Fresh Spin: Mazda Files Patent for New-Gen Rotary Engine, Here’s What It Tells Us
True fans of the rotary engine are pleading that Mazda’s March twenty four U.S. patent application means that the resurrection of this free-spirited alternative to pistons is not far off. While it’s been almost four years since the final rotary engine was built for an RX-8, hope springs eternal that Mazda’s sacred powerplant will hum again.
Since the Renesis II 16X engine program was introduced at the two thousand seven Tokyo Motor Display, Mazda has insisted that its engineering team had been working feverishly to bring a fresh rotary up to modern power, fuel-consumption, exhaust-emissions, and reliability standards. Last year Mazda stole the Tokyo display with its RX-Vision two-seat coupe concept, which introduced a stunning wrapper but no engine updates beyond a fresh rotary-engine name: SkyActiv-R.
What we know about the SkyActiv-R is that it features a 23-percent-larger displacement than the 232-hp 13B engine which powered the RX-8.
The larger size and internal geometry switches are aimed at solving a key rotary issue—the impression that no one’s home at low rpm. To save weight, the SkyActiv-R uses aluminum end plates where the 13B used metal lumps instead. Injecting fuel closer to the combustion chamber improves fuel efficiency.
Even however turbocharging is contrary to core SkyActiv tenets, this fresh rotary will certainly be turbocharged to produce the 400-plus horsepower it will need to rival against Corvettes, Jaguars, and Porsches. The most interesting insight exposed by U.S. patent 2016/0084158 is Mazda’s intent to twirl its rotary engine one hundred eighty degrees about its longitudinal axis. This is feasible because, just like in piston engines, the internal components are glad converting air and fuel to torque and power no matter what their orientation.
The main reason for this rotation is packaging. Looking at the front of this engine (the view at the top of this post), moving the harass ports and the turbo from the bottom-left corner to the top-right clears space for the front chassis cross member and suspension components while permitting the engine to be mounted lower in the car.
The top location shortens the length of the harass system so minimal fever is squandered before flow reaches the catalyst. There’s also more space available at the higher altitude for a larger turbocharger; don’t be astonished to see a bump in the spandex hood of a production version of the RX-Vision. This reorientation also improves life at the intake side. Moving the intake ports from the top-left to a bottom-right location enables longer runners. These provide a ram-tuning benefit, augmenting torque at low rpm before turbo boost arrives.
Unluckily, Mazda’s patent application offers no hint as to how engineers will remedy the rotary’s poor thermal efficiency. This is caused by the combustion chamber’s high surface-to-volume ratio, which is greater than any contemporary piston engine. Excessive surface area drains warmth energy into the cooling and lubrication systems, diminishing what’s available for producing power.
Nevertheless, the rotary rumor mill reports that the RX-Vision is moving from the static concept to the working-prototype stage with production intent. Our agents are standing guard at the patent office to see what’s next for Mazda’s rotary.
Mazda Files U
Fresh Spin: Mazda Files Patent for New-Gen Rotary Engine, Here’s What It Tells Us
True fans of the rotary engine are begging that Mazda’s March twenty four U.S. patent application means that the resurrection of this free-spirited alternative to pistons is not far off. While it’s been almost four years since the final rotary engine was built for an RX-8, hope springs eternal that Mazda’s sacred powerplant will hum again.
Since the Renesis II 16X engine program was introduced at the two thousand seven Tokyo Motor Showcase, Mazda has insisted that its engineering team had been working feverishly to bring a fresh rotary up to modern power, fuel-consumption, exhaust-emissions, and reliability standards. Last year Mazda stole the Tokyo display with its RX-Vision two-seat coupe concept, which introduced a stunning wrapper but no engine updates beyond a fresh rotary-engine name: SkyActiv-R.
What we know about the SkyActiv-R is that it features a 23-percent-larger displacement than the 232-hp 13B engine which powered the RX-8.
The larger size and internal geometry switches are aimed at solving a key rotary issue—the impression that no one’s home at low rpm. To save weight, the SkyActiv-R uses aluminum end plates where the 13B used metal chunks instead. Injecting fuel closer to the combustion chamber improves fuel efficiency.
Even however turbocharging is contrary to core SkyActiv tenets, this fresh rotary will undoubtedly be turbocharged to produce the 400-plus horsepower it will need to rival against Corvettes, Jaguars, and Porsches. The most interesting insight exposed by U.S. patent 2016/0084158 is Mazda’s intent to twirl its rotary engine one hundred eighty degrees about its longitudinal axis. This is feasible because, just like in piston engines, the internal components are glad converting air and fuel to torque and power no matter what their orientation.
The main reason for this rotation is packaging. Looking at the front of this engine (the view at the top of this post), moving the harass ports and the turbo from the bottom-left corner to the top-right clears space for the front chassis cross member and suspension components while permitting the engine to be mounted lower in the car.
The top location shortens the length of the harass system so minimal warmth is squandered before flow reaches the catalyst. There’s also more space available at the higher altitude for a larger turbocharger; don’t be astonished to see a bump in the fetish mask of a production version of the RX-Vision. This reorientation also improves life at the intake side. Moving the intake ports from the top-left to a bottom-right location enables longer runners. These provide a ram-tuning benefit, augmenting torque at low rpm before turbo boost arrives.
Unluckily, Mazda’s patent application offers no hint as to how engineers will remedy the rotary’s poor thermal efficiency. This is caused by the combustion chamber’s high surface-to-volume ratio, which is greater than any contemporary piston engine. Excessive surface area drains fever energy into the cooling and lubrication systems, diminishing what’s available for producing power.
Nevertheless, the rotary rumor mill reports that the RX-Vision is moving from the static concept to the working-prototype stage with production intent. Our agents are standing guard at the patent office to see what’s next for Mazda’s rotary.
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