Rotor assembly with cooling channels separated by ribs for a rotary engine

A rotary engine assembly for an aircraft, the rotary engine assembly comprising:

• a rotatable engine shaft extending along a rotational axis;
• a rotor coupled to an eccentric portion of the rotatable engine shaft;
• and
• a rotor housing surrounding and forming a rotor cavity for the rotor, the rotor housing including:
• a side housing body forming a fluid cooling passage and a plurality of ribs, the fluid cooling passage extending about the rotational axis, the plurality of ribs coincident with and extending into the fluid cooling passage;
• a rail disposed at the plurality of ribs, the rail extending about the fluid cooling passage;
• and
• a side plate including an inner axial plate side, an outer axial plate side, and a perimeter edge, the perimeter edge disposed at the rail, the inner axial plate side forming a portion of the rotor cavity;
• wherein the side housing body and the rail form a plurality of fluid cooling channels connected in fluid communication with the fluid cooling passage with the rail disposed axially between the outer axial plate side and each fluid cooling channel of the plurality of fluid cooling channels, the outer axial plate side further forming the fluid cooling passage at the plurality of fluid cooling channels.

A rotor housing for an aircraft rotary engine, the rotor housing comprising:

• a rotor housing body disposed about an axis, the rotor housing body extending between and to a first axial end and a second axial end;
• a side housing body disposed at the first axial end, the side housing body forming a first fluid cooling passage and a plurality of ribs, the first fluid cooling passage extending about the axis, the plurality of ribs coincident with and extending into the first fluid cooling passage, the plurality of ribs distributed about the first fluid cooling passage as an array of ribs;
• a rail disposed at the plurality of ribs, the rail extending about the first fluid cooling passage;
• and
• a side plate positioned between and contacting the rail and the rotor housing body, the side plate including an inner axial plate side, an outer axial plate side, and a perimeter edge, the perimeter edge disposed at the rail;
• wherein the side housing body and the rail form a plurality of fluid cooling channels connected in fluid communication with the first fluid cooling passage, and the rail extends axially between and to the plurality of fluid cooling channels and the side plate, the outer axial plate side further forming the fluid cooling passage at the plurality of fluid cooling channels.