DALHOUSIEUNIVERSITY DEPARTMENTOFMECHANICALENGINEERING MECH4010/4020

WINTERTERMFINALREPORT
Preparedby:

GROUP10: ROTATIONALIMPACTINTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINE

AdamKrajewski AzizMartakoush BradenMurphy BrettDickey JeanFranoisPelletier Supervisor Dr.DarrelDoman April9,2010

ExecutiveSummary
TheRotationalImpactInternalCombustionEngine(RIICE)isaconceptualenginewithone mainconcept:thepistonsrotateaboutacentershaft.TheprimarydifferenceoftheRIICE concept is all four strokes of a conventional internal combustion engine occur simultaneouslyinonecycle. In this project, no fuel is used, and compressed air is used to simulate fuel ignition. The highpressureairforcesthepistonstorotateabouttheshaftinonedirection,asthepistons are restricted from rotating in the reverse direction by the use of oneway bearings. An additional of one waybearing arrangement is used to transfer power to the drive shaft whenthepistonsrotateforwards. The power transmission using oneway bearings and the piston shape had the most influenceinthedesignprocessandonthefinaldesign.Itwaschosentouseacircularcross sectionpistontosimplifysealing.Therefore,atoroidalshapedcasingisrequired.Thecasing of the mechanism is comprised of two halves that cover and seal the upper half of the pistons,andtwocranksformthelowerhalfoftoroid.Tosimplifythefabricationprocessthe pistonsaremadeofthreecylindricalpieces,whichfitintothetoroidalshapeofthecranks andcasing. Thesealingbetweenthecranksandcasingiscriticaltomaintainhighcompressionratiosby reducingairleakstoaminimum.Severalsealingmethodsareinvestigatedandelastomer energizedplasticsealareimplemented intothedesign.Thepistonsaresealedwithacetal lipseals. The control system is intended to manage the timing of compressed air injected into the enginetoensurefullrotationofthepistonsandcontinuousengineoperation.Thissystemis intendedtocontroltherotationoftheengineandultimatelyitspoweroutput. Twoprototypeshavebeenbuilttoprovevariousaspectsoftheconcept.Thefirstprototype wasaplasticmodeltodemonstratetheoperationoftheonewaybearingarrangements.It was shown that the bearings work as intended. An open casing test was performed with compressed air on the plastic prototype. The test demonstrated that the pistons rotate as intendedwithnocasing.Thesecondprototypeisanaluminumprototype builttotestthe operationoftheenginewithaclosedcasing.Itisnecessarytooperatetheengineinaclosed casing,becausetheintentoftheprojectistosimulateoperationasaninternalcombustion engine. Fromtestsperformedontheclosedcasing,theteamcouldnotgettheenginetooperateas intended. The primary reason that it did not work, is thought to be because of a balance between the sealing and friction in the closed casing engine. From tests on various seal geometries,itwaschosentouseasealwithlowerfrictionandsealabilityfortheprototype. Fromthetestingitwasfoundthatthisbalancewasnottherightchoicetogettheengineto operate. Therefore, it is recommended that further research be concentrated on determining the correct seal geometries to establish an effective low friction seal. In addition, it is recommended that a method of repositioning the pistons between tests be incorporated into the design. In addition, a method of spinning the pistons before the compressedairisimplementedisrecommendedtostarttheengine.

TableofContents
ExecutiveSummary ............................................................................................................................... i ListofFigures.........................................................................................................................................iv ListofTables ........................................................................................................................................... v 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 MechanicalEfficiency..............................................................................................................................1 1.2 RIICEConcept.............................................................................................................................................3 1.3 OneWayBearing ......................................................................................................................................4 1.3.1 Fundamentals....................................................................................................................................4 1.4 Function ........................................................................................................................................................5 2 DesignRequirements....................................................................................................................7 2.1 DesignRequirementResults................................................................................................................8 2.1.1 Mechanical:.........................................................................................................................................8 2.1.2 Budget,documentationandsafety: .........................................................................................8 2.1.3 Performance: .....................................................................................................................................9 2.1.4 PhysicalAttributes:...................................................................................................................... 10 2.1.5 IntellectualProperty ................................................................................................................... 11 3 DesignProcess.............................................................................................................................. 11 3.1 PowerTransfer ....................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.1 Option1:RotatingCasingwithindexingfreewheelsonoutside ............................. 12 3.1.2 Option2:FixedCasingwithindexingfreewheelsinside............................................. 12 3.1.3 Option3:FixedCasingwithindexingandbackstoppingonewaybearings ...... 12 3.2 Pistons ........................................................................................................................................................ 13 3.2.1 PistonshapeandAssembly...................................................................................................... 14 3.2.2 PistonSeals...................................................................................................................................... 15 3.2.3 PistonMounting ............................................................................................................................ 16 4 FinalDesign ................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1 Cranks ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.1 CrankFriction................................................................................................................................. 18 4.2 ImpactRings ............................................................................................................................................ 21 4.3 BearingHousings................................................................................................................................... 21 4.4 Casing.......................................................................................................................................................... 22 4.5 Sealing......................................................................................................................................................... 23 4.6 Initialdesign ............................................................................................................................................ 23 4.7 DesignRevisions .................................................................................................................................... 26 4.7.1 OuterSeals....................................................................................................................................... 26 4.7.2 InnerSeals ....................................................................................................................................... 27 4.8 ControlSystem........................................................................................................................................ 28 4.9 Theory......................................................................................................................................................... 28 4.10 Development ......................................................................................................................................... 28 4.11 FinalControl.......................................................................................................................................... 31 4.12 FutureRecommendations............................................................................................................... 33 ii

4.13 CompressedAirSystem ................................................................................................................... 34 4.14 PositionSensing................................................................................................................................... 35 5 Prototypes...................................................................................................................................... 35 5.1 Plasticprototype .................................................................................................................................... 35 5.2 FinalPrototype ....................................................................................................................................... 36 5.2.1 PistonAssembly ............................................................................................................................ 36 5.2.2 CrankAssembly............................................................................................................................. 37 5.2.3 Casing................................................................................................................................................. 39 5.2.4 PillowBlockAssembly................................................................................................................ 40 5.2.5 EngineMount ................................................................................................................................. 41 6 Testing............................................................................................................................................. 42 6.1 OpenCasingModel ............................................................................................................................. 42 6.1.1 ManualTest ..................................................................................................................................... 42 6.1.2 CompressedAirTest ................................................................................................................... 44 6.1.3 OpenCasingPrototype ............................................................................................................ 46 6.2 ClosedCasingPrototype .................................................................................................................. 50 6.2.1 AllPistonSealsOldSeals ....................................................................................................... 50 6.2.2 HalfPistonSealsInitialDesign............................................................................................ 51 6.2.3 PistonSealsNewDesign ........................................................................................................ 52 6.2.4 SubTestA:QualityofSeal..................................................................................................... 52 6.3 SubTestB:EliminatingBackStoppingSealLeaks .............................................................. 52 6.3.1 SubTestC:Transmittingmomentumfromonecranktoanotherusinghigher pressure............................................................................................................................................................ 53 6.3.2 SubTestD:CompressioncycleNoimpactring ........................................................ 53 6.4 HighPressureArgon ............................................................................................................................ 54 7 Sealing ............................................................................................................................................. 54 BenchmarkTesting........................................................................................................................................... 54 OuterSeals............................................................................................................................................................ 55 InnerSeals ............................................................................................................................................................ 56 8 ControlSystem ............................................................................................................................ 57 8.1.1 SolenoidValveLabView ......................................................................................................... 57 8.2 RotaryEncodersLabView ............................................................................................................... 57 8.2.1 SolenoidValveandRotaryEncoderLabView................................................................ 58 8.2.2 PulsatingAirLabView.............................................................................................................. 59 9 Budget ............................................................................................................................................. 60 10 DesignEvaluation ..................................................................................................................... 62 11 FutureConsiderations............................................................................................................. 63 12 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 63 APPENDIXADetailedControlSystem ..................................................................................... 64 UserManualforEngineTesting.................................................................................................................. 65 AppendixBEngineeringDrawings............................................................................................ 67 iii

ListofFigures
Figure1CrosssectionviewofaconventionalICengine ......................................................................1 Figure3TorquecomparisonofICenginevs.RIICE................................................................................3 Figure2CrosssectionofRIICEmechanism ...............................................................................................2 Figure4DiagramofRIICEcombustioncycle.............................................................................................4 Figure5:OverrunOneWayBearings.Source:TorringtonCorporation...........................................5 Figure6:LockedOneWayBearings.Source:TorringtonCorporation. ............................................5 Figure7:IgnitionCycleSingleCrank.............................................................................................................6 Figure8Option1:Rotatingcasingwithbackstoppingexterioronewaybearings................ 12 Figure9Option3:Coaxialonewaybearingsinserieswithfixedcasing(explodedview) 13 Figure10Toroidal,straightthreepiecepistonandexplodedthreepiecepiston.................. 14 Figure11AssembledPiston ........................................................................................................................... 15 Figure12Pistoncupseal[McMasterCarr] ............................................................................................. 15 Figure13Explodedviewoffinaldesign. .................................................................................................. 17 Figure14Crank:rearview,frontviewandcrankassemblywithpistons................................. 18 Figure15Frictionareaonpistonseals ...................................................................................................... 19 Figure16MaximumoperatingpressurecurveofRIICE.................................................................... 20 Figure17BearingHousings ........................................................................................................................... 22 Figure18CasingLeftHalfandRightHalf................................................................................................. 22 Figure19Crosssectionidentifyingareasrequiringsealingbetweenrotatingparts ........... 23 Figure20QuadringfromEngineMechanics......................................................................................... 24 Figure21Highpressurerotaryseal............................................................................................................... 25 Figure22Crosssectionidentifyingsealsbetweenrotatingparts .................................................... 25 Figure23Sectionofthesealinbetweenthetwocranks ...................................................................... 26 Figure24Revisedsealinenginecrosssection ....................................................................................... 27 Figure25Schematicofsolenoidcontrol.................................................................................................... 29 Figure26Sinusoidalfiringcontrolofsolenoid....................................................................................... 30 iv

Figure27Openloopcontroldiagramofcontrolsystem .................................................................... 31 Figure28Detailedschematicofopenloopcontrol............................................................................... 31 Figure29Controlsystemuserinterface.................................................................................................... 32 Figure30Affectofnoiseonencodercounts ............................................................................................ 34 Figure31PrototypeofRIICEmechanism ................................................................................................. 35 Figure32:PistonAssembly................................................................................................................................ 36 Figure33:CrankAssembly................................................................................................................................. 38 Figure34:CrankandCrankAssembly. ......................................................................................................... 39 Figure35:PillowBlockAssembly. .................................................................................................................. 40 Figure36EngineMount..................................................................................................................................... 42 Figure37Crankpistonassembly................................................................................................................. 43 Figure38DynamictestingoftheRIICEmodel ....................................................................................... 44 Figure39:SleeveAssembly................................................................................................................................ 47 Figure40:DamagedBackstoppingOneWayBearing............................................................................ 49 Figure41:HighQualityBackstoppingOneWayBearing. .................................................................... 50

ListofTables
Table1MechanicalDesignRequirements ...................................................................................................8 Table2BudgetDocumentationandSafetyrequirements ....................................................................8 Table3PerformanceDesignRequirements................................................................................................9 Table4DAQPinoutforSolenoidValveandEncoders ....................................................................... 31 Table5:RIICEItemizedCost. ........................................................................................................................... 60 Table6:MachiningandFabricationManHours....................................................................................... 61 Table7:FabricationWorkDivision............................................................................................................... 61 v

vi

1 Introduction
The purpose of this project is to test the concept of the Rotational Impact Internal CombustionEngine(RIICE).RIICEisaconceptualrotaryenginethatismoremechanically efficient than a conventional internal combustion engine. The device will be powered by compressedairtosimulatefuelignition.Thehighpressureairforcesthepistonstorotate abouttheshaftinonedirection,asthepistonsarerestrictedfromrotatingintheopposite directionbytheuseofonewaybearings.Thepistonsareconnectedtothedriveshaftbya crank. This arrangement allows the pistons to be perpendicular to the drive shaft at all times,amoreefficienttransferofenergy.

1.1 MechanicalEfficiency
There are inherent mechanical inefficiencies in Conventional reciprocating internal combustion (IC) engines associated with the linkage between the pistons and crankshaft. Figure1showsacrosssectionofanICengine,whichconvertsalinearforceofexpansion (F)intoarotationalworkonthedriveshaft.Thetorque(T)onthedriveshaftisthecross productofforceFandtheradiusofthedriveshaft(r),describedbyequation1.

T = rF sin( )

Equation1

Figure1CrosssectionviewofaconventionalICengine ReciprocatingICEngine,Wikipedia2007,modified.

Equation1showsusthatthepresenceoftheangletheta()betweentheFandrreduces the output torque a factor of sin(). The main advantage of the RIICE is the force of expansion is always applied perpendicularly ( = 90) to the driveshaft, effectively eliminatingthesinefactor(sin(90)=1)oftheoutputtorque,asshowninfigure2. ExpansionForce(F) Equation1becomes:
Figure2CrosssectionofRIICEmechanism

CrankRadius(r) Shaft

T = rF

Equation2

Thus, for the RIICE the torque is always a maximum throughout the entire length of the stroke.Thisadvantageisgraphicallyrepresentedinfigure3,whichcomparesthetorquesof the two engines over the period 180, corresponding to the output work of the expansion strokeofanICengine.

TorqueComparison
UnitOutputTorque[Nm] 1 ReciprocatingIC Engine RIICE

0 0 30 60 90 120 Angletheta[degrees] 150 180

Figure3TorquecomparisonofICenginevs.RIICE

1.2 RIICEConcept
Figure 4 for is a visual representation of the RIICE combustion cycle. The RIICE is comprisedof4pistons,withoppositepistonsattached.Theexpansion(expansionstroke), induced by ignition, will exhaust the gases from a previous cycle (exhaust stroke), intake fresh air from atmosphere (intake stroke) and compress air from a previous cycle (compression stroke). At a critical pressure the compression stroke will provoke counter clockwiserotationinthegreypistonspushingthepistonintotheignitionposition,asseen inbottomleft.Thisprocessisalsoaidedbyanimpactbetweenthetwopistonhalvesata speciallydesignedlocation.Thisimpactwilltransferkineticenergyfromonecranktothe other.


Figure4DiagramofRIICEcombustioncycle

1.3 OneWayBearing
1.3.1 Fundamentals

Onewaybearings,workontheprincipalofoppositerelativemotion.Ifnooppositemotion exists between the shaft and housing the oneway bearing is overrunning and does not transmit torque. When opposite relative motion exist between the shaft and housing, the oneway bearing locks and begins transmitting torque shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6 respectively.ThedesignoftheonewaybearingsusedintheRIICEmechanismissuchthat thebearingsdonothaveaninnerrace.


Figure5:OverrunOneWayBearings.Source:TorringtonCorporation.

Figure6:LockedOneWayBearings.Source:TorringtonCorporation.

Therollersoftheonewaybearingsrolldirectlyontheshaft,withacagekeepingtherollers in place with respect to the outer race. Figure 5 shows the outer race of the oneway bearings is made of a series of ramps located over each roller. When opposite relative motionisappliedeithertotheshaftorhousing,therollersessentiallyclimbtheirrespective ramp and eliminating any clearance that existed between the shaft, rollers and housing. Withoutanyclearance,therollerscannolongrotate,formingsolidlinkbetweentheshaft and housing. This type of oneway bearing requires a hardened shaft to prevent damage shaft.

1.4 Function
OnewaybearingsservetwofundamentalfunctionsintheRIICEmechanism.First,during the ignition and expansion cycle, backstopping oneway bearings prevent the reverse motionofthebackpiston.

Pin BackPiston

FrontPiston

Motion

Crank

Figure7:IgnitionCycleSingleCrank

As the compressed air fills the space between the two pistons shown in Figure 7 the forward piston will be pushed forward where the back piston will be restrained by the backstopping oneway bearing. It is important to note that the blue pistons and the red pistons are directly linked to separate cranks. Each crank and piston assembly rotates togetherwithnorelativemotionbetweenthetwohalves. The second function of the oneway bearings is to transmit the torque. As described in Section 1.3 the force of expansion on the pistons applies torque to the shaft. Since the mechanism goes through different cycles, the cranks transmit torque to the shaft intermittently.Thedesignofthemechanismissuchthattheindividualcranksapplytorque totheshaftseparately,atdifferenttimes.Indexingonewaybearingsareusedinsteadofa solidlinkinthiscasetoapplytorquetotheshaft,yetstillallowingtheshafttocontinueits rotationwhennotorqueisapplied.

2 DesignRequirements
TheteamhasoutlinedthefollowingrequirementstoguidethedesignoftheRIICE.These requirements will be used to evaluate quantitatively and qualitatively the performance of thecompletedmechanism. Mechanical: o o o o o o o o o The engine shall be tested with a compressed air system. Compressed air will be usedtosimulatethecombustionstroke. Aworkingmodelshallbebuilttodemonstratetheenginemechanism. Theengineshalloperatebynoothermeansthancompressedair. Theprojectshallbecompletedwithinthebudgetapprovedbythedepartment. Operationalinstructionsshallbeincludedinthefinalreportoftheproject. All moving parts shall be enclosed within a fixed casing (with the exception of the driveshaftextendingfromtheassembly). Necessarysafetyproceduresofusingcompressedairshallbefollowed. Theengineshallrotateataconstantrpmofatleast120rpm. Tests of continuous motion will be conducted, comparing input energy to output energy.Theresultsshallgiveadefinitiveansweroftheperformanceoftheengine mechanism,anddeterminewhethertheconceptshouldbepursuedfurther. o o o o o Themechanismshallbedesignedtoperformforonemillioncycles. Thedeviceshouldbeoperableduringpresentation. Theengineshallbeeasilytransportable. The engine shall be designed with quality, durability and easy assembly in mind, witheffortstoensureanaestheticallypleasingfinalproduct. Theengineshallhavesmalleroveralldimensionsthanaconventionalreciprocating engine of the same displacement. The package volume of the engine shall be less than3cubicfeet. Performance:

DocumentationandBudget:

Safety:

PhysicalAttributes:

2.1 DesignRequirementResults
Thefollowingtablesoutlineanddetailthedesignrequirementssetintheprevioussection. Inaddition,apass/failevaluationofeachrequirementisincluded. 2.1.1 Mechanical:

Table1MechanicalDesignRequirements

Requirement

Evaluation

Status

The engine shall be testedRemote compressed air cylinders, regulator andPASS withacompressedairsystem.solenoid valve was used between 40 and 135 psi. Compressed air will be usedShopcompressedairandsolenoidat95psialsoused to simulate the combustionfor testing. The simulation of the combustion stroke stroke wascompleted.

AworkingmodelshallbebuiltA working model was first built using LEGO andPASS to demonstrate the engineturnedwithLEGOMindstormmotorstoillustratethe mechanism. motionoftheRIICEenginedetailinghowthepistons reposition themselves each rotation. Next a rapid prototyped model with indexing and backstopping bearings was constructed to expose the power transmissiontotheshaft. The engine shall operate byShopair,compressedairandcompressedArgonusedFAIL no other means thantooperateengine: Shop air at 95 psi compressedair.

Compressedairat40130psi CompressedArgonat130250psi 2.1.2 Budget,documentationandsafety:

Table2BudgetDocumentationandSafetyrequirements

DesignRequirement The project shall

Evaluation

Status

be The project was successfully completed at $1376 PASS

completed within the budget underthebudgetapprovedbythedepartmenteven approvedbythedepartment. with the misalignment and eccentricity of indexing ($1500) bearingsandhousing,aswellasexcessivefrictionin backstopping bearings resulting in additional purchase of indexing bearings, backstopping bearingsandrefabricationofsleeves(components) All necessary documentation Operational instructions are found in the final PASS as stated in MECH 4010 / report. 4020 Design Project Handbook will be completed in full by required deadlines assetinthehandbook. All documents completed by Alldocumentscompletedandontime. deadline All moving parts enclosed Finaldesignallrotatingpartssealedexceptshaft within fixed casing (except forshaft) Safetyproceduresfollowed 2.1.3 Performance: Alltestingfollowedsafetyprocedures PASS PASS PASS

Table3PerformanceDesignRequirements

Requirement

Evalutation

Status

Theengineshallrotateata Intheopencasingtestenginesustained620rpmfor30 FAIL constant rpm of at least seconds.Closedcasingtestsshowthatthepistonscan 120rpm. turn one revolution of 360 degrees but the friction betweenthepistonsandcasingistoohigh. Testsofcontinuousmotion Were not able to compare energy produced. It was FAIL comparing input to output possibletodeterminefrictioneffectivepressure. energy The results shall give a Yestheopencasetestinghasprovedthattheconcept PASS definitive answer of the of transmitting power to the shaft with one way performance of the engine bearingsandlimitingthereversemotionofthepistons mechanism, and determine with another set of one way bearings functions as whether the concept expected. It was found that the piston reposition possible. The further development and potential markets of the RIICE concept as a pneumatic engine and internal combustion engine for automotive, aerospace, industrial applications, utility vehicles, hybrid vehicles, garden tools and outdoor tools has beeninvestigated. Design for one million Nosignsofwearonlatestiteration cycles Device should be operable Enginenotoperableduringthepresentation. duringpresentation 2.1.4 PhysicalAttributes: Evaluation Pass FAIL PASS shouldbepursuedfurther. themselves and continuous motion of the engine is

DesignRequirement

Theengineshallbeeasilytransportable The engine can easily be transported by PASS

10

onepersonandweighs20lbs The engine shall be designed with Multiple assemblies and disassemblies PASS quality,durabilityandeasyassemblyin completed rapidly. The engine is robust mind, with efforts to ensure an andvisuallyappealing. aestheticallypleasingfinalproduct The engine shall have smaller overall Yes,theengineisabout1/5thesizeand PASS dimensions than a regular reciprocating weight of an equivalent IC engine with a engine of the same displacement. The cubicvolumeof0.159cubicfeet. package volume of the engine shall be lessthan3cubicfeet. 2.1.5 IntellectualProperty

The intellectual property of the RIICE Concept have been transferred to the Dalhousie University Industry Liaison and Innovation (ILI) office. A revenue agreement has been arrangedwiththeILIoffice.

3 DesignProcess
Duringthebrainstormingdesignprocess,itwasfoundthattwocomponents,theoneway bearingsandthepistons,influencedthedesignofallothers.Onewaybearingswerechosen as the method of transferring work from the pistons to the shaft.The load rating of these bearingsinfluencedthesizeofthecrankspistons,andultimatelytheoveralldimensionsof the entire engine. The shape of the pistons affected the cranks, the casing and sealing aspectsofthemechanism.Theremainderofthissectionsummarizesthedesignprocessof thepistonsandthepowertransferoftheRIICEmechanism.

3.1 PowerTransfer
Onewaybearingswerechosentotransmitpowerbetweenthepistonsandtheoutputshaft to eliminate the need for expensive and complicated gear trains. Three options are

11

presentedfortheoverallconfigurationoftheengine.Thefinaldesignwasfoundtobethe mostsimple,andinvolvedtheleastamountofpart. 3.1.1 Option1:RotatingCasingwithindexingfreewheelsonoutside

Thefirstoption,asseeninFigure8,hasaringgearattachedtotheoutsideofthehousing. The housing is free to move with the motion of the pistons. The backstopping freewheels aregearedtotheringgearandfixedtotheground.Onelimitationtothisdesignisselecting aringgearthathasasufficientoutsidediametertofitaroundthehousing.

Figure8Option1:Rotatingcasingwithbackstoppingexterioronewaybearings

3.1.2

Option2:FixedCasingwithindexingfreewheelsinside

In response to the limitations of the option one, option two has the ring gear inside the housingoftheenginethatallowsforafixedcasing.Byhavingtheringgearontheinsideitis possible to select a smaller gear that decreases the cost. In addition, the design is significantly simplified. An inside ring gear is attached to each crank. The backstopping freewheelsareattachedbetweentheinsideringgearsandthehousingwhichisfixedtothe ground. 3.1.3 Option3:FixedCasingwithindexingandbackstoppingonewaybearings

Withoptionthreeitispossibletomaintainthebackstoppingmotionbyplacingtheindexing and backstopping freewheels coaxially in series around the shaft, seen in Figure 9. The 12

backstoppingfreewheelshavealargerIDallowingthemtobeconnectedbetweentheright and left cranks and fixed to the housing. This third and final option is a simplification of options one and two by removing the ring gears altogether. Placing the bearing in series allowsforamorecompactassemblyoftheRIICEengineblock.Intheenditispossibleto uselessmaterialandbuildanenginewithasmallerdisplacement.

Figure9Option3:Coaxialonewaybearingsinserieswithfixedcasing(explodedview)

3.2 Pistons
Eachpistonisdesignedtotransfertheenergysuppliedbythecompressedairsystemtothe cranks. There are two pistons attached to each crank, for a total of four pistons in the assembly.Thedesignofthepistonsconsideredthefollowing: Faceshape:roundvs.square Manufacturability:toroidvs.square The Wankel engine is a widely known, production rotary engine with square shaped pistons. Due to the popularity of the Wankel, the first iteration of the piston design considers a square shape. The advantage of the square shape is the simplicity of manufacturingthecasing.TheotheradvantageofconsideringtheWankelssquareshaped 13

pistonsistheissueofsealinghasalreadybeenaddressed.Thisisdonethroughtheuseof Apexseal,whichareessentiallyflatbarmadeofhardmetalpressedflatagainsttheengine casingbyaleafspring.IfApexsealswereusedintheRIICE,customsealswouldbeneeded, whichwouldbeanexpensiveoption.Therewerealsoconcernsforsealingthesidesandthe sharp corners of square pistons. For these reasons, square pistons were not pursued any further. 3.2.1 PistonshapeandAssembly

Round pistons were chosen because a circle provides the largest area with the smallest perimeter. A round piston requires a round cylinder and when combined with the rotary conceptoftheRIICE,thisleadstoatoroidalexpansionchamber(ahollowdonutshape).The seconddesignofthepistonmatchedthetoroidalshape,asseeninfigure10.Manufacturing toroidalpistonsisachallenge.Toovercomethischallenge,athirddesignwasselectedfor thepistons,alsoseeninFigure10. Toroid Straight

Figure10Toroidal,straightthreepiecepistonandexplodedthreepiecepiston

Thepistonsstillhavethetoroidgeometrybutaremadefromthreepieces:thefrontface, therearfaceandthecentersectionallmadeofaluminum6061T6.Thefrontandrearfaces areidentical.ThesesectionscanbeseeninFigure10,pistonfaceontheleft,centersection ontherightandanassembledpistoncanbeseeninFigure11.Thetwoholesontheright hand side of the components of Figure 11 are used to assemble the piston using screws. Thepistonisscrewedtothecrankviashoulderscrew.

14


Figure11AssembledPiston

3.2.2

PistonSeals

Theinitialdesignwastousepistonringstosealaroundthepistoninthetoroidalchamber. Pistonsrings,typicallymadeoutofcastiron,comeinavarietyofstandardsizes,arereadily availableandinexpensive.Theseseemedtobeanexcellentchoice;howeverthetechnicians raisedsomeissueswithregardstowear.Havingcastironscrapingagainstthealuminum casingwillbeanissueandanalternatedesignistobeconsideredforsealingorcasingand cranks shall be manufactured out of steel. A second suggestion to is to manufacture the pistonsoutofdurablewearresistantpolymersuchasAcetalorOrlon.Thesepolymersare used in bearing internals and have both high wear characteristics and considerably high tensile strengths. This would be implemented into the design of the pistons by removing the grooves and adding a recess on the edges to form a seal. A third suggestion is to use pistoncupsealsasseeninFigure12tobemountedoneachface.Oncepressureisapplied, thecupsealswillexpandformingasealwiththecasingandactingasawiperblade.Further researchisrequiredinthesefieldsandthedesignischangingaccordingly.

Figure12Pistoncupseal[McMasterCarr]

Evaluatingthethreepossiblepistonfacedesigns,theteamdecidedtogoforwardswiththe second option: Fabricating piston faces using Acetal. Conventional piston rings used in internalcombustionenginearetypicallymadefromcastiron.SincetheRIICEdesignusesa aluminumcasing,conventionalpistonringswouldhavecausedexcessivewearofthecasing eventuallyleadingtocompressedairleakageorseizure. 15

The third option, piston cups, was not chosen because they are an offtheshelf, non modifiable component. Typically offtheshelf components are preferred since they are simpler and do not require design, only selection. In this case, it was unknown how the enginewouldperformthereforehavingtheoptiontomodifythepistonsealwascritical.In addition,therewassomeconcernthatduetothelargecuparea,whenenergizedthepiston cupsealwouldprovideasignificantamountoffriction. Initially, energized piston faces were designed and manufactured. The concept of this sealingmethodwasthatwhencompressedairwasappliedtothepistonfacethesealwould energize, the seal lip would expand thus preventing the compressed from leaking. It was found that the seals had to be manufactured with very tight tolerances ( 0.0005 in) to achieve effective sealing. It was originally thought that the Acetal could be oversized, and wouldsqueezeintothechamber.Itwasdiscoveredthematerialisnotaselasticasrequired underthedesiredoperationofthepistonfaces,andthereforeamoreelasticmaterialmay berecommendedforthismethodofmanufacturing. Thepistonfacesweremodifiedinordertoachievemaximumsealingwhileminimizingthe frictionofthepistonwhencontactingthewallsofthecasingandcrank.Thepistonswere precisely manufactured to the cross sectional area of the toroidal chamber. Furthermore thelipwidthwasdecreasedsignificantlytominimizefriction,butmaintainsealing. 3.2.3 PistonMounting

The stress on the screw was calculated with the worstcase scenario where the friction is neglected. This means there is no load sharing of the screw force and clamp force; therefore, the screw takes the entire load. The direct shear stress on the screw was calculatedusing:

V A

Equation3

= 2.7 ksi

The yield stress of an SAE grade 1 screw is 36 ksi therefore shear stress is not a limiting factorinourdesign. 16

4 FinalDesign
With the power transmission and pistons design and finalized the, the remaining componentshavebeendesignedtomatch.Theremainingcomponentsinclude;thecranks, theimpactringsthebearinghousingsandthecasings.Theseareallcomponentsthatmust bemanufacturedandareidentifiedinfigure13.Therearealsoseveralcomponentsthatwill not be manufactured that are crucial to the operation of the engine. They are: the control system,airsystemandsealingaspects.

Figure13Explodedviewoffinaldesign.

4.1 Cranks
Thepurposeofthecranksistotransmittorquefromthepistontotheshaft.Thecranksare connected to the shaft via two oneway bearings. These oneway bearings, referred to as indexingfreewheels,engagewhentorqueisappliedtoacrank.Furthermore,theindexing freewheelsallowtheshafttocontinuerotateifthecranksarestationary.Forthelocationof thesecomponentsonthecrankrefertodrawingM200inAppendixB.

17

Figure14Crank:rearview,frontviewandcrankassemblywithpistons

During expansion, one crank is prevented from rotating backwards by an additional one way bearing, known as the backstopping freewheel. The backstopping freewheels are mountedonthecrankandpressfitintothebearinghousing.Themountingandhousingof theindexingandbackstoppingfreewheelsrequireahardenedsurface.Sincethecranksare made from aluminum, a steel collar is press fit onto the cranks where the backstopping freewheelsattach.ThecollarandcrankassemblycanbeseeninFigure14.Thisassembly mayrequireakeywaybetweenthecrankandcollar,whichhasnotyetbeenincludedinthe design. 4.1.1 CrankFriction

IndesigningtheRIICEconcept,thefrictionbetweenthepistonsandcrankswastakeninto consideration. In order to approximate the friction of the pistons on the cranks, it was assumedthatthefrictionissimilartoaconventionalinternalcombustionengine.Thisisa reasonable assumption because the RIICE concept uses the compression rings from a conventional engine to seal the expandable chambers. It was found that an approximate ruleforestimatingringfrictionisthateachcompressionringcontributesabout1psiMEP1. Thiswasinterpretedasrequiring1psiofpressureonthepistonfacetoovercomefriction, which was used to calculate the net frictional torque on each crank, as described in the followingparagraphs. ThepistonsareattachedtothecrankwithsockedheadcapscrewsasillustratedinFigure 15.Thismeansthateachpistonsealmovesagainsttheoppositecrankandcasingsurfaces, but does not move against the surface of the crank it is attached to. Each crank takes up 18

25% of the seal area. Therefore, there is friction acting on 75% of the seal surface, which correspondstoa0.75psioffrictionperpistonring.

Figure15Frictionareaonpistonseals

Withapistondiameterof1.3in.centeredataradiusof1.75in.fromthedriveshaft,0.75psi correspondstoaresistancetorqueof1.74inlbperpistonring.With4sealsperpistonand 2pistonspercrank,thereisanetfrictionaltorqueequalto14inlbpercrank.Inorderto accountforfrictionofthesealsbetweenthecranks,andtherollingfrictionofthebearings, thisfrictionaltorquewasdoubledtoequal28inlbpercrank. Note that the compression ring material may be changed to a polymer seal material as discussed in the sealing section. This method of sealing is not dramatically different from theoriginalmethodchosen,andtheestimatedfrictionaltorqueshouldbewithinthesame range. Theoverallsizeofthemechanismisgovernedbytwomaincomponents:thecranksandthe pistons.Thelimitingtorqueratingoftheonewaybearingsdictatesthemaximumtorqueof theRIICEmechanism.Curvesforthemaximumoperatingpressureofthemechanismhave beenderivedtoidentifytheoptimalpistonsizeandcrankradius.Themaximumtorqueis equal to the applied force through the center of the piston times the crank radius. The maximum operating pressure term is introduced by replacing the applied force with the productofthemaximumoperatingpressureandpistoncrosssectionalarea. Thisderivationyieldsthefollowingequation:

19

Pmax =

4Tr 2 d p

Equation4

Where:

Pmaxismaximumoperatingpressure Tristhelimitingtorqurerating risthecrankradiusfromcenterofshafttocenterofpiston dpisthepistonfacediameter A flat piston face was conservatively assumed in the derivation of the above formula. Figure16showstwomaximumoperatingpressurecurvesfromtheaboveequation.

MaximumOperatingPressureasa FunctionofPistonDiameterandCrank Radius

MaximumPressure(Pmax)psi 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 PistonDiameter(dp)andCrankRadius(R)in PmaxVs.R PmaxVs.dp MaximumOperatingPoint MaximumOperatingPoint

Figure16MaximumoperatingpressurecurveofRIICE

20

The blue curve in Figure 16 represents the maximum operating pressure as a function of crankradiuswithafixedpistondiameterof1.3in.Theredcurveinfigure16representsthe maximumoperatingpressureasafunctionofpistondiameterwithafixedcrankradiusof 1.75in.Thetwomaximumoperatingpointsarethepointsatwhichthepistondiameteris 1.3in and the crank radius is at 1.75in. At these operating points the mechanism can operate at a maximum pressure of 177.5psi. At a pressure higher than 177.5 psi, the indexing oneway bearing will begin to slip on the output shaft. The chosen crank radius andpistondiameterare1.75inand1.3inrespectively.

4.2 ImpactRings
The impacts rings are designed to prevent damage to the pistons and to promote energy transfer between them during start up as well as transferring kinetic energy between the cranks.Theimpactringswillbemountedbetweencranks,oneoneachfrontfaceofeach crank.Theringsshallpreventthepistonsfromimpactingoneanotherbyandawiderarc lengththanthepistonsinnerradius,insuringtheimpactsringscontactandthepistonsdo not.

4.3 BearingHousings
Thebearinghousings,alsoreferredtoaspillowblocks,areusedtohousetheexternalradial ballbearingsofthemechanism.Theseradialballbearingstaketheradialloadappliedto the indexing and backstopping freewheels and to keep the shaft true with respect to the cranks and freewheels. As mentioned in the previous section the bearing housings also serveasagroundforthebackstoppingonewaybearings.Thebearinghousingsscrewonto thecasingasshownindrawingM200ofAppendixA.Thefrontandrearviewofoneofthe twobearinghousingandradialball(showningreen)bearingassemblyisshowninFigure 17. 21

 Figure17BearingHousings

4.4 Casing
The casing of the mechanism is comprised of two halves. Each half covers a crank and pistonassemblyasshownindrawingM200ofAppendixA.Thefunctionsofthecasingare togroundthecranks,andbothcoverandsealtheupperhalfofthepistonsnotcoveredby the cranks. The bearing housings are bolted onto the casing, thus anchoring the backstopping loads. Furthermore, the casing holds all the internal components of the mechanismtogether.Thecasingwillbemachinedfromaluminum6061T6andwillhavea filletfeaturedtomatchthecircularfaceofthepistons.Aseriesof12boltswillfastenthe twohalvesofthecasingtogetherwithanoringtopreventandairleaks.Thecasingwillbe mountedtoabaseon2ofthesebolts.Thebasehasyettobefinalized,butwillsecurelyhold theRIICEmechanisminplace.Thecasingwillalsohavethetappedholesfortheairinput, exhaustandintake,asshowninFigure18.

AirInput

Exhaust

Intake

Figure18CasingLeftHalfandRightHalf

22

4.5 Sealing 4.6 Initialdesign

Figure19ishalfthecrosssectionthatshowsthelocationofthemostimportantareasfor sealingrotatingparts.Theseareasarecircledattheedgesandinthecenter.Note,onlyone ofthetwohalvesofthecasingisshownforclarity.Thesealingoftheseareasarecriticalin ordertomaintainhighcompressionratiosbyreducingairleakstoaminimum.

Figure19Crosssectionidentifyingareasrequiringsealingbetweenrotatingparts

The first type of seal that was looked at was conventional Orings. Orings make a good seal;however,theyarebadifthereisanymovementintheaxialdirection.Movementinthe axialdirectionmaydamagetheOringduetotwistingandexcessivewear.ThewayOrings 23

workisbyplacingtheminagrooveandthendeformtheirshapebysqueezingthem.This deformed shape will fill in the groove and consequently seal. Squeezing the Oring is difficulttodointhisdesignduetothefrictionproducedbetweenrotatingparts. ThesecondtypeofsealthatwaslookedatwastheQuadring;thisisshowninFigure20. TheQuadringdoesnotspiralortwistduetothepresenceofcorners.Theyaregenerally harderthanOringsandcanfitinthesamegrooveofthesamesize.Quadringssealthe samewayastheOringsdoandthereforewillproducehighfrictions.

Figure20QuadringfromEngineMechanics [www.tpub.com]

Thethirdtypeofsealthatwaslookedatwaselastomerenergizedplasticseals.Figure21is a figure from the book Seals and Sealing Handbook by Robert Flitney. This seal is categorized as a highpressure double acting seal that prevents fluid from leaking from eitherway;itconsistsoftwoparts:anOringandaPTFEdynamiccomponent.Thesealis energized due to an Oring that acts as a spring and keeps the dynamic component in contactwiththesurface.Thegroovesprovidesmallersurfacecontacttoreducefrictionand aredesignedtoeliminateanyleakagethrough,bytrappingthefluid.

24


Figure21Highpressurerotaryseal [TrelleborgSealingSolutionsandFreudenbergSimrit]

Figure22showshowtheelastomerenergizedplasticsealwasimplementedintothedesign. Thegrooveswillbefilledwithgreasetoreducefrictionandtraptheair.Sealinginbetween the cranks is quite difficult due to the cranks rotating intermittently. While one crank is rotating,theotherisstationaryandapropersealistobemaintained.Thesealinbetween the cranks is one part and is required to seal the other two; therefore two Orings are required to maintain seal contact with the surface. Figure 23 shows what the center seal wouldlooklike.

Figure22Crosssectionidentifyingsealsbetweenrotatingparts

25

 Figure23Sectionofthesealinbetweenthetwocranks

4.7 DesignRevisions
4.7.1 OuterSeals

Thefirstsealtestedwaspressfitintothecasing,withanoringlocatedontheexteriorface, between the seal and a shoulder on the casing. This formed an effective static seal, but required3.1ftlbsoftorquetoturnthecrankinthecasing.Itwasconcludedthatthereason forthisisthatthesealwasconstrainedradiallyandaxiallybythecrank/casingassembly. Thiscausedthesealtorubexcessivelyontheoutsidediameterandthefaceoftheshoulder of the crank. In order to eliminate one of these constraints, it was recommended to undersizethesealaxially,andpressfitthesealonthecrank,withanoringlocatedonthe interior face between the shoulder on the casing and the seal. This eliminated the axial frictionfromtheseal,butmayreducethesealingeffectiveness.However,itwasestimated that,asthepressuresbeingusedarerelativelylow(100psirange),thesealingwouldnotbe compromised. Thesecondsealtestedwasdesignedtopressfitontotheouterdiameterofthecrank,with anoringbetweentheshoulderofthecrankandtheseal.Theoutersurfaceofthesealforms a dynamic seal with the casing bore, and in order to reduce the contact area between the sealandthecasingbore,twogroveswereaddedontheoutersurfaceoftheseal.Theseal designcanbeseeninFigure24.Theouterdiameterofthesealwasoriginallycutto3.500 in.,andtheinnerdiameterto3.200in.Itwasobservedthatthesealcouldrotateeasilyin thecasingorcrankwheninsertedindependently.However,whenthesealwasfitbetween thecasingandcrank,thetorquerequiredtoturnthecrankwasexcessive.Therefore,itwas recommendedtoundersizetheouterdiameterofthesealby0.030in.to3.470in. 26

Thethirdsealtestedwasdesignedtothespecificationsofthepreviousrecommendations. Thetorquerequiredtoturnthecrankinthecasingwasmeasuredas2.1ftlbs.Thismethod doesnotfullysealthecasingathigherpressures,butwhen60psiisappliedtotheengine, theflowresistanceis41psi,1psiabovethemeasuredbenchmarkvalueof40psi.

Figure24Revisedsealinenginecrosssection

4.7.2

InnerSeals

Thedesignmodificationsmadetotheoutersealswereappliedtotheinnerseals.Theseals wereoriginallyintendedtohaveoringsenergizethesealtotheinnerboreofthecrank.It wasfoundfromtheoutersealtestingandrefinement,thatthisdesignhadanexcessamount offriction.Therefore,thefinaldesignusedfortheouterseal,wasappliedtothisapplication. In particular, the seal is designed to pressfit into one crank, and undersized on the other crank.Thiscreatesastaticsealononecrank,andadynamicsealontheother.Inaddition, groovesarecutintothecontactingsurfaceofthedynamicsealtofurtherreducethefriction.

27

4.8 ControlSystem 4.9 Theory

Thepurposeofthecontrolsystemistoaccuratelydelivercompressedairtopushpistons and to measure the location of the pistons as they rotate. The control system uses two rotaryencoderstomeasurethelocationofthepistons.Theseencodersaremountedonthe casingandconnectedtothecranksbyaonetoonegearratio.Asolenoidvalveisconnected tothetopoftheenginetocontrolflowfromasupplyofcompressedair.LabViewwasthe programminglanguageusedtocontroltheinteractionbetweenthesecomponents. Themaindesignrequirementofthecontrolsystemwastofiretwopulsesofcompressedair per rotation of each crank. Through the development of the controller, various improvements were taken into consideration to optimize the functionality. These developmentswillbeexplainedbelow.

4.10 Development
The solenoid that was used was a 12V, 150psi max solenoid valve that is normally open, meaningwhennotenergized,thevalveisopen.Thustoclosethevale,thecontrolsystem mustcontinuouslysupplypowertothesolenoid. Thefirsttaskofthecontrolsystemwasasimpleprogramtoturnonandoffofthesolenoid valve. This was achieved by the use of a relay switch to control the 12V supply to the solenoid. Since the DAQ card only outputs 5V, a digital pin signal opened the relay, supplying12Vtothesolenoid,whichinturnsclosesthevalve.Likewise,thevalveisopened by a digital signal that switches the relay, disconnecting the 12V supply. Figure 25 shows thecontrolofthesolenoidasdescribed.

28


Figure25Schematicofsolenoidcontrol

Therotaryencodersareusedtomeasuretheangularpositionofthepistonsastheyrotate. Theencodersused,output1000digitalpulsesperrevolution.Theoutputoftheencoderis read by a counter port in the DAQ card and read into LabView. In the program, angular positioninradiansiscalculatedasfollows:

" rad = counts #

2$ 1000

Equation5

Booleanlogic,trueorfalsestatements,isalargepartofLabViewprogramming.Sinceon/off programmingiseasiestwaytooperate,thefiringcontrolwasdesignedinthesamemanner. Sincethepistonmotioniscyclic,theoptimallogicforthefiringcontrolistouseaperiodic triggeringmethod.Todothis,theangularpositioninradianswasconvertedtoasinewave. Since the sine wave always oscillates between 1 and 1, the Boolean logic can be programmedtofirethewhenthesineoftheangularpositioniseithergreaterthanorless than a desired value. This control method gives the desired two firings per encoder revolution and is always 180 apart, corresponding to the two pistons that are also 180 apart. To optimize the control of the firing, an offset was introduced into the angular positionfiringcontrol.

29


Figure26Sinusoidalfiringcontrolofsolenoid

Thisoffsetorphaseshift(seeninFigure26Sinusoidalfiringcontrolofsolenoidallowsthe Boolean control to use the positive aspects of the local maxima and minima, but the shift eliminatestheneedforpistonstobeatthesamelocation.Thetwoflatdashedlinesat0.5 and 0.5 in Figure 26 represent the triggering values for the solenoid. When sin(" ) is greaterthanorlessthanthoseline,thevalveopensanddeliversapulseofair.Thesefiring positionsaresineoftheoffset,thuswhentheusermanipulatestheoffsettofiresooneror later, the trigger values decrease (corresponding to a longer pulse of air) or increase (shorterpulseofair)respectively. The last optimization of control system was the ability to reset the counts with each increment of the index pulse from the encoder. Since LabView simply counts the rising edges of the digital waveform graph of the encoder, and this counts starts at zero and increaseaslongastheencoderisrotating,thereisnowayofknowingtheexactlocationof thispiston.Thelocationoftheindexisfixedontheencoderandisalignedwiththefiring 30

position of the piston. This means that no mater where the piston starts, once the index count increments the count will reset and the operators knows the location of the piston and can thus trigger the air reliably, knowing that it is always triggering in the correct position.

4.11 FinalControl
The final design incorporates all of the above features to create an open loop control system.ThisisrepresentedinFigure27withamoredetailedbreakdowninFigure28.

Figure27Openloopcontroldiagramofcontrolsystem

Figure28Detailedschematicofopenloopcontrol

Thefinalsystemusesamanuallyadjustedregulatortoregulatethepressuretoamaximum of130psi.Themaximumoperatingpressureforthesolenoidvalveis150psi.
Table4DAQPinoutforSolenoidValveandEncoders

SolenoidValve
Relay Ground Port33 (1) (2) (Digitalground) Relay Switch Port27 (Digitalline0)

Encoder1
5V Ground Port35 Digital5V Port33 (Digitalground)

Encoder2
5V Ground Port34 (Digital5V) Port24 (Digital Ground)

31

Relay Ground Port33 (3) (4) (Digitalground) (Digitalline1) Relay Switch Port25

Quadrature Port47 A Index (Counter0) Port29 (Digitalline2)

Quadrature Port41 A Index (Counter1) Port26 (Digitalline4)

Table4detailsthepinoutoftheDAQcardtothevariouscomponentsrequiredtoinforthe control system. The LabView program entitled Main Control Rev 3.vi, processes all the necessary data to achieve the desired control operations. A copy of this program can be seeninAppendixA. TriggerValues Offset Slider

Figure29Controlsystemuserinterface

Figure 29 shows the graphical user interface for the main control program. The main features of this interface are the real time interactive slider on the right side, the encoder countsinmiddleinboldnumberandthegraph.Thesliderisusedtosettheoffset,whichas mentionedearliersetsthetriggervaluesforthesolenoid.ThereisagreenLEDlighttoshow whether the valve is open or closed. The Graph outputs the sinusoidal function of the counts;fromthistheusercancleardeterminewhenthepistonisinthefiringposition. Thiscontrolsystemwasaneffectmethodofpulsatingairbasedupontheencodercounts. The full system assembly, consisting of the air supply, solenoid valve, encoders, control 32

programandenginewasonlytestedonce.Thelackoftestingofthefullcontrolsystemwas due to the teams dedication to achieve continuous rotation before implementation of the control.Differentcontrollers,comprisingofthesamelogic,butnotasextensive,wereused to complete the testing. When the full control system was implemented the same effects occurredwheretheenginewouldstallbeforethebackpistonwouldmoveintothecorrect firinglocation.Thus,althoughalltheindividualcomponentsofthesystemweresuccessfully tested,thefullcontrolsystemwasnevercompletelyvalidated.

4.12 FutureRecommendations
The largest challenge during the creation of the control system was the ability for the controllertorecognizethelocationsofthepistonduringstartup.Thiswasovercomebythe using the index pulse to reset the counter on the first rotation. The difficulty when doing this was the DAQ card only had two counter ports, not the required 4. Wiring the index pulse into a digital line of the DAQ card solved this problem. This method worked well at slowrotationspeed(lessthan60rpm)butwasnotasreliableathigherspeed(greaterthan 60rpm)astheprogramwouldmisstheindexpulseoccasionally.ADAQcardwithatleast fourcounterportswouldgreatlyincreasethereliability,astheindexpulsecanbemeasure athighangularspeedifmeasuredinacounterport. The maximum pressure of the solenoid valve also limited the control system. With a max ratingof150psi,thevalvecouldntnotbetestedusingpressuresourcesgreaterthat150psi. This fact limited the upper range of pressures during the testing phase of the engine development,forcingtheteamtoopenandcloseamanualvalvetotestathighpressures. Thefinalrecommendationobservedduringthecontrollerdevelopmentwastheoccasional impact of noise in the system. It was observed that when the unshielded wires of the encoders were in close proximity of the solenoid, there would often be jumps in encoder countsduringvalveactuation.

33


Figure30Affectofnoiseonencodercounts

Thesharpdropinthesin(theta)valueinFigure30wascausedbythenoiseofthesolenoid valve.Thissharpdropcanhaveadetrimentalaffectonthecontrolsincethetimingofthe engine is based off the encoder counts, this error could cause misfiring and unwanted behavior of the engine. This can be solved by two methods. One, by resetting the counts with the index, insuring no more than one rotation is affected and, two, using shielded wiringfortheencodersthatwillpreventnoiseaffectingthecountingsignal.

4.13 CompressedAirSystem
The compressed air subsystem is comprised of the air supply, the air delivery equipment andthecontrolsystem,designedwiththegoalofbringingtheoperationoftheenginefrom start to steadystate. This system will control the rotation of the engine and ultimatelyits power output. The logic behind the controller is based upon sensing the position of the pistonsandwhentheyareinthecorrectlocationstoinjectair.Theairinletandexhaustare fixed locations and by monitoring the pistons locations relative to these positions, the controller can vary the amount of air injected to ensure full rotation of the pistons and continuousengineoperation.Theairsupplywillbeascubatank,regulatedbyacomputer controlled solenoid valve. The components will interface with a controller designed in LabView.

34

4.14 PositionSensing
Rotaryencodersonmountedconcentricallytoeachcrank,whichgivescontinuousdataof piston location. This allows for more precise controlling of the air input, resulting in smoother,moreefficientpoweroutputfromtheengine.Duetosizerestraints,costandthe manufacturingcomplexity,aregularabsoluterotaryencoderwithasingleoutputshaftwill beused.Thisshaftoftherotaryencoderwillbeattachedtothecrankthroughaonetoone geartrain.Thisgivesmoreflexibilityinthemountinglocationandwiringconnectionsofthe encoder.Thegeartrainwillbeanaddedcost,butcostsavingsfromswitchingfromahollow toashaftencoderissuperior.

5 Prototypes
5.1 Plasticprototype
Inordertobuildamodel,thecranksandpistonswererapidprototyped.Theywerethen assembledasshowninFigure31.ThemodelwasmountedusingLegoandwasattachedto gearsthatwerecontrolledbymotorstomimictheoperationoftheRIICEmechanism.

Figure31PrototypeofRIICEmechanism

35

5.2 FinalPrototype
Inthissection,thefinalbuiltprototypeoftheRIICEenginewillbediscussedindetail.The major components are explained in the sections below including photographs. The RIICE engineiscomposedofthefollowingmajorcomponents: 5.2.1 PistonAssemblyQuantityoffour CrankAssemblyQuantityoftwo CasingAssemblyQuantityoftwo PillowBlockAssemblyQuantityoftwo EngineMountQuantityoftwo PistonAssembly

AtotaloffourpistonsareusedintheRIICEengine.Twopistonsareboltedtoeachcrank 180 degrees apart. The purpose of the pistons is to transfer the energy supplied by the compressedairtothecranks.Eachpistonismadeoftwocomponents:Thepistonandits faceseal.ThesecomponentsareshowninFigure32.

Figure32:PistonAssembly.

36

The piston is machined from aluminum and it is this part that bolts to the crank. On the trailingendofthepistonisafaceseal.Thissealisscrewedintothepistonandpreventthe airfrompassingbetweenthepistonandthesurroundingwalls.Thisassemblyisshownin Figure32. The actual aluminum piston never comes in contact with any rotating face thus reducing friction.Thisisachievedbyinsertinganoringbetweenthecrankandpiston. 5.2.2 CrankAssembly

Each crank is used to convert the expansion force applied to the piston to torque. Each crankformshalfofthebottomtoroidalpistonchamber.Keyedintotheinnermostsurface ofthecrankisasleevethattransmitsthetorqueofthecranktoasetofindexingoneway bearingsthatarepressedintothesleeve.Theseindexingonewaybearingsinturntransmit the applied torque to the driveshaft of the RIICE engine. On the outermost section of the sleeveisahardenedsteelcollarthatprovidesarollingsurfaceforthebackstoppingbearing. ThecrankassemblyisillustratedinFigure33.

37


Figure33:CrankAssembly.

Each crank applies torque to the driveshaft of the RIICE engine through the sleeve and indexing oneway bearing assembly at intermittent intervals. As one crank assembly rotates,thusrotatingthedriveshaft,theothercrankassemblyremainsstationary.Onceone crank has completed a stroke, its remaining energy is transmitted to the other crank assembly using impact rings located on the innermost face of the crank assembly. The indexingonewaybearingallowstheshafttorotatefreelywhentorqueisnoapplied.This enablesthemomentumoftheenginetobeconserved. Located between the crank assemblies is an inner seal that prevents compressed air to escapeinthislocation.Theinnersealisdesigntobestationaryonacrankwhileallowing theothercranktorotatewithrespecttoitself.Anotherseal,theouterseal,islocatedonthe outermostsectionofthecrank,betweenhecrankandcasing.Thissealpreventsairleakage 38

between the rotting crank and the fixed casing. In addition a thrust bearing provides a smoothrollingsurfacebetweenthetwoinnermostcrankfaces. 5.2.3 Casing

Each casing is mounted over a crank assembly closing the toroidal piston chamber. The casing provides mounting points for the engine mount, pillow block assembly and shaft encoders.Furthermore,thecasingisusedtoclampthecrankassembliestogether.Atotal oftwelveboltslocatedthirtydegreesapartareusedtoprovidetherequiredclampingforce. Figure 34 shows the two halves of the engines casing enclosing the crank assembly discussedintheprevioussection.

Figure34:CrankandCrankAssembly.

From Figure 34, one can observe that the casing incorporates three ports: The injection port, the exhaust port and the intake port. The injection port is used to allow the 39

compressed air to enter the engine. Simulating the four strokes of conventional internal combustion engines, the exhaust port is used to remove air from the engine after it has produced useful torque. The intake port is used to draw fresh air into the engine in preparationforthecompressionandpowerstrokeoftheengine. 5.2.4 PillowBlockAssembly

ThePillowBlockisattachedtothecasingusingfourbolts.AsshowninFigure34thepillow block is mounted over the protruding section of the crank sleeve. Pressed into the outermost surface of the pillow block is a radial ball bearing used to take any radial load appliedtotheengine.Thesebearingsarealsousedtokeeptheshafttruewithrespecttoall theotherenginecomponents.Alsopressedintothepillowblockisthebackstoppingone waybearing.ThepillowBlockAssemblycanbeseeninFigure35.

Figure35:PillowBlockAssembly.

40

Thebackstoppingbearingsaretousetopreventthecrankthatdoesnottransmitpowerto thedriveshaftfromrotatingbackwards.Thisisachievablesincethebackstoppingoneway bearingsarepressedintothepillowblockthatinturnisgroundedusingthecasing.Asthe compressedairentersthetoroidalpistonchamber,theexpansionforceisequallyappliedto theforepistonandthebackpiston.Theforepistonwillmoveandproduceusefultorque viathecrankandindexingonewaybearings.Theexpansionforcepreventsthebackpiston fromrotatingforwardwiththeforepiston.Thispistonisalsorestrictedfrommovinginthe opposite direction by the backstopping bearing. Therefore, the back piston and its crank assemblywillremainstationaryuntilanenergytransferoccursbetweenthemovingcrank andthestationarycrank. 5.2.5 EngineMount

Theenginemountsareusedtosecuretheenginewhileitisinoperation.Anenginemount is shown in Figure 36. The engine mounts also provide a study base for the engine. Each mountboltsintothetwohalfoftheenginecasingatoppositesideofthecasingitself.Aslot attheoutermostsectionofthecasingallowsfortheinstallationofeachenginemount.

41


Figure36EngineMount.

6 Testing
6.1 OpenCasingModel
6.1.1 ManualTest

Objective: Testthearrangementofthedrivetrainassemblytoverify: Thebackspistonstaysstationarywhenforceisapplied. Theforwardpistonrotatesforwardandtransmitstorquetothedriveshaft. Crankscanberotatedintermittently.

Method: Thedrivetrainwasassembledusingthemodelofthecrankandpistonassembly. Teammembermanualappliesforcetothebackpistontoengagethebackstopping 42

piston.Teammembermanuallyappliesforcetotheforwardpistontoengageindexing bearingsandtransmittorquefrompistontotheshaftviathecrank. Highpressureairwasusedtoapplyforcetothepistonsinasimilarmethodas describedabove.Theairwasappliedatdifferentorientationstodeterminehow assemblyofthepistons,cranksandbearingwouldreact.

Figure37Crankpistonassembly

Results: 1.Themanualoperationofthebearingssuccessfullyprovedthatwhenaforceisappliedto thebackpiston,thebackstoppingpistonengagesimmediatelywithnobacklash.Thisshows thenpistoncrankassemblieswillnotrotateinthewrongdirectionduringoperationofthe engine. When a manually applied force was applied to the forward piston, the indexing bears successfullygrabbedtheshaftandtorquewastransmittedfromthepistonstotheshaft.It wasalsoproventhatwhenonecrankassemblyrotatedforward,theothercrankassembly did not move. This proved that when the indexing bearings were not engaged the shaft is freetorotateinthesameforwarddirection. 2.Whenapulseofcompressedairat50psiwasshotatthepistonfromaverticalposition,as showninFigure37,thebackpistonstayedinthesameposition,whiletheforwardpiston 43

rotatedforwards.Thisprovedthebackstoppingbearingcanholdthepistoninplaceagainst theforceofairandthetorquecanbetransmittedfromtheforwardpistontotheshaft. 6.1.2 CompressedAirTest

Objective:

Use compressed air to continuously turn the model to evaluate the energy transfer and dynamiccharacteristicsbetweenthetwopistoncrankassemblies. Method: Compressed air at 75psi was shot at the model with the full drive train in place. The solenoidvalvewasheldhorizontallywiththepistonspositioned90apartasinFigure38A. Theairwasturnedoffandonandtheanglewasadjustedtoseethedifferenteffects.

Figure38DynamictestingoftheRIICEmodel

44

Results: 1. When the compressed air was turn on, the pistons in Figure 38A started to turn clockwise, Figure 38B. When the forward moving crank impacted the stationary crank in Figure38C,thekineticenergyoftheforwardpistonsetwastransferredtothebackpiston set.Thisenergytransferpushedthebackpistonsetintothepathofcompressedair. 2. We see that piston set with no bolts visible, in Figure 38D, is in the same back piston location.Thisreplacementofthebackpistonsoccurredeveryrotation,andisakeyfactorin givingcontinuousrotation. 3.Thereiscontinuousshaftrotationasthetwocranksrotateintermittently. 4.Arotationalspeedof620rpmwasachieved. 5.Thecompressedairpressureof75psiallowedforapotentialtorqueof175inlb.Combing thiswiththe60psiittooktoinducerotationfromtest1,therewasandestimated35inlbof torqueappliedtothedriveshaft.Whenrotatingat620rpm,thistorqueledtoanestimated powerof0.35hp. BackstoppingBearings Objective: Evaluatetheperformanceofthenewsetofbackstoppingbearings. Method: Thefullassemblyoftheenginewasusedminusthecasing.Thepillowblocksweremounted to a temporary stand that was clamped to the tabletop. Air was shot at the pistons at various pressures, starting low and increasing to a maximum of 80psi. This was a similar testsetupastest2,savetheprototypewasusedinplaceofthemodel. Results: 1.Thenewbackstoppingbearingshavefarlessfrictionthantheoldset. 45

2.Rotationwasinducedinthesetupatapressure50psi. 3. When the air was applied on piston would start to rotate and the other would stay stationary.Whentheimpactbetweenthetwopistonsoccurred,thetwopistonswouldhit andstickandstarttorotatetogetherabouttheshaft.Thecauseofthiswasbelievedtobe the lack of friction in the backstopping bearings. The lower friction allowed the crank assemblytocontinuetorotatewhenenergywastransferbetweenthetwocranks. 6.1.3 OpenCasingPrototype

Objective:

Testthecrankandbearingassemblytoverify: Achievingproperpistonandcrankmotionasdescribedintheprevioussectionwith theprototype.

Method: Theprototypecrank,pillowblock,andbearingassemblywereassembled. Bracketmadetosupportassembledcomponentsandtoallowforsecuregrounding oftheassembly. Highpressureairwasappliedhorizontallytoaverticalpistonfaceusingthe solenoidvalve.

Results: Duringthistest,compressedairrangingfromapressureof60psito120psiwasappliedto thecrankandbearingassembly.Thisforcesuppliedbythecompressedairinthistestwas not sufficient to cause the assembly to rotate indicating a large amount of friction. The excessivefrictionwithintheassemblywasfoundtobegeneratedbythesteelsleevesand backstoppingbearings. 1.Aspreviouslymentioned,thesteelsleeveshousetheindexingbearings.Inaddition,each sleeve is stepped down to allow for a hardened steel inner ring to be pressed onto the sleeve. The inner ring provides the rolling surface for the backstopping bearing. This assemblyisillustratedinFigure39.

46


Figure39:SleeveAssembly.

Similar to the inner ring, the indexing bearings are pressed into the sleeves. After the fabrication of the sleeves, the pressing of the inner rings and indexing bearings was performed. This task required a pressing force greater than expected for the inner rings, indicating that conservative tolerances during the manufacturing of the sleeves were employed. Usingalathechuckandadialitwasdeterminedthateachcollarwasoutofroundby0.008 in and 0.011 in respectively. These imperfections were cause by pressing the inner rings ontosleevesthatwereslightlylargerindiameterthanrequired.Beingstretchedandoutof round, the inner rings did not rotate freely in the backstopping bearings thus introducing frictionintothesystem.

47

Although not confirmed, it is believed that that the sleeves inner diameter and outer diameter were slightly eccentric, generating an angular error. Similar to the inner ring imperfection,additionalfrictionwouldbegeneratedintothesystem. From this test, it was concluded that new sleeves were required in order to move the project forward. Two options were then explored. First, the defective sleeves could be turneddowninordertopotentiallysalvagetheindexingbearingsandinnerrings.Second, new indexing bearings and inner rings could be purchased and mounted onto the newly fabricatedsteelsleeves. Thesecondoptionwaschosensinceitwasdeterminedthatthefirstoptionrequiredalarge timecommitmentandtheriskofdamagingtheindexingbearingsandinnerringswasvery high.Furthermore,itwasnotpossibletodetermineifthesalvagedcomponentswouldbeof anyuse.Toresolvethisissue,newsteelsleeveswerefabricatedusingsmalltolerances,new indexing bearings and inner rings were purchased. The purchased indexing bearings and innerringsweretheninstalledontothenewlymanufacturedsleeves. 2.Aspreviouslymentionedthebackstoppingbearingsrollontotheinnerringslocatedon eachsleeves.Thesebearingsarepressedintothepillowblockthatactsasagroundsinceit isboltedtothecasing.Priortopressingthebackstoppingbearingsintothepillowblocks, smallimperfectionsonthesebearingswerenoticed. Itappearedasiftheplasticcageofthebackstoppingbearingsmighthavebeenpoorlyfitted into the bearing itself. The backstopping bearings had been deemed acceptable from a previoustest.However,thesebearingsmayhavebeenfurtherdamagedbytheircontinued useorbytheoutofroundinnerrings. A stationary lathe was used instead of a conventional press to press the backstopping bearingsintothepillowblocks.Inturn,thismayhavecontributedtothedamagingthecage ofthesebearings. Duringthistest,itwasnoticedthattherewasalargeamountoffrictioninthebackstopping bearings.Furthermore,itwasdeterminedthatthecagerubbedontotherollerssincewhile rotating the sleeve inside the backstopping bearings by hand, a rubbing sound could be heard. 48

 Theradialbearingsandbackstoppingbearingswerepressedouttheirpillowblocksusinga conventional press. Each component was inspected for damages and it was found that indeedthecagesofthebackstoppingbearingsweredamaged.Thedamagedcagecanbe seeninFigure40.

Figure40:DamagedBackstoppingOneWayBearing.

One of the radial bearings was found to have some play between its inner race and outer race.Thismayhavebeencausedbythemisalignmentsofthesleevesintothepillowblock or simply by a defective bearing. In order to resolve this issue new, more robust, backstoppingbearingswereinstalledintothepillowblocksalongwithnewradialbearings. Figure41showsanillustrationofoneofthenewbackstoppingbearings.

49


Figure41:HighQualityBackstoppingOneWayBearing.

One can observe that the edge of the cage is fully restrained within the outer shell of the bearing. The construction of these bearings is such that both sides of the shell are manufactured in this fashion. This is not the case for the previously used back stopping bearings,sincetheoutershellonlyenclosedasinglesideoftherollercage.

6.2 ClosedCasingPrototype
6.2.1 AllPistonSealsOldSeals

Objective: Testthearrangementoftheinitialdesignofthepistonsealtoverify: Thesizeofthepistonsiscorrectandfitinsidethecasing. Thecrankswillrotateeasilybyhandinsidethecasing. Howmuchpressurewillmakeitturn. 50

Method: Pistonsealswereassembledontoallpistonfaces. Onepistonofeachcrankwasarrangedatthetopdeadcenteroftheengineatthe compressedairinlet. FollowedthetestprocedureoutlinedinAppendixA.

Results: 1. Cranksrotatedbyhandinthecasingrequiringsomeeffortinitially. 2. Thecranksdidnotrotatewiththeair;therewastoomuchfrictionduetothepiston seals.Thepistonsealsweretoothick,whichaddedmorefrictionthanneeded.Air pressurewasat130psi. 3. Mostoftheairwasescapingfromtheintakeandexhaustports.Thiswasbecause thepistonsealswereundersized,whichmeantairjustwentaroundthepistons insteadofpushingthepistons. 6.2.2 HalfPistonSealsInitialDesign

Objective:

Testthearrangementofhalfthenumberofpistonsealstoverify: Thecrankswillturninsidethecasingwithcompressedair. Howmuchpressurewillmakeitturn.

Method: Onlytheleadingpistonsealswereassembledontothepistons. Onepistonofeachcrankwasarrangedatthetopdeadcenteroftheengineatthe compressedairinlet. FollowedthetestprocedureoutlinedinAppendixA.

Results: 1.Theshaftrotatedapproximately90degreeswith100psi;therewasstilltoomuchfriction duetothepistonseals. 2. Most of the air was escaping from the intake and exhaust ports. This was because the piston seals were undersized, which meant air just went around the pistons instead of pushingthepistons. 51

6.2.3

PistonSealsNewDesign

Objective: Testthedesignofthenewpistonsealtoverify: 6.2.4 Thequalityofseal. Thecrankswillturninsidethecasingwithlowerpressures. Numberofsealsversuspressurethatwillmakeitturn. Arrangementsofsealsversuspressurethatwillmakeitturn. SubTestA:QualityofSeal

Method: Attachonenewpistonsealonthebackoftheleadingpistonandoneoldpistonseal onthefrontofthebackstoppingpistononly. Thosepistonsofeachcrankwerearrangedatthetopdeadcenteroftheengineat thecompressedairinlet.

Results: 1.Theshaftrotatedapproximately110degreeswith80to85psi;thereislessfrictiondue todecreasednumberofpistonsealsaswellasbettersealing. 2. There was less air leaks through the ports. Most of the air leaked through the exhaust port once the leading piston reached that position. Some air leaked through the back stoppingpistonbecauseoftheundersizedseal.

6.3 SubTestB:EliminatingBackStoppingSealLeaks
Method: Attachonenewpistonsealonthebackoftheleadingpistonandoneoldpistonseal onthefrontofthebackstoppingpistonaswellasoneoldpistonsealonthebackof thebackstoppingpistononly. Thosepistonsofeachcrankwerearrangedatthetopdeadcenteroftheengineat thecompressedairinlet.

Results: 1.Theshaftrotatedapproximately180degreeswith80to85psi;thismeantthattheold sealwashadsomeairleakingthrough. 52

2. There was less air leaks through the ports. Most of the air leaked through the exhaust portoncetheleadingpistonreachedthatposition. 3. The leading piston did not have enough momentum for the crank to impact the second crank. 6.3.1 Sub Test C: Transmitting momentum from one crank to another using higher pressure Method: SealarrangementwassameasinSubTestB. Results: 1.Theshaftrotatedapproximately190degreeswith95psi;thisconfirmedthatincreasing thepressurewillsuccessfullyallowforacompleterevolutionoftheshaft. 2. There was less air leaks through the ports. Most of the air leaked through the exhaust portoncetheleadingpistonreachedthatposition. 3.Theleadingpistonhadenoughmomentumtoshearoffthefour#2brassscrewsthatheld theimpactringinplace.Thiswascalculatedtobeaforceof6.2kNandatorqueof122Nm. Consequently,thesecondcrankdidnotturn. 6.3.2 SubTestD:CompressioncycleNoimpactring

Method: SealarrangementwassameasinSubTestB,onlyattachingoneoldpistonsealontothe frontofthecompressionpiston. Results: 1.ThesameresultsasinSubTestCwereachieved.Thiswasduetotheairleakingaround theoldpistonseals;thereforenocompression. 2.Therewasnotenoughmomentumtoovercomethefrictionproducedbyafourthpiston seal.

53

6.4 HighPressureArgon
Objective:

Determineifhigherpressure(greaterthan130psi)willproducecontinuous rotation. Argonwasusedatvariousinputpressure(150psi,200psi,260psi). Argonwaschosenbecauseitwasreadilyavailable.Thecompressibilityofargonis verysimilarair,whichmadethesetestscomparable. Differentarrangementsofpistonfaceswereusedtodetermine

Method

Results: 1. The highpressure tests using argon and a highpressure regulator did not produce continuous rotation of the pistons. Over an increasing range of pressure, the angular displacement of the pistons was between 90 and 120 for multiple tests. The different piston arrangement of piston faces did not have an affect on the on the angular displacement.Theseresultsshowthattheenginesinabilitytocontinuouslyrotatewasnot caused by the lack of high enough pressure. One could speculate that a much greater pressuremayproducecontinuousrotation,buttheteamisconfidentthattheproblemslie elsewhere. The ability to rotate and engine a full revolution in earlier tests at lower pressuresshowsthattheproblemismostlikelycausedbythefrictionandimpropersealing oftheengine.

7 Sealing
BenchmarkTesting
Objective:

Theobjectiveofthistestingistoestablishabasisofcomparisonforthesealtesting in following sections. In addition, this test provides qualitative results as to the amountofworktheengineisabletoproducewithoutsealing.

Method:

54

The engine was assembled without seals installed. This includes the outer, inner, andpistonseals.Thisleaveslargegapsbetweenthepistonsandthecasing(0.0500 in.),andminimalgapsbetweenthecranksandthecasing(0.0015in). Compressedairwasinducedintheengineat60psi,andobservationsweremadeas to:howmanydegreestheengineturned;theamountofairescapingfromtheintake andexhaustports,andflowpressure. Following these observations, the intake and exhaust ports were plugged, and observationsweremadeasto:theamountofairescapingfromtheouterandinner seals; and flow pressure. This flow pressure is the benchmark to determine the resistancefromsealingmethodstestedinthefollowingsubsections.

Results: Fromthesetestsitwasfoundthatthebenchmarkresistancepressurewithnoseals installed is 40 psi with a static input pressure of 60 psi. From this the additional resistanceofanysealsinstalledcanbemeasured.

OuterSeals
Objective:

The objecive of the outer seal testing is to refine the seal geometry to minimize friction,andmaximizesealing.

Method: Thistestingwasdoneasaniterativeprocessbytestingsequentialsealdesigns,until an effective seal, with low friction was manufactured. Following each iteration, recommendationsweremadetoimprovethedesign. For each iteration, the frictional torque required to rotate the crank in the casing wasmeasured.Fromthismeasurement,itwasdeterminedwhetherthefrictionwas toohigh.Ifthefrictionwasnottoohigh,thesealingeffectivenesswasmeasuredby plugging the intake and exhaust holes, and injecting compressed air. The air was injectedatastagnantpressureof60psi,andtheflowpressurewasrecorded.The differencebetweentheflowpressurerecordedandthebenchmarkflowpressure,is theeffectivesealingresistanceoftheseal.

Results: 1.Thefirstsealtestedwaspressfitintothecasing,withanoringlocatedontheexterior face,betweenthesealandashoulderonthecasing.Thismadeaneffectiveseal,butcould not be turned in the crank by hand. The anticipated reason for this is that the seal was constrainedradiallyandaxiallybythecrank/casingassembly.Thiscausedthesealtorub excessively on the outside diameter and the face of the shoulder of the crank. In order to eliminate one of these constraints, it was recommended to undersize the seal axially, and 55

press fit the seal on the crank, with an oring located on the interior face between the shoulderonthecasingandtheseal.Thiseliminatedtheaxialfrictionfromtheseal,butmay reducethesealingeffectiveness. 2. The second seal tested was designed from recommendations made in the previous test results. In addition, in order to reduce the contact area between the seal and the casing bore,twogroveswereaddedontheoutersurfaceoftheseal.Theouterdiameteroftheseal wasoriginallycutto3.500in.,andtheinnerdiameterto3.200in.Itwasobservedthatthe sealcouldrotateeasilyinthecasingorcrankwheninsertedindependently,andthesealadd an additional flow resistance of 5 psi. However, when the seal was fit between the casing andcrank,thetorquerequiredtoturnthecrankwasmeasuredas10.1ftlbs.Therefore,it wasrecommendedtoundersizetheouterdiameterofthesealby0.030in.to3.470in. 3. The third seal tested was designed from recommendations made in the previous test results.Thetorquerequiredtoturnthecrankinthecasingwasmeasuredas3.1ftlbs.This methoddoesnotfullysealthecasing,butwhen60psiisappliedtotheengine,thesealadds anadditional1psiofresistance.Thisisalowsealability,butthesealhasverylowfriction torque of 2.3 ftlbs. From these results, it is recommended that these seals be used in the prototypetesting,aswewanttoreducetheamountoffrictionintheengine.

InnerSeals
Objective:

The objective of the inner seal testing is to refine the seal geometry to minimize friction,andmaximizesealing.

Method: Theinnersealgeometrywassizedbasedonresultsfromtheoutersealdimensions. However,sincethedynamicsealonlycontactsthecrankontheouterdiameter,the seal is less constrained than the outer seal. Therefore, it was chosen to size the outside diameter of the seal exactly to the crank outer diameter, and allow a clearancebetweentheinnerdiameterofthesealandcrank. From the design the frictional torque required to rotate the cranks independently was qualified. In addition, the sealing was measured by plugging the intake and exhaust holes, and injecting compressed air. The air was injected at a stagnant pressureof60psi,andtheflowpressurewasrecorded.Thedifferencebetweenthe flow pressure recorded and the benchmark flow pressure, is the effective sealing resistanceoftheseal. 56

Results: 1. It was found that the seal did not have a considerable amount of friction torque, generated a resistance flow of 1psi. It is recommended that this resistance should be improvedupon.However,duetotimeconstraints,itisrecommendedthatthissealbeused totesttheprototype.

8 ControlSystem
8.1.1 SolenoidValveLabView

Objective: ProvethesolenoidvalvebefiredfromLabView.Testtheon/offcapabilitiesofthevalvefor differentpressures. Method: ConnectedtherelayswitchtotheDAQcardofaPC.Attachedthehighvoltagelinesfromthe relay to the 12V power supply. Run the LabView VI entitled riicecontroller.vi. The air tanks were opened and the regulator was adjusted to the correct pressure. The ball valve wasthenopenedintheairline. Results: 1.Itwasfoundthattherehastobeabackpressureonthesolenoidvalveinorderforthe pilotvalvetoclosetheairflow. 2. The minimum pressure require to turn on and off the valve with the required NPT fittingwas40psi. 3.Thevalveopenandclosedondemandforallpressuresrangingfrom40to130psi.

8.2 RotaryEncodersLabView
Objective: Read the rotary encoders in LabView and be able to manipulate the data to trigger the solenoidvalve. 57

Method: The encoders were attached to the DAQ device of a PC and brought into LabView. A LabViewprogramentitledRIICEControlEncoders.viwasusedtoreadtheencodercounts, manipulatethedataandoutputthenumberofcountsofeachencoder,theangularposition ofeachencoderrelativetothestartinglocationandasinusoidalplotoftheangularposition. Results: 1. The program successfully read, manipulated and output useful data about the angular positionofthedata. 2.Theencoderscountstartatzeroandcountsupwhiletheencodersarerotated,nomatter whatthedirectionorrotation. 3. The index location is a fixed location on the encoder and increments at the same spot regardlessofstartingposition. 8.2.1 SolenoidValveandRotaryEncoderLabView

Objective:

Firethesolenoidvalveindependentlytwiceperrevolutionofeachrotaryencoder. Method:

BoththesolenoidvalveandeachrotaryencoderwasattachtotheDAQdeviceofaPCand read into a LabView program entitled RIICE Control Valve and Encoders.vi The rotary encoders were setup on a Lego platform and were turned independently by two electric motors. Results: 1.Eachencoderfiredthesolenoidvalvetwiceperrevolution. 2.Thissystemcanpulsetheairmuchfasterthanthedesigngoalof120rpm(corresponding to240pulseperminute). 3.Thesystemcouldcontinuouslypulseevenathighpressures130psi. 58

 4.Itwasdeterminedthattheoptimaldesignofthecontrollershouldbeallowofdynamic controloftheamountofairinputintothesystem. 5.Itwasdecidedthatinordertoavoidandcumulativeerrorintheencodercounts,thetotal numberofcountsshouldbereseteverytimetheindexpulseincrease. 8.2.2 PulsatingAirLabView

Objective:

Determine whether or not pulsating the input of air into the engine would aide in the rotationofthepistons. Method: WiththerotaryencodersandthesolenoidconnectedtotheDAQdeviceandimportedinto LabView.TheencodersweremountedtoLegotestsetupandturnedusingelectricmotors, similar to Test 3. The solenoid valve was attached to the engine and connected to a compressedairsourceat95psi.Theelectricmotorswereturnedonandtheprogramwas initiated. The ball valve on the air hose was opened and the air began to pulsate. All four pistonshadonefacesealattachedtothetrailingedge. Results: 1. The initial movement caused by the first pulse of the pistons was approximately 100. The piston slowed and began to slowly rotate forward until the impact rings between the twocrankscameintocontact. 2. The pistons moved together for an unknown angular displacement. This was not measuredbecausetherotaryencoderswerebeingusetopulsatetheflow,nottomeasure theangularposition. 3. Eventually the crank piston assemblies ceased to move as not enough force was generatedbytheairtoovercomethefrictionofthepistonfaces. 59

4. It was noticed that shaft continued to rotate very slowly even after the cranks had stopped.Itwasnoticedthatcrankswereexpandingaxiallyalongtheshaftwitheachpulse ofair.Itwasdeterminedthatthisaxialexpansionwascausingtheshafttowalkintheone waybearings. 5.Itwasfoundthatwhenthecranksstopped,iftheintakeportwasblockedthanthecranks would start again. This rotation continued until the cranks reached the location of the exhaustport.Pluggingtheexhaustportdidnothavemuchofaneffectontherotationofthe cranks. Itwasdeemedthatpluggingtheportstoaideintherotationofthecrankswhilepulsingthe airwasnotbeneficialsinceinordertohaveapositiveeffecttheexhaustportwouldhaveto bepluggedandthentheintakeport.Thiswasnotapracticaldesignchangetoincorporate andanunreliablemethodofturningtheengine. 6. Different air pressures were tested in an effort to gauge the effect or pressure on the pulsating flow. The best results occurred with 50psi, which resulted in a complete shaft rotation,butthatwasbeforetheteamdiscoveredwhenthepistonshadstoppedmoving.It wasdeterminethatpistonstraveledabout180degrees.

9 Budget
Thedevelopment,manufactureandfabricationoftheRIICEconceptualdesignispresented in this section under two sections. First the expenses of the project are presented. Following are the manhours spent by Dalhousie University machine shop technicians as well as the man hours spend by the group. The entities responsible for the fabrication of eachcomponentoftheprojectarealsopresented. TheallottedbudgetfortheRIICEprojectwas$1500.Thisamountwastobeexpensedas follows:$200duringthefalltermand$1300duringthewinterterm.Theitemizedcostof theprojectoverbothtermsistabulatedinTable5.
Table5:RIICEItemizedCost.

Item DriveTrain

Cost $456.52

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Model Materials AirSystem/Sealing Hardware Miscellaneous Total

$155.68 $241.82 $453.58 $27.74 $42.28 $1375

AddingthecostofTable5yieldsatotalprojectcostof$1375,whichisundertheassigned budget of $125. Machining expenses were not added to Table 5 since the group was not responsibleforthiscost.ThemachiningandfabricatingtimehoweverispresentedinTable 6.
Table6:MachiningandFabricationManHours.

Fabricator Advanced Group DalhousieUniversity RIICEDesignGroup Manufacturing

ManHours 4 140 350

CNCHours 24 0 0

Pricing Dalhousie Universitys and the Advanced Manufacturing Group machining time at $60/hour,amachiningcostof$8640isestimated.NotethatthiscostisexcludingtheCNC machiningtimesinceCNCratesarespecifictotheworkbeingperformed.Asummaryofthe division of the fabricating work supplements the information presented in Table 6. This informationistabulatedinTable7.
Table7:FabricationWorkDivision.

Component/Feature Casing CasingFillet ControlSystem

Fabricator DalhousieUniversity Advanced Group RIICEDesignTeam

Comment ExcludingFillet

Manufacturing FilletOnly

61

Crank CrankFillet EngineMount InnerSeal OuterSeal PillowBlock Piston PistonSeal Sleeve Sleeve

DalhousieUniversity Advanced Group DalhousieUniversity RIICEDesignTeam RIICEDesignTeam DalhousieUniversity RIICE RIICEDesignTeam RIICEDesignTeam DalhousieUniversity Team/DalhousieUniversity

ExcludingFillet

Manufacturing Design FirstIteration SecondIteration

10 DesignEvaluation
The inability of the RIICE to continuously rotate can be attributed to two main factors: friction and sealing. These two factors were discovered through multiple tests with different sealing and piston configurations. There were subcomponents in the design that functioned quite well. The drive train consisting of the unique oneway bearing arrangement performed well, with open case testing achieving speeds of 620rpm. These results gave the team confidence in the RIICE concept and the design. The main source friction came from the piston faces. The tests conducted with few piston faces generally achievedgreatangulardisplacement,withthebestresultscomingfromtestswithonlytwo seals. There exists a very delicate relationship between sealing and friction. In order to properlysealthepistonswithfacesealsrequireprecisionmachininganditerationsinthe design to find the optimal shape, material and configuration on the pistons. The manufactured and tested two different piston seal designs with improvements made betweeniterations.Inordertohavesuccessfuloperationoftheengine,moreinvestigation intorelationshipoffrictionversussealingisrequired. 62

11 FutureConsiderations
In further development and testing of the rice engine it is recommended to investigate a method for starting the rotation of the crank assemblies before sustaining the rotation of theenginewithcompressedair.Withsomemodificationstothecurrentdesignitwouldbe possible to implement a pull cord or an electric starter motor the start the engine to the desiredenginerpm.Theadditionofaflywheeltotheshaftcanhelpsmooththeintermittent motion of the cranks. A modification to the current cranks is needed to reposition the pistonstothedesiredlocationbetweentestswithoutdisassemblingtheengine.Thiswould allow for significantly quicker engine startup time. A larger solenoid valve is needed to permitagreaterrangeofinputpressures. The difficult balance of sealing and friction will necessitate testing different seal designs with different materials. The current use of Acetal seals can be replaced with better materialssuchasTeflonorUltraHighMolecularWeightPolyethylene(UHMWPE).Teflonis non reacting and extremely low friction and UHMWPE is abrasion resistant, impact resistant, nonsticking and selflubricating. These mechanical properties make these materialsidealforsealing.

12 Conclusion
TheRIICEisaninnovativeconceptthatholdsapromisingfuture.Theteambelievedinthe RIICE concept and the design, and developed a strong passion for the project. The team achieved12ofthe16designrequirements.Successfultestingoftheopencasingprovedthe design that the oneway bearing drive train. Sealing and friction are a major issue of the design and prevented continuous operation of the engine. The team proposed future recommendationstorendertheoperationoftheenginesuccessful.Theserecommendations includemethodsofstartingtheengine,suchasapullcordorastartermotorandaflywheel, andinvestigationofdifferentmaterialsforsealing.

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APPENDIXADetailedControlSystem

64

UserManualforEngineTesting
1. Opentheenginecasingandalignpistonstothecorrectstartinglocation. 2. Boltthetwohalvesoftheenginecasingtogether.Boltsshouldbesnugglytightened usingawrench. 3. Fastentheenginecasingtoabenchtopandinsureitwillnotmoveorvibrateoffthe table. 4. Wirethesolenoidvalvetothe12Vpowersupply.Insurepowersupplyisturnedoff. Theflaggedwireleadisconnectedtothe12Vterminal,theotherisconnectto ground. 5. ConnecttherotaryencoderleadsandtherelayswitchboardleadstotheDAQCard pinoutblock.Followthepinoutsinthetablebelow: SolenoidValve
Relay Ground Port33 (1) (2) (Digitalground) Ground (Digitalline0) Relay Switch Port27

Encoder1
5V Port35 Digital5V Port33 (Digitalground) Quadrature Port47 A Index (Counter0) Port29 (Digitalline2)

Encoder2
5V Ground Port34 (Digital5V) Port24 (Digital Ground) Quadrature Port41 A Index (Counter1) Port26 (Digitalline4)

Relay Ground Port33 (3) (4) (Digitalground) (Digitalline1) Relay Switch Port25

6. StartLabViewprogramMasterControl_Rev3.vi 7. RunProgram.Thefollowinggraphicaluserinterface(GUI)shouldappear:

65

 8. Turnonthe12Vpowersupply 9. InsurethegreenLEDontheGUIisdark,thismeansthevalveisenergizedand closed.ThiscanbedonebyadjustingthesliderontherightsideoftheGUI. SAFETYNOTE:ThecurrentsolenoidvalveisaNORMALLYOPENEDvalve,meaning thatunlessenergizedthevalvewillbeopenandairwillflow. 10. Turnonthecompressedairsupply. 11. Adjustthepressureregulatortothedesiredinputpressure. 12. Testthesolenoidvalvebeforetheattachingtotheengine. a. Attachedtheairhosetothesolenoidvalveatport1,markedonthevalve. b. Insureport3ofthevalveisplugged. c. Port2isthevalveoutlet.Holdthevalveclosetoatabletorestricttheair flow d. InsuringthegreenLEDontheGUIisdark,opentheballvaleintheairline, allthewhilekeepingthevalveheldagainstthetable.Thesolenoidhasa pilotvalvethatusesbackpressuretoclose. e. Opentheballvalve. f. Thesolenoidvalve,beingenergized,shouldclose g. Ifthevalvedoesnotclose,closetheballvalveandcheckthewiringofthe solenoidtotheDAQpinout. h. Whenthevalveisclosed,testtheon/offcapabilities,whichisdoneby adjustingtheslidervalueontheGUI.Theslidercanbeeitherincreasedor decreased,turningonandoffthegreenLED,whichcorrespondstheopening andclosingofthevalve. i. Closetheballvalve. j. Depletetheairinthehoseandsolenoidvalve. 13. Attachthefemalequickconnectfittingtoport2ofthesolenoidvalve. 14. Attachthisquickconnectiontothemalequickconnectionontheengine. 15. StoptheLabViewprogram 16. Adjustthesliderbartothedesiredtriggeringvalues. 17. Opentheballvalve. 18. Pressthewhitearrowinthetopleftofthescreentorunthecomponent.

66

AppendixBEngineeringDrawings

67