Aircraft power plants and associated methods are provided. A method for driving a load on an aircraft includes: transferring motive power from an internal combustion (IC) engine to the load; discharging a flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine when transferring motive power from the IC engine to the load; receiving the flow of first exhaust gas from the IC engine into a combustor; mixing fuel with the first exhaust gas in the combustor and igniting the fuel to generate a flow of second exhaust gas; receiving the flow of second exhaust gas at a turbine and driving the turbine with the flow of second exhaust gas from the combustor; and transferring motive power from the turbine to the load.

An internal combustion engine for producing mechanical drive power by combustion of a fuel. The internal combustion engine includes two or three rotary pistons which are rotationally fixedly connected to an output shaft and rotatably arranged in a respective annular cylinder, and at least one passage between the annular cylinders and a respective movable shut-off slide valve for periodically closing the cylinders adjacent to the passage.

An internal combustion engine for producing mechanical drive power by combustion of a fuel. The internal combustion engine includes two or three rotary pistons which are rotationally fixedly connected to an output shaft and rotatably arranged in a respective annular cylinder, and at least one passage between the annular cylinders and a respective movable shut-off slide valve for periodically closing the cylinders adjacent to the passage.

The disclosure provides rotary machines that include, in one embodiment, a shaft defining a central axis A, the shaft having a first end and a second end. The shaft can have a first gearbox disposed thereon defining one or more cavities therein. At least one contour is slidably received into an arcuate cavity in an exterior surface of the gearbox. The contour has a convex outer surface that cooperates with an inwardly facing curved surface of a housing to form a working volume. A gearbox mechanism consisting of gears, crankshafts, bearings and connecting rod creates an oscillatory motion 2 times per revolution such that the contour can navigate about the arcuate cavity without contacting the cavity at a high rate of rotating speed. Thus, said working volume can expand and compresses twice per rotatable shaft revolution.

A guided-vane rotary internal combustion engine including a plurality of working chambers which are separated from one another by way of vane assemblies which rotate with a rotor assembly about an axis employs a rotor assembly having a plurality of sectors wherein each sector is associated with a corresponding working chamber and a plurality of spark plugs wherein each spark plug is mounted within a corresponding sector for igniting an air/fuel mixture contained within a corresponding working chamber. A rotor disk is mounted upon the rotor assembly for rotation therewith and acts as a distributor through which energizing charges are conducted to the spark plugs. In addition, a controller is utilized for selectively activating or de-activating the working chambers of the engine upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

A guided-vane rotary internal combustion engine including a plurality of working chambers which are separated from one another by way of vane assemblies which rotate with a rotor assembly about an axis employs a rotor assembly having a plurality of sectors wherein each sector is associated with a corresponding working chamber and a plurality of spark plugs wherein each spark plug is mounted within a corresponding sector for igniting an air/fuel mixture contained within a corresponding working chamber. A rotor disk is mounted upon the rotor assembly for rotation therewith and acts as a distributor through which energizing charges are conducted to the spark plugs. In addition, a controller is utilized for selectively activating or de-activating the working chambers of the engine upon the occurrence of a predetermined event.

A rotary piston engine comprising, a cylindrical rotatable rotor with an output shaft and a plurality of longitudinally extending cylinder-forming bores, each having a slidable piston disposed therein, where the rotor is contained in a housing whose interior contains a cam track that interacts with the pistons to move them back and forth within their respective cylinders in response to rotation of the rotor. A rear end cap on the housing contains an arcuate opening for admitting ambient air into the cylinders on the rear side of the pistons and an arcuate port for delivery the air driven by the rear side of the pistons into a transfer manifold that directs the air to an intake port in the side of the housing where, in response to the angular position of the rotor, the air is admitted to the front side of a piston for compression with injected fuel. A spark plug ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture and an exhaust port in the side of the housing opens to discharge the products of combustion in response to the angular position of the rotor.

A rotary piston engine comprising, a cylindrical rotatable rotor with an output shaft and a plurality of longitudinally extending cylinder-forming bores, each having a slidable piston disposed therein, where the rotor is contained in a housing whose interior contains a cam track that interacts with the pistons to move them back and forth within their respective cylinders in response to rotation of the rotor. A rear end cap on the housing contains an arcuate opening for admitting ambient air into the cylinders on the rear side of the pistons and an arcuate port for delivery the air driven by the rear side of the pistons into a transfer manifold that directs the air to an intake port in the side of the housing where, in response to the angular position of the rotor, the air is admitted to the front side of a piston for compression with injected fuel. A spark plug ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture and an exhaust port in the side of the housing opens to discharge the products of combustion in response to the angular position of the rotor.

A rotary engine comprised of a pair of counterrotating rotors within a non-rotating outer housing. Each of the rotors is coupled to a common power shaft, one directly and the other through a reversing gear arrangement. Both are driven by the hyper-expansion of combustion gases in a repeating combustion cycle. Each has a generally circular, nearly frictionless working surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis. Each rotor surface defines chambers which rotate past each other. Within such chambers, compressed air and fuel are introduced, mixed, ignited, allowed to hyper-expand (and thus cause the rotation) and exhausted. The power shaft may be connected to a conventional clutch, torque converter, gearbox, differential, alternator or a similar system.

A rotary engine comprised of a pair of counterrotating rotors within a non-rotating outer housing. Each of the rotors is coupled to a common power shaft, one directly and the other through a reversing gear arrangement. Both are driven by the hyper-expansion of combustion gases in a repeating combustion cycle. Each has a generally circular, nearly frictionless working surface perpendicular to the power shaft axis. Each rotor surface defines chambers which rotate past each other. Within such chambers, compressed air and fuel are introduced, mixed, ignited, allowed to hyper-expand (and thus cause the rotation) and exhausted. The power shaft may be connected to a conventional clutch, torque converter, gearbox, differential, alternator or a similar system.