Desktop Radial Engine Updates

I’ve been steadily plotting away on my little engine. I currently have 28 parts done. Cameron, in the machine shop will be making my master cylinder on the cnc milling center tomorrow. The bronze for the pistons will arrive Friday along with the 100 bolts the assembly will require and the tubing for the air delivery system. There are 29 complex parts left (28 are identical) and the rest will be cut out of a plate and are fairly simple. I have gotten a fair amount of practice using the lathe and will continue to as I finish parts. The only thing left to finalize in the design is how to hold that back axle and the stand. More to come on these in future posts.

The completed parts are:

-7x Cylinders

-Main case

-14x Pushrods

-6x cylinder rods

Below are some pictures of the building process.

IMG_3031IMG_3030IMG_3029IMG_3033IMG_3063IMG_3020IMG_3056

 

IMG_3032IMG_3064IMG_3059IMG_3066IMG_3067IMG_3068IMG_3065IMG_3072IMG_3073IMG_3069IMG_3057IMG_3071IMG_3058IMG_3070

 

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3 Comments. Leave new

  • Daniel Rankin
    March 27, 2016 6:20 pm

    I have to say, I’m pretty impressed by the amount of machining that you’ve gotten done already. I remember you mentioning that you were worried about getting it all accomplished in time, but it looks like you’re on track- how many parts do you still have to mill?

    Reply
  • Samantha Maierhofer
    March 17, 2016 1:33 pm

    Wow, this project is looking pretty impressive and you can tell you have been working hard to bring it together. How does the amount of anticipated machining time you have left compare to the time left in the semester? Do you have to work a ton over break?

    Reply
    • Brendan Warren
      March 17, 2016 4:19 pm

      Thanks! I’ve tried to front load a lot of the tricky machining. Really there is only one piece left, the air distributor in the back, that is a real pain. The rest are all made out of a plate on the CNC and it goes pretty fast (can get a whole set of parts done in a day). Because all of the modelling is done, much of the rough shapes are in the queue for the CNC in the ITLL and are done throughout the week. Honestly, I’m more worried if it will work or, worse yet, if it explodes during testing as the air pressure required is unknown.

      Reply

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