Lego Oscillating Air Engine

[JJ2]

Hello

After watching this

I started to wonder if it was possible to build it with Lego and after some research I started building.

IMG_0642 by JJ2Sam, on Flickr

The engine is extremely simple with only two holes in the piston housing allowing air in or out making it robust to use. Since it is only a single cylinder it uses a flywheel to keep the cam rotating.

IMG_0640 by JJ2Sam, on Flickr

Unlike internal combustion engines found in your car where the piston is in a rigid housing or block making the piston have to have a ball joint allowing it to travel up and down this engine allows the entire piston and housing to rock or oscillate.

IMG_0641 by JJ2Sam, on Flickr

I have made instructions

A ReBrickable parts list will be made.

Thanks for reading.

[Nazgarot]

I really don't understand why you would build it this way? You could make a working edition by using a double actuated Lego pneumatic cylinder and a valve... This could actually make mechanical power from air pressure, ore work as a very efficient pump to convert mechanical motion into air pressure. It would also be a much simpler construction.

Is there some other goal to this construction? Are you set on making it without pneumatic parts or without beams etc?

-ED-

[nicjasno]

I don't understand how this even holds air. It should hiss out of every gap between the bricks, not just the obvious big holes.

[allanp]

This engine requires very little pressure to run so even with all the leakage it'll still run if there is sufficient air flow. This is really nice because most people don't have a compressor but a vacuum cleaner is far more common. This engine isn't meant to drive anything, though it could with enough gearing, but to be it's own bit of interest.

Edited July 5, 2016 by allanp

[Nazgarot]

An air engine made from a 2 way pneumatic cylinder would also require very little air to run if you first got it started. Using the same setup as here, you should be able to power it with a simple lego compressor or pump with an airtank...

I'll try to make one later today if I can find the time...

-ED-

[Technic_Henry]

Why is everybody so negative? This thing is amazing!! I will try to build it today :D

[Victor Imaginator]

Wow, I see that 6 cylinder version of this type engine will fit nice my enormously large piano/drum gearbox) Seriously - nice to see something new.

[allanp]

An air engine made from a 2 way pneumatic cylinder would also require very little air to run if you first got it started. Using the same setup as here, you should be able to power it with a simple lego compressor or pump with an airtank...

I'll try to make one later today if I can find the time...

-ED-

I think you may be missing the point of this engine. Yes you could use pneumatic cylinders however it's kinda like going to a vintage steam rally full of those marvellous old traction engines and saying "why don't they put a supercharged V8 in it?". Yes we know about the existance of different engine types but that's not the point. This is an oscillating engine, not a conventional combustion engine, and as an oscillating engine it is a very faithful and authentic reproduction of a real one and it works. At 0:20 in the video we see it runs at several hundred RPM from the pressure derived from a vacuum cleaner (less than 1 PSI normally) which is something most people already have so i'de say that was pretty cool.

Edited July 5, 2016 by allanp

[JJ2]

I really don't understand why you would build it this way? You could make a working edition by using a double actuated Lego pneumatic cylinder and a valve... This could actually make mechanical power from air pressure, ore work as a very efficient pump to convert mechanical motion into air pressure. It would also be a much simpler construction.

Is there some other goal to this construction? Are you set on making it without pneumatic parts or without beams etc?

-ED-

This was build because I dont have any pneumatic parts and I wanted to see if I could build a primitive engine.

I don't understand how this even holds air. It should hiss out of every gap between the bricks, not just the obvious big holes.

It doesn't really the main air leakage comes where the cylinder is mounted to the "body"

This engine requires very little pressure to run so even with all the leakage it'll still run if there is sufficient air flow. This is really nice because most people don't have a compressor but a vacuum cleaner is far more common. This engine isn't meant to drive anything, though it could with enough gearing, but to be it's own bit of interest.

Exactly

Why is everybody so negative? This thing is amazing!! I will try to build it today :D

Wow, I see that 6 cylinder version of this type engine will fit nice my enormously large piano/drum gearbox) Seriously - nice to see something new.

Thanks

[doug72]

Lego used to make Square pistons in the early technic days.

2 x 2 Block (3652)

http://www.brickowl....-x-2-block-3652

I have a set of 4 along with connecting rod bushes somewhere in my parts boxes.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Doug72

[Nazgarot]

I think you may be missing the point of this engine. Yes you could use pneumatic cylinders however it's kinda like going to a vintage steam rally full of those marvellous old traction engines and saying "why don't they put a supercharged V8 in it?". Yes we know about the existance of different engine types but that's not the point. This is an oscillating engine, not a conventional combustion engine, and as an oscillating engine it is a very faithful and authentic reproduction of a real one and it works. At 0:20 in the video we see it runs at several hundred RPM from the pressure derived from a vacuum cleaner (less than 1 PSI normally) which is something most people already have so i'de say that was pretty cool.

And that is exactly why I worte like this:

I really don't understand why you would build it this way? You could make a working edition by using a double actuated Lego pneumatic cylinder and a valve... This could actually make mechanical power from air pressure, ore work as a very efficient pump to convert mechanical motion into air pressure. It would also be a much simpler construction.

Is there some other goal to this construction? Are you set on making it without pneumatic parts or without beams etc?

-ED-

And the answer came here...

This was build because I dont have any pneumatic parts and I wanted to see if I could build a primitive engine.

And with that in mind, Good build, though not very useful...

Do you blow or suck with the vacuum? I have vacuums that do both, but it seems to me like it's sucking. If that is the case it could be quite powerful, as the suction from a vacuum applied correctly is very strong... I've seen climbing gear to climb glass walls made from vacuums that actually work.

Do you have any implementation in mind for it? A steam punk like model powered by a vacuum would be cool!

-ED-

[agrof]

Maybe not usefull for MOCs, but very cool as a machine itself!

[JJ2]

Do you blow or suck with the vacuum? I have vacuums that do both, but it seems to me like it's sucking. If that is the case it could be quite powerful, as the suction from a vacuum applied correctly is very strong... I've seen climbing gear to climb glass walls made from vacuums that actually work.

Do you have any implementation in mind for it? A steam punk like model powered by a vacuum would be cool!

-ED-

I am using a cleaning vacuum so it is sucking but it also could use a blowing vacuum but I believe it would not have the same RPM.

I might try to build a two cylinder and use it to do something but since this has little to no torque and was built more as a shelf model I did not think of it driving something but that is an excellent idea

[Jeroen Ottens]

Nice! Always fun to see some nifty mechanism recreated in lego.

[JJ2]

I have completed the Rebrickable

https://rebrickable.com/mocs/SamtheLeg0gr8/lego-oscillating-air-engine

Enjoy