The Wankel engine is a rotary engine that uses a triangular rotor instead of pistons, making it lighter and more reliable. However, it is often less powerful and fuel efficient than piston engines. Developed by Felix Wankel in the 1950s, it has been used in vehicles such as Mazda’s RX line of sports cars.
The Wankel engine, more commonly known as a rotary engine or rotary combustion engine, is a type of internal combustion engine developed by Felix Wankel. As its more common name suggests, it is a rotary engine, which means that it is based on a very different mechanism than a traditional piston engine. Both piston engines and Wankel engines rely on the pressure created by the combination of burning fuel and air. However, a Wankel engine is based on a rotary design rather than reciprocating pistons. In other words, a Wankel engine is a pistonless rotary engine.
A piston engine confines the four stages known as the “Otto Cycle” – intake, compression, combustion and exhaust – within a single cylinder. First, the fuel-air mixture is let in, which is compressed by the piston as it rises to the top of the chamber. The spark plug at the top ignites the compressed air-fuel mixture and causes the piston to move back. This cycle causes rotation of the connector rod and crankshaft. In the case of a car, rotation causes the wheels of the vehicle to turn. Most vehicles have multiple cylinders. An engine with more cylinders can naturally make more power.
A Wankel engine spreads the phases of the Otto cycle between the areas of a special oblong casing. This casing contains a single triangular rotor that is used instead of pistons. The rotating rotor allows the mixing of air and fuel, and then, through the same movement, compresses it into a smaller chamber in the casing. The air-fuel mixture reaches maximum compression when the rotor reaches the spark plugs, setting the stage for combustion.
Since a Wankel engine has fewer parts than a reciprocating engine, it is lighter and often more reliable. With a Wankel engine, there’s no need for parts like valves, valve trains, and connecting rods—types of hardware that can add considerably to an engine’s weight. Wankel engines drive vehicles as diverse as motorcycles, airplanes, jet skis, and even certain types of racing cars.
Despite their more compact size, Wankel engines are often less powerful and less fuel efficient than their piston-based counterparts. The American Motors Corporation (AMC) planned to start using Wankel engines in its vehicles, but abandoned those plans amid the oil shocks of the 1970s. Mazda has used the Wankel engine, especially in its line of sports cars like the RX. -7 and the RX-8, though it has also moved away from those due to fuel economy concerns.
Felix Wankel, a German engineer, developed the engine bearing his name in the 1950s and 1960s with the help of NSU Motorenwerke AG. He first conceived of the idea in 1924 before finally seeing the first working prototype in 1957.
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