Well, it seems more difficult to find the material on them than i thought it would be. From what I can tell, older models of the car used cast iron alloy for the apex seals and sintered iron for the side seals.

 

Hehehe - Richard, I wondered when you were gunna bring that up. We could have gone on for days! Sorry I was anxious not to miss my connecting flight. I wished we did get onto that gauge thing.... :p

As for the material, from my hotel room here 1/2 way round the world from where my RX-8 book is, I recall it said something like the Apex Seals were "attricular cast iron", and I'm not sure, but I think the side seals where the same. Someone with a RX-8 book handy please advise.

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

Excerpt from RX-8 book

New two-piece apex seal of acicular cast iron with very low carbon content is adapted to the RENESIS two-rotor engine. The seat's height is lower than the top piece of the previous three-piece design, 4.5 mm (0.18 in.) versus the three-piece top piece's 4.8 m (0.19 in.). The digitally controlled, electron-beam chill hardening process results in a deeper and more uniform hardened area at the tip of the seal.

The apex seal is crowned and its tip is rounded so that it follows the trochoid sliding surface up to the engine's higher peak revolutions of 9000 rpm.

The spring corner seal's contact surface is chrome-plated and coated with diamond-like carbon (DLC). A cast-iron plug has replaced the elastic filler piece, as the seal is now exposed to the hot exhaust port area.

 

Ya Hymee, now that you mentioned you could've eaten some more I remember that we ordered the same thing and you finished the whole thing and I never even finished half of mine. I remember some of my crew were Ausies and they also had large capacitys for consumption. What was that word I used for rotarygod? Gluton. But here we need the alternet meaning. You know about eating and drinking.

Gee Fred if it wasn't for you I would never have known of that other meaning. Here it comes in handy so soon. But there must be a good side because there is an awfull lot of Ausies and Kiwis on the race teams. I remember how they were never give up guys, they were still working the next morning when I got back to the track. If you needed a new car built overnight they were your boys.

Carry that one to far. Once I was hurt and went to the hospital. My crew never even showed up there. They were building the backup car for me. As if I could drive with crutches. My crew chief was an Ausie.

Took another team to come get me out of that backwards hospital. Name of country withheld for political reasons.

 

The Aussie boys at the Bathurst TAFE (tech/trades college) are legendary for their reputation in working all hours in helping teams get cars wrecked in practice/qualifying ready for Sunday's big race. Wich reminds me - Bathurst is coming up agian soon

Richard, what other series did you race in other than Formula Atlantic? I'm sure Alan Jones will remember you next time I see him

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

Hey Paul, did u race in F. Atlantic??? I race in the New Pro Star Mazda... Don't miss the action on Sat september 18th at 11:00 pm (EASTERN TIME) on Speed Channel. I am the red car #1.
Cheers!!! Keep it up with the FI kit. We need it soonnnnnnn

 

Hey Richard Paul, im just wonderen on where you are at in testing your SC. i really hate to break the chat that was going on, but im tired of getting my *** handed to me by talons!!!! although i know i might never beat them, i still like to pretend that i have a chance :D ..... so just wonderen where you're at in this, good luck!

 

How does this supercharger differ from the Whipple superchargers which are axial flow as well? After seeing what happened to a supercharged renesis motor at racing beat I am doubtful any forced induction is going to be able to generate significant gains reliably due to the tapering (or lack thereof) of the ports.

 

Aha! So that fifty stays in Gomez's skyrocket :p !

 

The Whipple is a twin screw. I think where you are getting confused with the axial flow is in the fact that in a roots type of blower, the rotors force the air to travel around the outside of the blower housing internally. In a twin screw setup the air travels opposite from the roots and actually goes through the center of the assembly in between the screws rather than around them. The axial flow supercharger is entirely different from either. It uses small vanes. Think of it as several stages of multiple fan blades. A jet engine is an axial flow device. This is very similar to the front half of a jet engine. The way it works is the same. Look at this from the standpoint that you are getting the front half of a jet engine that is spinning off of the crank.

 

Well put RG

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

So both this supercharger and the twin screw move air axially just achieving it in a different way. IS there a different name for this supercharger or any plans for a different name?

 

Since turbines are referred to as axial devices, that is the name for it. Richard's company is also called Axial Flow Engineering. I'm sure he could get creative and call it a turbine charger or some other name.

The twin screw is just that, a twin screw. They are also known by their company names such as Whipple, Lysholm, Autorotor, Opcon, etc... The twin screw does not move air axially. The roots does. The manners in which they do it are entirely different though.

 

Then we could have a "turbine-supercharger" as well as a "turbo-supercharger". Cool!

Although I don't think Richard reffres to it as a turbine. That is reserved for the bit that the exhaust gasses react against, both in a "turbo" and in a gas turbine.

The aerodynamic, fan bladed thingy in Richards unit is known as a Compressor. It has stationary "stators" and rotating "rotors".

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

Hymee you're a genious! We'll call it "The fan bladed thingy charger"

 

http://www.whipplesuperchargers.com/....asp?PageID=67

They lied to me?

 

Isn't it time for some more pics?? It's been a while now. How about one of the unit in an RX8??

Thanks.

 

no they are just using the word axial a little differently.

 

Keep on batting for us over there, Hymee: half the forum down under is avidly following this thread.
jack.

 

Wow, I go off and play with my rocker freinds for a couple of days and this tread amps up. By the way does anyone else besides Olddrager even know who Donovan is????

Let get to it. In order.

Hymee, The atlantic series is the only pro racing I did running the entire thing. I had one off races in some other types of cars.

Lsch.... Yes and I even ran in your country from '73 to '76. The Players series. Belive me when I tell you it was a great race, just look up who was running then. Vellinuve the elder. Kikki Rosberg, Bobby Rayhal. and on and on. Do they still run up there near you at Gimley or Grimly as we used to say?

Ti, we are still making short shifters and some other parts. I think this weekend we shall get back to work.

Icemaster, I think you got answers already. But keep the faith, the problems will be solved.

Rotorygod and hymee, thank you save me all that typing and do a good job.
One question, if I use your "thingy" name do you get royalties??

And now we see how they lie, even Dan Rather.

How did I get that seal thread wound into mine?? I don't care it is a related topic. The study of this will mean a lot.

RAP

 

Those shifters and stuff that RAP make really look the goods.

My shout for lunch next time!

Who wants pics of my short visit to the shop?

 

If you mean Donovan Leitch the '60s folk singer, the answer is "yes." If you mean the Donovan of Donovan Engineering, the answer is still "yes."

 

I knew Ed Donovan also. If you remember Zeuschel was his finest engine builder. I remember those cast 392 valve covers that Ed made with Z's name cast in. I don't remember how long it's been but it is awhile since he passed. He just said no more operations let me go.

Sadly the last time I was with Ed we had a fight and I had to leave the motorhome.
Stuborn man, clever but sturborn. That was at Reno in the mid/late '80's.

So there is no need to spell out which person it was last night. And he sounds exactly like he always did. Healthy too.

 

How about working something out in the way of a discount for the unit for MY car?

 

Do you mean in exchange for the royalties?

PM me with what you want.