How many parts in an engine?

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Nigel Taylor

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I was thinking how many parts in a model engine...so I had a look at a few examples, I will try and add some more examples:

A simple oscillating steam engine (such as a Mamod) has less than 10 parts, although this could be reduced as the crank is pushed together from 3 parts.

My simple oscillating engine has 20 parts, but then add fixings, pipes etc and this has a total of 50 parts:

oscillating-engine-assembly.jpg


However, take a look at this Wright radial engine made by Ken-ichi Tsuzuki:

wright-9cyl-04.jpg


This has over 1500 parts. This takes skill and stamina to make.
 
I was thinking how many parts in a model engine...so I had a look at a few examples, I will try and add some more examples:

A simple oscillating steam engine (such as a Mamod) has less than 10 parts, although this could be reduced as the crank is pushed together from 3 parts.

My simple oscillating engine has 20 parts, but then add fixings, pipes etc and this has a total of 50 parts:

oscillating-engine-assembly.jpg


However, take a look at this Wright radial engine made by Ken-ichi Tsuzuki:

wright-9cyl-04.jpg


This has over 1500 parts. This takes skill and stamina to make.

Not an engine, but this has 7000 parts - - it took the guy 16 years to make it apparently. Skill and stamina iideed! Pointless in a way, but rather beautiful. I wonder how I'd feel if I'd put that time into making something. A bit empty when it was finished I suspect.

Rob
 
Not an engine, but this has 7000 parts - - it took the guy 16 years to make it apparently. Skill and stamina iideed! Pointless in a way, but rather beautiful. I wonder how I'd feel if I'd put that time into making something. A bit empty when it was finished I suspect.

Rob
Must show that to the boss, she will never complain about my watch making again!
 
In answer to the original question a simple two stroke engine as you find in your strimmer or similar only has essentially three moving parts, crankshaft, con rod and piston, probably the simplest internal combustion engine there is.
 
In answer to the original question a simple two stroke engine as you find in your strimmer or similar only has essentially three moving parts, crankshaft, con rod and piston, probably the simplest internal combustion engine there is.
Quite a lot of parts still even in a two stroke. A glow plug engine is probably the simplest:
  1. crankcase
  2. bearing - assume phosphor bronze so just one piece
  3. rear crankcase cover
  4. crankshaft
  5. thrust washer (keyed to crankshaft)
  6. washer + nut to clamp propeller or flywheel
  7. conrod
  8. conrod main bearing - phosphor bronze
  9. piston
  10. gudgeon pin
  11. gudgeon pin clip
  12. gudgeon pin clip
  13. cylinder liner
  14. cylinder head
  15. glow plug
  16. soft copper washer
  17. carburetor body
  18. carburetor butterfly
  19. needle body
  20. needle valve
  21. needle spring or friction spring
  22. silencer
  23. ~8 bolts to fix head and rear crankcase cover
  24. 2 bolts for silencer
So, I think there are around 20 parts and with fixings around 30 parts. I'm sure I've missed some......
 
Not my thing but I had thought most glow plug engines are two strokes aren't they? Parts count pretty much the same, If you are looking at a simple two stroke without valves, variable ports etc.
I suppose it depends what we call an engine. If you look at something like a pulse or ram jet, it can have no moving parts at all, really just a cleverly shaped tube. Interesting that Walter Kaaden, probably the most important man in the history of the two stroke engine, was one of the team who designed the pulse jet used in the V1 flying bomb. That's where his knowledge of gas flow etc came from, and enabled him to come up with the expansion chamber exhaust which still bears his name, as well as a variety of other ideas still in use today.
 
That is what you call model engineering, small and precise. I wonder if he will tackle the 18 cylinder Wright engine the R3350 or the 18 cylinder Napier Deltic which might be easier as it has no valves being a supercharged two stroke but with three crankshafts.
 
The biggest thing I tackled was rebuilding a Jaguar V12 engine. That had a LOT of parts!
 
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