# Brians Radial Engine running



## Brian Rupnow (Oct 15, 2009)

This is a video of my first radial engine running. For the complete build log, this is the link.
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=6305.0


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## Rolland (Oct 15, 2009)

Well Brian you did it again, :bow: that is a marvelous engine. I like it. But you have to stop this I need to get some other things done. I will never catch up now.


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## rake60 (Oct 15, 2009)

Well done Brian! :bow:
Beautiful running radial!

Rick


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## va4ngo (Oct 15, 2009)

Brian
What a wonderful adaptation to a classic design which you have expanded upon and brought to a very interesting conclusion. 
This will be an inspiration to new builders showing what can be achieved from a simple concept.

Well done and I look forward to more of your personal projects

Phil


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## ariz (Oct 16, 2009)

congrats Brian, another very nice running engine (and a radial, not so simple!) you have built there :bow:

well done


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## Maryak (Oct 16, 2009)

Brian,

Not only a prolific designer/builder but a magnific designer/builder. :bow: :bow:

Best Regards
Bob


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## b.lindsey (Oct 16, 2009)

Great job Brian as always !! Thanks for sharing the build and the completed engine.

Bill


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## Captain Jerry (Oct 16, 2009)

Congratulations. Nice engine. Nice build. And entertaining as always! :bow:

Jerry


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## cfellows (Oct 17, 2009)

Very Nice, Brian! Are we going to see this on in HSM as well?

Chuck


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## esteam (Oct 20, 2009)

Congrats Brian... Great job. 

Regards

Erdem


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## Brian Rupnow (Oct 20, 2009)

cfellows  said:
			
		

> Very Nice, Brian! Are we going to see this on in HSM as well?
> 
> Chuck


Chuck--I would like to do an article for another magazine, as this is a rather fascinating engine, and a well documented build---but---I haven't been asked, and I'm not sure to go about selling an article to a magazine. The beam engine was easy---I had posted it over on the HSM website, and George Bullis seen it there and asked me to do the article..


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## black85vette (Oct 20, 2009)

I didn't do a lot of them but I wrote some articles for electronics service related publications and also for sound system engineering.  I wrote to the editors and gave a list of articles I was planning to see if they were interested or if I could go another direction for something they needed. Got several jobs that way. Pay was not great but worth the effort. Also looked at doing a technical book but did not get any bites on that.

I think you ought to do more of it. You design some cool stuff, your drawings are great and your writing is easy to follow. Not everyone can do all of that.


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## shred (Oct 20, 2009)

I've done the same thing for some other magazines-- send the editor an e-mail saying "Would you like an article on <this cool thing / project>?" Send a photo or one paragraph summary if it's not something they'll already know what it is. Some may dismiss it out of hand, some may want to see the entire article before passing judgment and some will say "sure, send it over".

After a while of that they'll be pestering you for articles.


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## Brian Rupnow (Oct 21, 2009)

I may have spoken too soon. I was contacted this morning by a magazine wanting to do an article on this engine. Can't say who it is though untill its published.---Brian


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## cfellows (Oct 21, 2009)

Hey, Brian, maybe this is the start of a whole new career!

Chuck


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## 1Kenny (Oct 21, 2009)

Good sounding engine, Brian.

Kenny


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## Brian Rupnow (Oct 21, 2009)

cfellows  said:
			
		

> Hey, Brian, maybe this is the start of a whole new career!
> 
> Chuck


Chuck---Ya just never know where its going to come from, do ya!!! I kinda like my old career, if this damned awfull economy ever sorts itself out!!! I enjoy doing the magazine articles, but I see it as perhaps being something I do when I retire. And I really, really don't want that to happen for a couple of years yet, at least.


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## Brian Rupnow (Oct 22, 2009)

Since I AM doing a magazine article on this engine, I cleaned up the drawing of the main star shaped frame and put it on 3 sheets to make it a bit easier to read.---Brian 

View attachment MAIN SUPPORT FRAME DETAILS-BRIANS RADIAL ENGINE.PDF


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## lornetw (Mar 9, 2014)

Hello Mr. Rupnow. I don't know if this is an active thread.

I am a teacher who teaches CNC machining  (manual programming, CNC machining and MasterCAM) in a trade school in  Montreal, Canada (school name : Cente Anjou, see : www.cspi.qc.ca/centre-anjou/).  We have about 15 CNC machines (milling and lathes) and three of our new  machines have CNC rotary tables. We also have three CMM machines for  accurately inspecting all the parts.

I am looking for a real cool  project for my students and I would like to do your radial engine (AKA  Brian's Radial Engine). What I really like about your engine is that  there are no really small fragile parts and the engine parts would be  easy to machine on our CNC  machines. I would like to know if you would give me permission to use  your radial engine as a project for my students.

If so, I would like to ask you a couple of questions.

CONROD  HUB : After studying your drawings for quite a while, I would like to  know if I have understood the mechanism properly. If the master Conrod  is silver soldered to the Conrod Hub, that means that it never pivots  (just thinking to myself !). If I understand correctly, the other  Conrods are also fixed and do not pivot because they are fixed with  Loctite. Is this correct?  If this is correct, the only reason the  engine can rotate is because the Cylinders pivot and the Conrod Hub  probably rocks slightly back and forth for each revelation of the Crank  ?  Or is the the Loctite just to lock the small 1/8 inch rod that holds  the end of  the Conrod  pin in place ?

If so . . . .  I was  thinking of doing a modification. If the above paragraph  is correct, could I replace the Conrod Hub with a solid pentagon hub  (with no groove) and drill and tap 5-40 at the correct spot on each  face. The Conrods could then be simple threaded rods. Or am I missing  something ?

When I first looked at the plans I was *sure* that the other Conrods (other than the master one) *had* to pivot in the Conrod Hub or they would break.

CYLINDER  : I always buy Machinist's Workshop and Home Shop Machinist (that's how  I found your engine !). So, after reading your explanation on page 26  of the Jan/Feb issue of Home Shop Machinist, I had a question regarding  the path of the airflow in the engine. By the way, I took the liberty of  changing the Air Inlet to an NPT pneumatic fitting (so my students can  practice tapping NPT). I can follow the airflow path, starting from the  side of the Vertical Stand, up into the circular annulus, into the  (5 arm) Main Support Frame (via its own circular annulus), up the  length of the arm and out the hole on the face of the arm. After that I  presume it is the rocking action of the Cylinder that permits the air to  enter into the top of the cylinder, pushes the Piston down and when the  cycle is finished, the cylinder rocks (pivots) the other way (as the  piston rises in the cylinder), letting the air exit by the other hole  that goes completely through the arm. Is this correct ?

NOTE : I  am using MasterCAMx7 to do all my drawings (production drawings, solids,  etc) and to generate the G-codes to machine the parts. If you give me  permission to do this project, I will keep you posted on my progress. I  am attaching a screen grab of my progress so far.

Other modifications :
I  will also be adding a small SHCS, screwed into the back of the flywheel  so the student can rotate the engine manually and thus show off the  interesting movement of the  mechanism.


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## crueby (Mar 9, 2014)

If I may, I'll answer the part I can:

conrods: only the master rod is fixed to the hub, the others do pivot. That is a common feature on radials. The one rod is fixed to limit the angle that the hub will rotate - without one being fixed the hub can rotate too far and jam up. I think he just loctited the pins at the end of the rods so they would not come out of the hub.


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## lornetw (Mar 9, 2014)

Thanks for your reply. That makes much more sense.

Regards, 

Lorne Wilkins


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