Technical Paper
An Investigation Into the Port Timing of a Burt-McCollum Sleeve Valve and Its Interaction with a Simple Variable Compression Ratio Mechanism
2017-09-04
2017-24-0168
Modern automotive engines almost exclusively operate on the 4-stroke Otto cycle and utilize poppet valves for gas exchange. This state of affairs has not always been the case, however, and one unusual and relatively successful technology that was once in mass production (albeit in piston aero engines) was the Burt-McCollum single sleeve valve. This paper investigates the timing and angle-area of a Bristol Centaurus engine cylinder, which utilized such a single sleeve valve for gas exchange, using some modern tools. A comparison with poppet valve angle-areas is made. Finally, the results are also used to study the potential of variable valve timing and the interaction with variable compression ratio of a single sleeve mechanism.
