This is a thing of beauty!!!

[gumpy]

This is an incredible piece of art and beauty! Billed as the world's smallest 12 cylinder engine.
Fascinating!

http://www.wimp.com/tiniestengine/


Sorry, this isn't really bus related, other than I can't imagine a single bus nut who won't be fascinated by the workmanship that goes into this engine.
Please move it to off topic in a day or two, if you would.

[gumpy]

And I have a question for you engine guys...

After he machined the crankshaft, why did he flatten the pieces next to where each piston attaches (what's the proper name for that piece?)

I'm sure someone knows why that's done.



I found my answer. They are counterweights which offset the weight of the pistons for balancing. And the piston attachments are called pins, or rod journals.

[Oonrahnjay]

(snip)   After he machined the crankshaft, why did he flatten the pieces next to where each piston attaches (what's the proper name for that piece?)

I'm sure someone knows why that's done.



I found my answer. They are counterweights which offset the weight of the pistons for balancing. And the piston attachments are called pins, or rod journals.

    Back when I worked for Norton motorcycles, we called those "crank cheeks".  I'm not sure that they'd be called by anyone who knows about engineering from later than the 19th Century, though.  And only 2 valves per cylindro???   What a wimp!

[Seayfam]

Thanks for posting that video Craig! That was about the coolest video I've seen in awhile.

[gumpy]

Appears to be a two stroke diesel, though. Am I right?

So is this a 12V05 Detroit?

[Seayfam]

I was thinking 12v01

[wildbob24]

Very cool and nice attention to detail.

Looks to me like he's running it on compressed air.

Bob

[niles500]

I have a friend who has to remain nameless   that was part of a project that built a ceramic ICE that developed 250 hp with immeasurable heat rejection and could be held in the palm of your hand - makes you wonder  

[artvonne]

  Its a 4 stroke but does look air driven

  There are a few 12 cyl engines on youtube that actually run on fuel and spark

[Jeremy]

Yes, this is impressive but by no means state-of-the-art model engineering. There are indeed fully working examples out there, including one (a V12 also I think) I've seen that is about the same scale as this one, but is fitted into an entire scratch-built Ferrari (one of the '60s Le Mans racers from memory). Not only is it a fully-working spark-ignition engine, but it attached to a fully operational gearbox, and the entire rest of the car.

Jeremy

[bevans6]

Maybe he made it using this:

http://www.craftsmanshipmuseum.com/jordan.htm

Just like mine, only littler...

Brian

[Iceni John]

I wonder if anyone has built a miniature 2-stroke Detroit?   Or how about a miniature Napier Deltic  -  18 cylinders, 36 pistons, 3 crankshafts (one counter-rotating!), but not a single valve.   If he made a mini-Detroit, how would he make it leak oil and smoke?

Seriously, that's an exquisite example of workmanship.   Wow!

John

[gumpy]

I'd like to get a large scale Wankle engine for my bus! Wonder if a Wankel will run on diesel?

[Iceni John]

If the lobes and combustion chambers could be shaped to produce enough compression ratio, why not?   However, lobe tip seals may be an insurmountable problem with Compression-Ignition pressures  -  look at the problems NSU and Mazda had to make them seal for gasoline Wankels.   Didn't Rolls-Royce try to develop a multi-fuel Wankel for military use?

I suppose a Wankel is a no-stroke engine?

If I eat too much turkey tomorrow, even I'll be doing Suck/Squeeze/Bang/Blow.

John

[niles500]

http://www.der-wankelmotor.de/Motoren/Rolls-Royce/rolls-royce.html