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Wankel Engines are Widely Used in Military Aircraft Due to Their Excellent Characteristics

Wankel engine refers to a new type of internal combustion engine in which the piston rotates in the cylinder. Since the 1870s, many designers and inventors in the world have been seeking to cancel the reciprocating motion in the reciprocating piston engine and make it develop at a higher speed. The most successful one is the triangular piston type invented by Fei Wankel in Germany in 1954. The rotor of a Wankel engine does work three times per revolution. Compared with a general four-stroke engine that only performs work once every two revolutions, the entire engine has only two rotating parts, which is twice as high as a general four-stroke reciprocating engine. Compared with more than ten movable parts, the simplified structure reduces the size and weight of the engine, and the failure rate is also reduced. In addition, due to the axial operating characteristics of the rotary engine, it does not require precise crankshaft balance to reach a higher operating speed. Its speed rises faster than a reciprocating engine, and it has a high horsepower-to-volume ratio (the engine volume is small but can Output more power).

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Analysis of the Status Quo and Prospect Forecast of Wankel Engine Industry

The circular motion of the Wankel engine rotor rotation is smoother than the horizontal linear motion of the reciprocating piston engine (referring to the connecting rod and the crankshaft driving the piston), so the vibration and noise of the Wankel engine are relatively small. Since the Wankel engine is small and runs smoothly, and there is no local high heat caused by the exhaust valve of the reciprocating engine, there are few hydrocarbons in the exhaust gas. Since the beginning of the 21st century, global warming has caused drastic changes in the global environment. When developing new vehicles, global automakers are also thinking about how to save energy and reduce emissions. In 2010, the German Audi Automotive Company developed the A1e-tron with a single-rotor engine and an electric motor. Because of the Wankel engine's characteristics of high efficiency, low vibration, light weight and compactness, it was included in the plan by Audi, so that it can be used to drive the generator when the lithium battery is insufficient. Many high-performance vehicles of Mazda are also available. There is use. The rapid development of electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles in recent years has also proved that the development trend of green energy is unstoppable. With the help of Wankel engine, the market demand has repeatedly expanded, and the market value has steadily increased year after year. As of 2015, the global market value of Wankel engine industry reached 27.122 billion U.S. dollars, and by 2019 it increased to 39.37 billion U.S. dollars, even in the epidemic With the impact of the global economic slump, the Wankel engine is still showing an upward trend.

The first Wankel to be manufactured was the Kanesulm United Transportation Company of Germany, and General Motors of the United States sold a small Chevrolet Vega Wankel on the market in 1974. The development process of Wankel engines in western developed countries is longer and the technology is more mature. However, due to the structural defects of the Wankel engine, very few vehicle manufacturers use it as a power engine, but it is still widely used in the aircraft field. The developed countries still have not given up on the Wankel engine research and are eager to solve existing problems. To release the advantages of Wankel motors. In this case, countries with relatively backward economies can be said to have no time to invest a lot of money and human resources into Wankel's improvement research and development. As of 2019, the market share of Wankel engines in North America was as high as 54.90%, ranking first; while the Middle East and Africa only had 2.73%.

Although it has obvious advantages over the piston-crank engine, the shape of the Wankel engine combustion chamber determines the long combustion path, low combustion efficiency, and increased fuel consumption. The output shaft is high, and the layout of the entire vehicle powertrain is difficult and can only be used. Ignition type, diesel engine cannot be used; the contact position of the triangle rotor and the cylinder is constantly changing, and complete sealing cannot be achieved, and the sealing plate is in line contact with the cylinder body, which wears quickly. Because of these structural defects that cannot be ignored, Wankel engines have not been widely used in the world's vehicle manufacturing industry. However, its many advantages, such as simple structure, small size, high public-to-weight ratio, low noise, and the use of multiple fuels, still make it a hot spot for application research in aerospace, military and other fields. The world's first experimental Wankel-engine aircraft was the QT-2 reconnaissance aircraft used by the US Army between 1968 and 1969, and it was derived from the Q-Star manufactured by Lockheed Corporation. Its engine comes from the Curtis-Wright RC2-60 Wankel engine, which can output a maximum horsepower of 185hp. As of 2019, the UAV field accounted for 75.35% of the market share, and the aircraft field accounted for 24.65% of the market share. In addition, Wankel engines are mainly divided into air-cooled and water-cooled from the perspective of category. As of 2019, the market share of air-cooled is 37.49%, and the market share of water-cooled is 62.51%. With the expansion of drone market demand, such as the development of aerial photography, express delivery, pesticide spraying and other fields, the Wankel engine market is expected to continue to grow for a long time.

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Wankel Engine Industry

Although the new crown epidemic has caused a major blow to the global economy that cannot be ignored, from the perspective of short-term turnover, the epidemic may have played a certain role in promoting the Wankel engine. Overall, it can be said that the Wankel engine industry is less affected by the epidemic. In the future in the field of drones and hybrid automobile manufacturing, the market value of the Wankel engine industry is expected to continue to rise steadily.