# Swashplate Engine



## vederstein (Apr 25, 2021)

After putting in too much time designing a stationary engine using Walscheart's valve gear, I was never able to get it looking like I had envisioned.

So, I dropped the idea for now and went back to an idea I started years ago:  An axial engine using a swashplate as the crankshaft.  Looking on the Interwebs, this basic concept was used for some steamship engines and in Dayton, Ohio USAF museum is a cutaway of an axial piston aircraft engine.

My engine is still axial, but I wanted to put it in an orientation that is just plain weird:  vertical with an underslung flywheel.  In some ways it's like an elbow engine, but obviously not an elbow engine.

So I present the following concept.

In the cutaway view, the rotating magenta colored plate is the steam valve.

Please comment if you see any major issues.


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## vederstein (Jul 25, 2021)

I've been working on this contraption and my rotating valve plate idea failed.  So I have a redesign using spool valves and a rotary cam.  What's not shown is that I intend to use an oring around the perimeter of the engine as valve springs(s).  The oring will ride in the cross cut on the valve(s).









The engine in its current, failed, state:


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## vederstein (Aug 22, 2021)

Several more weeks of work, and I'm getting closer.  I have engine running on two of the four cylinders and that's without a flywheel.

It's a noisy sucker, but I have ideas on how to ease that.

For as long as I've been working on this thing, today was a big milestone!


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## deverett (Aug 23, 2021)

Some years ago Cap. Jerry made what he called a Weeble Engine.  There were no construction drawings, but there was sufficient information given to be able to construct one.
Here is my version:












Dave
The Emerald Isle


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## deverett (Aug 23, 2021)

Here's a video of it running.

Dave
The Emerald Isle


deverett said:


> Some years ago Cap. Jerry made what he called a Weeble Engine.  There were no construction drawings, but there was sufficient information given to be able to construct one.
> Here is my version:
> View attachment 128688
> 
> ...


And here's a video of it running.



Dave
The Emerald Isle


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## vederstein (Aug 23, 2021)

Dave,

I assume the air admission is a rotary valve on the flywheel axle?


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## deverett (Aug 24, 2021)

vederstein said:


> Dave,
> 
> I assume the air admission is a rotary valve on the flywheel axle?



Hi Ved

I like your design - it looks very interesting, so I thought you might like to see something akin to a swash plate engine. (You no doubt realise mine is Not a swash plate engine).
You are correct, the air inlet is a rotary valve and the exhaust is through the centre of the main shaft opposite the flywheel.

Dave
The Emerald Isle


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## GrahamJTaylor49 (Aug 24, 2021)

Hi All,
You might like to look up the drawings in L.J.K. Setright's book "Some Unusual Engines". It shows the Ford Swash Plate 
engine as well as some other interesting engines. Dam good read.


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## vederstein (Aug 25, 2021)

As I've done with my other engine designs, I'll post all relevant design files, cad models, casting patterns, etc. to this forum when I'm done with the engine.

Being that this one has been a particularly frustrating build, I've tried to capture my on-the-fly changes, but alas, I probably have missed a couple.  At this point, I cannot guarantee all the drawings will be exactly correct.


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## TSutrina (Aug 26, 2021)

Worked at Sundstrand Aerospace now part of UTC. Hydraulic pumps/motors with variable displacements are all swash plate design and the Mark 49 torpedo engine is a swash plate engine with pressure supplied by rocket fuel.
For hydraulic swash plate designs they ability to pull and push the piston is provided.  For an engine pulling is the intaking of air and fuel.  the angled plates do not rotate.  Oil pressure bleed hole lubricates a slipper and the ball joint. a plate that rotates with the piston holds the slipper on the pull stroke to the plate and the ball joint is either bent in or has a snap ring held in surface to also pull.  Not sure how the mark 48 design works since hot rocket gases are not used to lubricate the engine.  Swash plate valve plate is on the other end of the cylinder block.   Vickers makes a variation of what is described above using spring s to pull the piston. and a flapper spring one way valves. 
There is a ball piston combustion engine also in existence that used centrifugal force to do the intake and exhaust stroke. The path is an oblong slot to achieve 4 strokes.


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

Variable flow rate hydraulic pumps are commonly of a swashplate design as well.  As the flow rate requirements decrease and the pressure requirements increase, the swashplate will rotate closer 0 degrees trading volume for pressure.  Often this actuation is entirely automatic with the swashplate being spring loaded as part of the mechanical controls.


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

The only thing I have left to make on this engine is the flywheel which I'm purchasing from Martin Models.  As such, I'm confident that posting the design files at this time is now warranted:


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

PDF files of the Assembly Drawings:


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

More Parts Drawings:


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

The solid model of the engine in .stp format (.zipped):


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## vederstein (Aug 29, 2021)

Finally, the casting patterns:


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## vederstein (Nov 14, 2021)

It was brought to my attention that I forgot to attach the base casting drawing.

Here it is attached.


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## vederstein (Nov 14, 2021)

I have a friend that is planning on building this engine, but he wants to do it all from machined barstock instead of the base casting.

I spent a couple of minutes redesigning the base for him to go from castings to barstock.

Drawings are attached.






...Ved.


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## peterl95124 (Aug 21, 2022)

wow, good to see all these swashplate engines, here's another. I need to replace the brass-on-brass rotary valve with teflon-on-brass as the valve faces are getting scored up. Its double-acting with steam chests at both ends, and the wobbling star shaped swashplate really gets a lot of attention.


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