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Anatomy : Stationary Gears |
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Written by Wesley Mahler
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24.11.2005 |
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Stationary Gears are mated to the front and rear side housings and perform three major functions. First, the teeth intermesh with those of the rotor Internal Gear, to keep everything in sync. Second, the gears house the Main Bearings (not pictured here) which locate the eccentric shaft by its journals. And third, finally, they provide a means to deliver lubrication and cooling oil to the eccentric shaft and all the bearings/journals.
Prior to 1993, the main bearings had one "window" through which the oil passed. Current versions have "Three-window" main bearings (and a special groove inside the stationary gear) for improved lubrication. Tooth load on the stationary gear is one of the limiting factors in allowable maximum RPM of a rotary engine. Stock gears begin to deform over 8,000 RPM, but hardened gears are available for higher RPM applications.
On race applications sometimes these gears will undergo a hardening process to make them more prone to damage. It is very unlikely that stationary gears will be damaged during normal operation of an engine. The only time they are damaged is usually when there is a loss of engine oil, or large pieces of unwanted material get thrown around in the combustion chamber. For example, once at Pineapple Racing we found a broken screw driver bit inside a rotary engine and it demolished the gears, Stationary Gear Damage.
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Last Updated ( 15.10.2006 )
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