Wheels always turning in this inventor's mind(rot.eng.,50%+fuel eff.-no tran.,coolant reqd)

Richmond Times Dispatch ^ | 10-19-03 | BOB RAYNER

[putupon]

The engineer, inventor and aspiring tycoon has spent half his life working on a project that he believes could revolution ize a mainstay of the industrial age: the internal combustion engine.

Yeah, right, you're probably thinking.

The DeFazio Rotary Engine, its creator said, needs no transmission. It requires no coolant system. It's 50 percent more fuel efficient and far more powerful than a typical engine.

[putupon]

[Hebrews 11:6]

What does he feed the hamsters?

[putupon]

Oops, I screwed up the link to De Fazio's web page in the article

[putupon]

What does he feed the hamsters?

And your mechanical exprtise is in?

[coloradan]

I didn't know that silicon carbide was a lubricant. I do know, however, that even though diamonds are the hardest material known, they also have the lowest coefficient of friction of any solid when fluorinated.

[js1138]

400,000 and no prototype? What's wrong with a metal prototype? Prove the damn thing runs. Work on the lube and weight later.

[FreedomPoster]

DeFazio hasn't been able to raise enough money to build a working prototype to prove his model actually does what he thinks it will.
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But this a serious guy. He's worked his entire life as an He estimates that his investment - in time and money - is approaching $400,000.

The piscean reek comes through strongly here. Sorry, but $400 Large ought to be more than enough to build a prototype. Basement CNC machining is a reality. If you can build high-output engines weighing as much as is claimed, you ought to be able to build something much smaller than a breadbox that puts out useable levels of power for a demonstration.

On second thought, fishy is too weak. I'm smelling hot steaming fresh bovine scat. Another item for the "oil companies and car companies are conspiring against the common man" files?

[e_castillo]

DeFazio said the big car manufacturers aren't interested.

Thats because they built ceramic engines 20 years a ago and found them to be unreliable. He also compares output per pound... why not give out a horse power and torque rating?

[corkoman]

And your mechanical exprtise is in?

Lighten up - i was thinking the same thing. sheesh.

[yoswif]

I don't see a difference between using ceramics technology to improve engine efficiency and using ceramics technology to improve electric motor and generator efficiency.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.starrotor.com/indexflash.htm

Above URL updated star rotor

[FreedomPoster]

>>why not give out a horse power and torque rating?


Because he hasn't built one and hasn't a clue, would be my guess.

[Graybeard58]

"Thats because they built ceramic engines 20 years a ago and found them to be unreliable"

..Didn't Mazda do this with ceramics about that time? It didn't go over very well for some reason.

[Camel Joe]

Well he could form a corporation and issue stock.... I'd be tempted to buy!

[FreedomPoster]

Also, about 20 years ago, the military was researching ceramic diesels for AFV engines. The idea was that doing away with water cooling systems (radiators, hoses, water pumps, and such) would do away with a major area of vulnerability and unreliability.

I'm pretty sure every AFV in the inventory uses a water-cooled diesel engine, except the M1A1 tank, which of course uses a combustion turbine.

[e_castillo]

I know Ford built several engines from ceramics including a turbine but were never able to make them last. I don't know about Mazda.

[Normal4me]

Interesting article. You'd think that the enviro-nazis would step up and offer funding but I guess they are too busy chaining themselves to trees and burning down SUV dealerships. Perhaps this guy should look into a government grant. If we can spend 600K on studying frog mating habits, grant money should be available for a worthwhile project.

[putupon]

>>why not give out a horse power and torque rating?

Because he hasn't built one and hasn't a clue, would be my guess

. "This engine will operate only at full throttle to demonstrate the torque and horsepower of the 6" engine. The depicted engine (with two (2) compression pistons) is expected to efficiently produce 4 Hp at 2500 RPM. The six (6) power piston version with 36 compression pistons will then be expected to produce about 288 horsepower at 10,000 RPM and about 576 horsepower at 20,000 RPM."

Why not check the link I gave and see if you can find the answers rather than guess whether or not he has a clue?

[hoosierham]

Mazda RX-3 was a BLAST !

Great power and performance for a small engine car. Car was not too stylish,though. I drove one sometime around 1977 , should have bought the car. Very conservative bankers (well, financially conservative)in my hometown would only loan on domestic gasoline engine cars and trucks ;had to later pass on a good deal for a Olds diesel because of that.

The auto industry is still tweaking a hundred year old design by adding outboard nonrepairable computer controlls.

[Restorer]

DeFazio said the big car manufacturers aren't interested. "They have an in-house mentality. Unless they invent it themselves, they won't even talk to you about it."

I just don't buy this. Any car manufacturer would be thrilled to produce a 300 horsepower car that got 100 mpg. He'd blow the competition so far out of the water they'd go into orbit.

A far more likely explanation is that they think he's a flake. Right up there with the 100 mpg industry-suppressed carburetor guy.