Rotary internal combustion engine

An internal combustion rotary engine of the type that includes a housing having an interior open end cavity in the shape of an ellipse that has a continuous surface and a major and a minor axis, said major and minor axis dividing said ellipse to first, second, third and fourth quadrants, said housing having an air-fuel inlet and a products of combustion discharge outlet formed therein that are separated by a transverse partition and are in communication with said first and fourth quadrants of said cavity;

• an assembly that includes a rotor having circumferentially spaced, radially extending slots formed therein, first and second axially aligned shafts projecting outwardly from opposite ends of said rotor, and a plurality of blades slidably supported in said slots, said blades having outer ends that slidably and sealingly engage the surface of said housing that define said cavity when said blades are moved outwardly by centrifugal force as said rotor rotates, with each of said pair of blades in combination with said rotor and housing cooperatively defining a chamber that varies in volume as said rotor rotates towards said fourth quadrant, and each of said chambers being reduced to substantially zero volume to discharge said products of combustion through said discharge outlet as said chamber moves from said fourth quadrant to said first quadrant;
• means for firing said air-fuel mixture in each of said chambers as the latter enter said third quadrant and have the exposed surface area of the leading blade defining said chamber greater than the exposed surface area of the trailing blade defining said chamber;
• wherein the improvement comprises:
• a. first and second side plates that sealingly engage opposite sides of said housing to close said cavity thereon, and rotatably support said first and second shafts, with said rotor and blades disposed in said cavity;
• b. first means for holding said side plates in sealing engagement with said housing and said first means including:
• 1. a plurality of bolts, with each bolt including a head and at least a partially threaded shank, with each shank extending through one of said pair of openings;
• and
• 2. a plurality of nuts that engage said threaded shanks, with said nuts when tightened cooperating with said heads of said bolts to hold said first and second side plates in sealing engagement with said housing;
• and
• c. second means for sliding said first and second side plates and assembly relative to said housing while maintaining said sealing engagement to increase the volume of each of said chambers as it moves through said third and fourth quadrants relative to the volume thereof when moving through said first and second quadrants, and by so doing discharging said products of combustion at a residual pressure less than that which occurs when said rotor is centered for rotation on said minor axis, said second means including a plurality of cams that extend from said shanks and engage the exterior surface of said housing, with said bolt and cams when rotated shifting said side plates and assembly as a unit relative to said housing.