Centrifugal device for rotary engine

A novel centrifugal device that attaches to multiple rotating cross-vanes in a rotary engine so as to offset the effects of centrifugal forces on the cross-vanes and thereby reduce seal element wear on the cross-vanes. The device consists of two clevis arms and a weight arm pivotally pinned to each end of the rotating cross-vanes.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to a centrifugal device that counteracts the 
centrifugal forces operating on rotor parts in a rotary engine. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Rotary engines are well known in the art and have impressive power per unit 
weight. One of their drawbacks is friction as a result of centrifugal 
force on the rotor parts. Exemplary of this is a rotary engine disclosed 
in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,079 issued to the present inventor which is a 
spherical housing having internal rotors and multiple cross-vanes that 
bear against the inside of the housing creating friction that varies as 
the square of the rotational speed. It is, therefore, the purpose of this 
invention to provide a simple centrifugally actuated device that offsets 
the forces that drive the cross-members against the housing interior. 
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,916 issued to Jones discloses a device used in a rotary 
engine, the contact pressure of the apex seals against portions of the 
housing normally increases at high engine speeds owing to centrifugal 
effects, causing wear and power loss through friction. The invention 
provides a device responsive to centrifugal and frictional effects which 
retracts the seal at high speeds to diminish contact pressure. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The centrifugal device of the present invention is used to reduce friction 
and in a rotary engine having an eccentrically mounted rotor within a 
housing and multiple cross-vanes rotatably engaging a housing inner 
surface; the device comprises: 
a weight arm having a weight on a first end and a pair of opposing and 
pivotally attached clevis rods at separate pivot points on a second end of 
the weight arm, 
a first clevis rod pivotally attached to a first cross-vane in a first 
direction, 
a second clevis rod pivotally attached by a clevis pin to a second 
cross-vane in an opposite second direction, 
wherein rotor centrifugal force during rotary engine operation causes 
opposing motion of the clevis rods thereby causing a restraining force on 
the cross-vanes at a 90.degree. angle with the clevis rod motion so as to 
reduce a crossvane force against the housing inner surface. 
Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will 
become more apparent as the description proceeds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
FIG. 1 illustrates in partial section the stationary spherical housing 10 
of a rotary engine having a cross-vane 12 rotating in the direction of 
arrow 14. This cross-vane is one of the internal parts of the rotary 
engine disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,721,079 issued to the present 
inventor. (See FIG. 2). The cross-vane 12 has seal elements 16 that bear 
against inner surface 18 of the spherical housing 10. The multiple 
cross-vanes 12 are mounted on a rotor eccentric to the housing 12 as seen 
by rotor center 20 displaced from housing center 22 of FIG. 2. 
It is the purpose of this inventive centrifugal device to reduce the 
centrifugal force in direction 24 as the engine rotor speed increases 
thereby minimizing wear on surface 18 and seal elements 16 (FIG. 1). 
The centrifugal device 26 can be seen assembled in FIG. 3. This simple 
device consists of a weight 28 mounted on weight arm 30, which in turn is 
pivotally connected to a first clevis rod 32A and a second clevis rod 32B. 
This weight 28 is offset from a radial line that passes through the pivot 
points of the clevis rods 32A and 32B. An opposite end of each clevis rod 
is pinned to two adjacent cross-vanes 12A and 12B by four (4) clevis pins 
34 which penetrate four (4) clevis eyes 36 (FIGS. 4, 5, and 9 ) and 
pivotally retain the rods 32 to the cross-vanes 12. FIGS. 4 and 9 shows 
the cross-vane 12 with the clevis eyes 36 at each end. 
Details of the clevis rod 32, pins 34, and clevis eyes 36 can be seen in 
FIGS. 6, 7, and 9, respectively. Since each cross-vane 12 has four (4) 
clevis rods attaching to adjacent vanes, a flexible circular ring is 
formed on each end of the cross-vanes. 
Operation of the centrifugal device 26 will be made by referring again to 
FIGS. 3 and 10. Rotor rotation in direction 14 causes a centrifugal force 
to move weight 28 in direction 40. Motion in that direction causes 
rotation of the clevis rods 32A and 32B about a center of rotation 41 as 
at arrows 42A and 42B. However, the cross-vanes 12 are restrained from 
horizontal motion by engine rotor 43 (FIGS. 2 and 10) and by forces 42C 
and 42D from adjacent clevis rods 32C and 32D (FIG. 10) but are free to 
slide up and down. Therefore, the cross-vanes 12A and 12B will be subject 
to a force toward the center of the rotor at a 90.degree. angle or greater 
with the clevis rod causing a force as indicated by arrows 44 thereby 
reducing the force of seal elements 16 against the housing surface 18. 
Thus, the centrifugal forces acting on the cross-vanes 12 are offset by the 
centrifugal forces on the weight arms 28, reducing wear on the seal 
elements 16. Of course, there are two centrifugal devices 26 for each 
cross-vane 12 since there is one device connected at each end of 
cross-vane 12 at clevis eye 36 (FIG. 4 and 9). The forces due to the 
centrifugal device 20 are dependent on the mass of weight 28, the length 
dimensions of the weight arm, the location of the weight arm pin apertures 
46 (FIG. 8), and the distance from the rotor center 20 (FIG. 2). 
While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, various 
modes of carrying out the principles disclosed herein are contemplated as 
being within the scope of the following claims. Therefore, it is 
understood that the scope of the invention is not to be limited except as 
otherwise set forth in the claims.