Rotary engine seals

A rotor assembly for a rotary engine, comprising:

• a housing;
• a rotor configured to rotate eccentrically within the housing;
• and
• a sealing system, wherein:
• the rotor comprises a plurality of apexes that are configured to engage with a radially inner sealing surface of the housing in order to define a plurality of separate working volumes, each working volume being located between two of the apexes, the radially inner sealing surface of the housing and a radially outer surface of the rotor;
• the sealing system comprises an apex seal located at one of the apexes, the apex seal being configured to provide an engagement between the apex and the radially inner sealing surface of the housing that inhibits movement of gas from one working volume to another working volume past the apex throughout the range of rotation of the rotor;
• the sealing system comprises a face seal located on a face of the rotor that is perpendicular to the axial direction, the face seal being configured to provide an engagement between the face of the rotor and a sealing surface of the housing that is perpendicular to the axial direction that inhibits movement of gas from one working volume to another past a portion of the face;
• the apex seal or the face seal comprises a compliant member, which is the part of the seal that most closely approaches the sealing surface;
• the compliant member is configured such that the shape or orientation of the compliant member changes in use in response to a change in the speed of rotation of the rotor, a change in the pressurisation across the compliant member, or a change in clearance between the sealing surface and a mounting element to which the compliant member is mounted, to deflect towards or away from the sealing surface,
• wherein the compliant member is mounted to the mounting element and extends through a region from the mounting element to a position at which the compliant member engages with a portion of the sealing surface of the housing without being fixedly attached to any other component in said region,
• wherein a notional line joining a point of contact between the compliant member and the mounting element that is closest to a portion of the sealing surface of the housing with which the compliant member engages and the nearest point of contact at which the compliant member engages with the sealing surface is aligned obliquely to the normal of the portion of the sealing surface of the housing with which the compliant member engages, for all angles of rotation of the rotor, during rotation of the rotor, when the rotor is stopped, or both,
• wherein the notional line is at an oblique angle to said normal when viewed along a direction of relative movement between the compliant member and the portion of the sealing surface with which the compliant member is engaged, for all angles of rotation of the rotor, during rotation of the rotor, when the rotor is stopped, or both.