Conceived in the 1930s, simplified and successfully tested in the 1950s, the darling of the automotive industry in the early 1970s, then all but abandoned before resurging for a brilliant run as a high-performance powerplant for Mazda, the Wankel rotary engine has long been an object of fascination and more than a little mystery. A remarkably simple design (yet understood by few), it boasts compact size, light weight and nearly vibration-free operation. In the 1960s, German engineer Felix Wankel's invention was beginning to look like a revolution in the making. Though still in need of refinement, it held much promise as a smooth and powerful engine that could fit in smaller spaces than piston engines of similar output. Auto makers lined up for licensing rights to build their own Wankels, and for a time analysts predicted that much of the industry would convert to rotary power. This complete and well-illustrated account traces the full history of the engine and its use in various cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and other applications. It clearly explains the working of the engine and the technical challenges it presented-the difficulty of designing effective and durable seals, early emissions troubles, high fuel consumption, and others. The work done by several companies to overcome these problems is described in detail, as are the economic and political troubles that nearly killed the rotary in the 1970s, and the prospects for future rotary-powered vehicles.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
solid technical book, focussed:
A strong technical book, focussed on the technical nature of the rotary, or planetary Wankel engine. The title is apt, and it gives in very plain format a history and technical side of this wonderful engine. It gives insight to the genius that this man was.
The Wankel Rotary Engine: A History by John B. Hege:
An interesting and well written book on the history of the Wankel rotary engine. The book concentrates on the history of the development of the engine rather than on the engineering technicalities which I liked as I'm not an engineer and get turned off by too many formulas. Having said that, there is a little mathematics in the text which explains the shape of the combustion chambers but its not too much and is well supported by written explanations. I read through the book in about two evenings and found... more info
Informative, fascinating and down right good read:
Wankel Rotary Engine: A History A fascinating read not just for crankheads but anyone interested in how things get done and how so very often they don't get done at all. Of particular interest is the chapter on G.M's entry into the wonderful world of Wankel--perhaps a small insight as to why they're #2 today. A hearty thank you to John Hege for a well researched book. Get in touch with me John and I'll send you a copy of my book.
The Wankel Rotary Engine...:
The book is pretty informative...however, I thought it left some questions
for the reader...it could be more specific as to the final Rotary version
telling of the final metallugy & technical info on the materials finally used in the seals, etc. It wasn't clear on this point I thought, and the main issue in the final development was the materials that finally worked.
So, 4 stars instead of 5, but I would recommend the book anyway.
Best Regards, Tom
