Scope

To design and manufacture a 50cc cylinder-powered engine that could convert up to 100 PSI of compressed air into a minimum of 1000 RPM. Each Team was given a budget of $30, in addition to any of the basic materials and parts typically stocked by the Rowan Mechanical Engineering Department. 

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Design

My team's air engine showcases a trapped-cam design with variable timing, alongside a homemade power cylinder and valving cylinder. The entire engine was designed in Solidworks and manufactured in-house in Rowan's machine shop. The water jet was used to cut out the aluminum supports, baseplate, cam profile, and steel flywheel. The mill was used to tap screw holes, face supports, and cut screw channels into the base plate. The cylinders and shafts were turned down on the manual lathe. MATLAB was used to precisely map the cam profile, it's relation to the valving cylinder position, and the contact force between the cam and the follower. The single trapped cam eliminated the need for a spring in the assembly while the timing slots allowed us to optimize the phase angle. On testing day, our engine reached a top speed of 1550 RPM .