Advertisement

Advertisement

Wankel engine

noun

  1. an internal-combustion rotary engine that utilizes a triangular rotor that revolves in a chamber (rather than a conventional piston that moves up and down in a cylinder): it has fewer moving parts and is generally smaller and lighter for a given horsepower.


Wankel engine

/ ˈwæŋkəl /

noun

  1. a type of four-stroke internal-combustion engine without reciprocating parts. It consists of one or more approximately elliptical combustion chambers within which a curved triangular-shaped piston rotates, by the explosion of compressed gas, dividing the combustion chamber into three gastight sections
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wankel engine1

Named after F. Wankel
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of Wankel engine1

C20: named after Felix Wankel (1902–88), German engineer who invented it
Discover More

Example Sentences

The Jarvik 2000, by contrast, has a tiny rotary pump--sort of a coronary Wankel engine that spins rather than squeezes.

At the time, nearly half of Mazda's vehicles used the revolutionary Wankel engine, in which a rotor instead of pistons produces the power.

The notable results include the RX-7 sports car, which gets about 24 m.p.g. from its improved Wankel engine, and the GLC.

Because of the unavailability of the light-weight Wankel engine that had been planned for the car, the Pacer is still 3,000 Ibs.

Even though Mazda's rotary Wankel engine was initially dirtier than the conventional reciprocating engine, the Japanese firm managed to control its emissions by installing a thermal reactor that burns the noxious gases.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


Wankelwanker