LEGO Pneumatic Wankel Engine | 1000+ RPM

After seeing ‪@akiyuky‬ 's model of a rotary Wankel engine, I wanted to convert his model and make it a true working pneumatic engine. In this video, I show you the building process/trial and error involved in making the engine run. In the end, the engine can rev over 1,100 RPM at 45 psi. (It makes very little torque though due to the leaking and imperfect housing shape)
This project took about 4 months to fully complete, and I thoroughly enjoyed the building journey. Of course, not without many problems along the way. I have not seen any other LEGO pneumatic Wankel engine before this, so maybe it's the worlds first one? I can't be sure of that though, as one could have been created before and not uploaded to KZbin.
(Note that this engine DOES NOT run on a motor, it is entirely air powered/pneumatic)
Akiyuki's original video: • Lego Rotary Engine (Wa...
Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:07 The Housing
0:42 The Rotor
1:58 Outer Casings
2:38 The Eccentric Shaft
3:42 Assembling the Engine
4:09 Troubleshooting
5:45 The Final Product
6:59 Outtakes and Endscreen
NOTE: I do not take credit for any of Akiyuki's original ideas, I was simply inspired by his works and set out to create an actually working engine.

[@travisshearer8224]

I feel like it could run a lot easier with less lubrication with a fly wheel

[@tolomatrix]

Or maybe another rotor for less vibrations

[@leopinty5103]

i cant tell if this thread is meant to be 'dirty' or not

[@bucko0627]

@@leopinty5103 Bruh

[@babascustomlegocreations8837]

@@leopinty5103 it’s not..

[@bramweinreder2346]

The flywheel could also be used to help get it started. But given that it barely has any torque, I'm wondering if it would at least sustain the flywheel.

[@robot797]

mmmmmmmm now i wish it could be build with official parts

[@MLIW265-FAN]

It is lol

[@implayingrobloxandwht]

@@MLIW265-FAN it’s not some pice is cut and that thing to make shorter

[@alexanderwheatley2500]

@@MLIW265-FAN ah yes, my favourite lego pieces: card, tape and pencil lead.

[@0G_VR_GAMING]

I know but sadly not even a Lego pipes/tubes even hold in air none of the less create pressure

[@crunchybro123]

@@alexanderwheatley2500same bro always gotta use the tape pencil led and cards

[@lordginger636]

This man out here using forbidden lego tech

[@xmysef4920]

As I’ve said before, this is an even *more* huge of a milestone! Keep up the great work! :D

[@glowytheglowbug]

the amount of effort put into this is amazing its purely amazing worth not getting vids for a while

[@Dark-zw6ss]

"worth not getting Vids for a while" what does that mean?

[@xmysef4920]

@@Dark-zw6ssHe means that the quality of the videos are so good that he can wait if they take a bit longer to make.

[@redshoebox]

When 1mm is the difference between an engine running and not running: 3:27 Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 0:07 The Housing 0:42 The Rotor 1:58 Outer Casings 2:38 The Eccentric Shaft 3:42 Assembling the Engine 4:09 Troubleshooting 5:45 The Final Product 6:59 Outtakes and Endscreen NOTE: I do not take credit for any of Akiyuki's original ideas, I was simply inspired by his works and wanted to create an actually working engine. Akiyuki's original video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ_Vo6uLqr-fasU

[@xmysef4920]

Really proves how clearance makes the biggest of differences!

[@JaceN3D]

Really crazy and probably really frustrating

[@oryenm]

hey a rotary is a rotary lego or not😂

[@tonyhuang431]

so no wonder those apex sealings keep breaking, its hard as stone, cracks too easily

[@stevanusjuniorboy8906]

Can you make 2 rotor ?

[@BeightonJunction]

Good job man, glad you stuck at it, Was worth the wait!

[@redshoebox]

Thanks, I am happy with the final result too :)

[@eyeseaewe1736]

You may have committed war crimes in this video but I respect it nonetheless.

[@floriankringel8092]

Pneumatic engines are insane! I really like them and built a lpe powered car. But this is awesome! It doesn't run perfectly, but it runs! Wow!!! Felix wankel would like your model!

[@redshoebox]

Thank you!

[@comicquartz9129]

I think there are multiple ways to improve torque on the engine, so I will list some: 1. Adding another rotary. 2. Adding a pro/supercharger. 3. Improving the rotor to maybe have 5 compression areas instead of the 3

[@redshoebox]

Good ideas. I think the main problem with this engine is that because the peanut shape housing isn't perfect, the air leaks into the other chambers and overall the housing is not sealed well. This is something that is hard to achieve with LEGO but I think a second rotor may help.

[@Enthusiastlist]

Supercharger won’t help. It’s a pneumatic engine not a combustion engine.

[@laudo_au2418]

@@Enthusiastlist So a supercharger would work then? More air = more rpm, no?

[@obhwg]

@@laudo_au2418 I'm not an expert by any means, but I heard that they're good to burn fuel more efficiently. I guess it could work since you're driving more air into an air powered engine, but there's probably someone more educated on this platform that can answer you better.

[@whyisitneversummer5262]

@@laudo_au2418 Technically yeah, but when you’re already using pressurized air to power it, it makes no difference. It isn’t a combustion engine sucking air in. So it technically already has boost like a supercharger or turbo would provide for a IC engine. So in this case just upping the air pressure would be sufficient. However as the creator has mentioned, the housing isn’t perfect. It has too many leaks and isn’t shaped quite right.

[@TheRealBmanswan]

That's awesome. I myself made a mini rotary engine for small models, even posted a video of it working in slow motion. Keep up the great work!

[@redshoebox]

Thank you!

[@whyisitneversummer5262]

I’d love to see the design perfected a little bit more. Very cool to see a rotary in Lego! I’d also love to see another rotor added. It may help elevate some of that wobbling

[@citizenplane5840]

Pretty cool and I'm glad you admitted the no torque thing. It doesn't matter it's still cool as hell.

[@JaceN3D]

Nice 👍🏾 really cool. I thought you stopped working on it, but seeing all the steps you had to take, i understand now!

[@kostagajic2647]

bro, I searched for this few years ago when I was much younger, and no one made it, you literaly made my dream

[@vitoscaletta3886]

I love how you have a Solution for every problem that comes up!

[@user-ry4si4te9i]

It looks so cool and it also sounds like a rotary engine

[@lore2861]

cool video man! I liked it, this is very good for a first time.

[@ludicrousbrickstudio]

Me: sees video, "cool!" Me: watches cutting and gluing of lego pieces. Also Me: So this is what pain is like...

[@kubiz198]

Cool build!

[@thegiq]

Yikes, I felt the pain when you've snipped that track piece...

[@crackedemerald4930]

Btw pencil lead isn't pure graphite, it contains clay so it stays in shape, it might grind your parts a little bigger.

[@leopichler]

This is sick!! loved the jump cut to step 6 it made me laugh haha

[@toi_techno]

I remember my dad who's an engineer telling about the Wankel engine and finding it very difficult not to start laughing

[@explainedgmod]

That is amazing man

[@J2ko]

Awesome!!

[@dpr61]

This is so cool

[@nitroboom1282]

Add a counter weight to reduce vibration and a flywheel should make the pulses of the rotary more smooth

[@memeAlexcheramie]

If you’re up for the challenge, and you have enough pieces, you should try to make a 2 rotor version

[@jdbrickcreation]

Very cool and impressive to be able to reach so many rpm with air pump Well done 👍

[@mat_mtb_]

very cool !

[@glowytheglowbug]

red thats so much work! you even cut the lego pieces my hats off to you you are on a level with or more than sariel

[@kentremendous5112]

MY MANS DID IT HOLY MOSES

[@ScarlettStunningSpace]

I was going to hate on this engine until I realized it's air powered. Didn't think that something like this would work. Pretty cool!

[@chrisk6101]

Seen the word wank and I had to click and wasn't disappointed at all 💯👍🔥

[@takashinishida1201]

just so impressive

[@Twanmilan]

I always loved the rotary engine but a Lego one is insane

[@DroidzandBrix]

Impressive. Probably the only one of its kind

[@grahamslegocreations3794]

cool vid

[@hunterdavidson3857]

If you added another rotor and made it offcentered to the other one it would’ve require more sore but I bet it would spin faster also that would be amazing to watch

[@Mada_kr]

Wow! This is impressive. I've got some work to do....

[@dividingrain1907]

you can add a counterweight or/and a flywheel to make the poweroutput smoother and not jump around as much

[@junyingo1396]

very cool improvement on Akiyuki's design

[@QuinMcDermott]

Keep it up bro mad how you’ve built a rotary out of Lego

[@conorstewart2214]

Your first solution after the mechanical issues should have been lubrication, you would be surprised how much of a difference it makes. Was the tape really necessary? Injection modded ABS should be pretty smooth.

[@ilovesupras60]

THIS is next level Lego building. But why did you use these graphit bars, and not other material? Anyways, very cool build

[@vezertrojai]

Holly molly!😮

[@AidarIslamov]

Now it's time to build an RX7

[@heiheigang5199]

nice

[@mr2spyderchronicles287]

True to the real one as reliability goes

[@Legominder]

Properly engineered, with no fear of doing what's necessary: like changing the quantum/grid size of the Lego geometry😅 and contaminating LEGO with foreign substances.

[@sirdave6165]

Brapbrapbrapbrap 🤩

[@XxxThePsyCheMisTxxX]

Has anyone heard of the LiquidPiston engine? Like a wankel inside out, still a planar rotary shape. No torque = air pressure is constantly applied, not a timed valve. This provides kick-back torque. Adding inlet timing and a flywheel will *substantially* increase performance.

[@dropkickedmurphy6463]

it works pretty well. Kinda bums me out how much it had to be modified.

[@bensnipes7288]

BRAAAP

[@RCbud]

Very cool🤘. Think about making V2 engine for a bigger car, worth it?

[@theyeetus1428]

What's the point of the gasket if the apex seals don't seal at all?

[@anonymous-mj8wb]

feel like it would work better with a fly wheel to keep it going after it starts

[@KZ-zl1ce]

You are need a million subscribers,i wish will you to popular

[@Wargremlin]

Man clipped the track pieces but there is a piece for that

[@enzochoi923]

I think you might get more RPM if the engine was more secured? less energy lost to moving around?

[@BEEEELEEEE]

I understand the need to modify the pieces to get the necessary geometry, but it still hurt to watch

[@Zxyt6a_]

mazda after seeing this video: you're hired. 😂

[@sploop1468]

GLUE. FUCKING GLUE! ON LEGO. sick, downright sick.

[@cavelord4766]

Ive never seen a more illegal lego build in my life lol

[@WockToPoland]

Runs better than my Wenkel 13B

[@cenreaper3221]

You added that little pipe to make an air go through it instead of compressing. But, what you didn't noticed is that the piston blocks an air from going into a pipe.

[@redshoebox]

As the rotor pushes air through the pipe, the rotor also blocks the air from moving. Since the air has nowhere to go, it has no choice but to actually push the rotor, which (in theory) would boost the engine performance. However, the boost of this is minimal since it is LEGO, and I could not achieve perfectly airtight shapes and geometry.

[@michaelpeterson6208]

I'll get right to watching the video after I'm done snickering about the word "wankel."

[@timurvoinov6415]

Oooooooffff cutting and gluing pieces hurts so much. But still great work

[@charliesybert2683]

Try making a pneumatic motor like a impact guns rotor motor. But without the hammers

[@travisschwab7954]

wouldn't a counter weight reduce the vibration?

[@legoinventions13]

I liked the concept of it all except the amount of drilling and superglue used

[@jaydencrimsoneverett6731]

We are one step closer to creating a lego rocket

[@bobbertbobbathon3322]

it would probably run a little bit smoother if you put some kind of flywheel on it

[@Eremon1]

I credit Lego, at least partly, for my mechanical aptitude as well as my interest in building things.

[@surgygamer4983]

wow

[@ErickC]

LOL @ all the people butthurt about the tape and cutting. The task was to figure out what it would take to make a LEGO model of a Wankel engine actually work... and that's what it takes because otherwise it's not possible given the geometry of LEGO pieces and the geometric requirements of a Wankel engine. How hard is that to comprehend?

[@MattTheMartian-qc6pr]

You You should make a dual motor rotary engine cause it is smoother and has less vibration

[@jwalster9412]

How are those apex seals doing?

[@alfredsl1244]

you could make et go faster by screwing it to the table because some off the energy is going to make the engine vibrateing

[@EnsignLovell]

They gonna see you rolling in a lego car soon.

[@Prussia10326]

RX-7: BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP

[@acidflowsalt2321]

Lego builders after learning science Just to make teir build more realstic

[@recangle]

the first blooper must have hurt

[@chairmanofwhat]

Where the fly wheel at?

[@BokBarber]

(Insert obvious joke about this working better than most RX7 engines out there.)

[@tobyplatts9267]

What’s the name of the circle thing on the eccentric shaft? Pls reply

[@redshoebox]

Part 3736: www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=3736&name=Technic,%20Steering%20Pulley%20Large&category=%5BTechnic,%20Steering%5D#T=C

[@tobyplatts9267]

Got the piece ordered building the rotary now , thanks

[@citizenplane5840]

You could defitely power a Lego city with this lol

[@drake19992]

Man really wasted a credit card for a LEGO project

[@vadim1827]

Where I can buy it?😅

[@VaILI_12]

Ryosuke and Keisuke Takahashi approved

[@universe8607]

3:34 that's what she said

[@iG4MERs]

Haha funny triangle go brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[@thatpurpleproto394]

Mmm yes the beloved BRAP BRAP BRAP BRAP of the Mazda rx7

[@linkkendouglasbroughton8633]

Hi maybe make a 4rotor version

[@eevil560]

NICE DORITOS

[@gigi-of2tu]

My eyes start bleeding when someone glues Legos or cut them

[@kreiyt28]

Now make a transmission! :D

[@g3t0wNeD420]

just add a counter weight for better results

[@Fasteroid]

Bro whipped out the kragle multiple times 💀💀💀 Edit: worth

[@ThatBritalian]

You didn't even edit the comment