motor Car

  • Rotary engine
  • Wankel Engine
  • Flathead V8
  • V10 Engines
  • V16 Engines
  • Petrol Engines
  • Two-stroke Engine
  • Cylinder related
  • Piston related
  • Cooling System
  • Crankshaft related
  • Engine Related
  • Fuel system
  • Electrical related
  • Service related
  • Filters
  • Timing related
  • Valve related
  • Bearing related
  • Technical terms

Please help to keep this site active.

Engines types

  • Petrol
  • Diesel
  • V4
  • V6
  • V8
  • V10
  • V12
  • Straight-2
  • Straight-3
  • Straight-4
  • Straight-5
  • Straight 6
  • Straight-8
  • Flat-4
  • Flat-6
  • Two-stroke

Enjoy all of Motor Car Here


Back to Top

© 2025 Motor Car History