M28 - The Wanitschek-Flame-Eater scaled 1:2
| Technical details | ||
| Year of construction | 2004 | |
| Power piston | stroke | 11 mm |
| diameter | 8 mm | |
| flywheel | diameter | 31 mm |
| material | brass | |
| idle speed | 1200 U/min - 400 U/min | |
| energy source | alcohol | |
| mass | 100 g | |
Description:
A real challenge: Would it be
possible to build a half-size model of the Wanitschek vacuum engine?
No cast iron blanks are available for such a project. I therefore had to mill
all components from stock. The flywheel body was the very first test piece I
machined on a CNC mill, an upgraded Proxxon MF70 controlled by the PCNC software.
Assembling the components pretty much resembled watchmaking...
The engine runs well, although it heats up quickly due to its small size.
Therefore, it cannot be run for extended periods of time. As in previous models,
I included an eddy current brake, which works marvellously.