Brayton Readymotor.

[Jasonb]

Then MSC is worth a look for a 1m length of 3/4" SS £34 plus VAT & Postage

[Alyn Foundry]

Then MSC is worth a look for a 1m length of 3/4" SS £34 plus VAT & Postage

I opted for precision ground mild Steel in the end  Jason. 

George Brayton envisioned an engine much like that of the steam variety where the pressure increases rapidly but more gently. I think it will serve well for this application however time will tell, I have no doubt….

I’ve managed to source a large 3 jaw chuck for Mathew’s Le Blond so we should have that beautiful flywheel done in a couple of weeks time. That will certainly be a landmark in the engine's construction.

   Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

Thanks Jason, what a wonderful service provided by M-Machine. 

https://www.m-machine-metals.co.uk/downloads/Metals%20catalogue.pdf

My materials arrived this afternoon in very great shape, beautifully packaged…. For any “ oldschool “ readers they also supply 3/8” Steel tube with a 16 SWG wall thickness ideal for 1/8” BSP pipe work.

I’ve got no excuses now but to get on with the job. The bearing halves were flatted on 80 grit Emery cloth and heated for tinning. The finished shells.

   Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

With the “ BRM “ off on holiday in Preston for some serious machining I turned my attention to the conrod and beam assembly. Sadly an error on my part with the base casting core, the area where the crankshaft runs was a little too tight to allow full rotation. See attached photo. The flywheel is also being done on number two sons Le Blond. I managed to score a dedicated L1 mount Pratt Burned 9” 3 jaw chuck on eBay last week. We’re definitely moving with this project….

   Graham.

[RReid]

As a life long racing fan, the reference to "BRM" gave me a start, until I realized it referred to Brayton Readymotor not British Racing Motors.

I miss the LeBlond I had at one time. It even had the taper attachment. 

[Alyn Foundry]

Hi Ron.

My apologies for giving you a shock but I do find posting a bit of a chore these days.

We seem to have become a Le Blond family. My own RP ( rapid production ) was built Circa 1942 and shipped over to the UK on the “ Lend lease “ wartime scheme. I’ve owned it for nearly 40 years, quite the love affair….

Mathew’s Le Blond turned up just after he’d moved up the country and bought it for virtually scrap price. At over 2 Tons in weight she’s a very robust machine. The only serious problem was there was just one chuck fitted, a 12” 4 jaw. As previously stated an early birthday present was found last week in the form of a Pratt 3 jaw chuck. Hopefully now both  Jason and I may yet get to see the the rather ethereal CHUK 4 ?

   Graham.

[Jasonb]

Hate to think how long it would have taken you to get to this stage if you did not have the "rapid Production" lathe

Will C4 have a single crankshaft with one or two flywheels? And will you have to use different bearing supports to avoid a long overhang or use the existing castings and cobble something together to support the cam followers?

[Alyn Foundry]

Hate to think how long it would have taken you to get to this stage if you did not have the "rapid Production" lathe

Will C4 have a single crankshaft with one or two flywheels? And will you have to use different bearing supports to avoid a long overhang or use the existing castings and cobble something together to support the cam followers?

Hi Jason.

It’s a long story…. The engine was virtually completed many years ago. But I’m sure we can all relate to our more youthful days when things like patience were in very short supply. Needless to say the stumbling block was the exhaust valves and their failure to seat properly. We now have a simple solution with the 3 coil spring method.

The flywheel runs between the two vertical cylinders and cams fitted to each side for the valves.

More to come, I’m sure.

   Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

Since my last post there’s been a frenzy of work going on with the BR-M. We’re hoping to debut its completion at the Anson engine museum next month. It will coincide with the UK’s first ever, dedicated small power engine rally.

Number two son Mathew machined the 15+” diameter flywheel on his Le Blond and it came out perfectly. I have been busy making the crankshaft and conrod.

It’s beginning to look like an engine now.

   Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

Since my last post things have moved on at quite a pace.

The Brass foundry that I have been using for over 40 years did a really quick turnaround for the crosshead, safety valve and eccentric strap castings. They’re now all machined and fitted up loosely.

Last night saw the engine being rotated by hand and everything was doing what it oughta at the cylinder side.

   Graham.

[Alyn Foundry]

We suffered a major catastrophe a few days ago, during initial air and fuel mixture testing the engine broke. We’re not really sure what happened but were showered with bits of broken bearings and fasteners as the Brayton came to an abrupt stop. The photo shows the worst of the damage done to the beam trunnion mounting yoke.

With the dedicated small power engine rally set for the 15/16th of July at the Anson engine museum it was way too late to get a replacement casting sorted. The breaks showed us that there needed to be some serious changes to the core box to increase the strength across the casting.

Several local people were contacted about a welded/Brazed repair, no one was willing because of the nature.    After a little head scratching I opted for a mechanical solution. The break was amazingly clean so using a piece of 3/4” Silver  Steel I clamped the parts together after applying a liberal quantity of Loctite 638 high strength retainer. This was left overnight to cure fully. I then drilled and tapped holes to first keep the outside edges of the casting pulled tight. I then used 4 HT Allen set screws, 2 each side to put the inside edges in full tension. The repair is almost invisible and probably much stronger than the casting was originally.

After reassembly the engine was turned over by hand only to discover that the crankshaft was binding heavily. To our horror it had twisted by around 20 degrees from its original position. There was nothing we could do to remedy the situation other than make a replacement. This time we used 3/4” diameter Silver Steel. The flywheel weighs around 45 Lbs, the mild Steel just couldn’t handle the inertia.

I’m pleased to report that testing has resumed, the engine WILL be attending the Anson this coming Saturday and a little history will be made.    I’ve been informed that it will be the first  Brayton cycle engine to run on gas in over a century….

   Graham.

[Admiral_dk]

Shock and Horror - must have been some of the first feelings - probably followed by a number off Four-Letter Words ...!!!
I know that I would have been horified, if I had been present 

Good to see that you are progressing none the less and I hope that you will have a good Show (without bad incidents) 

Best wishes

Per               

[crueby]

Wow - lots of force to do that!  Hope it all sorts out and runs okay!

[Roger B]

That was quite a failure  Even Diesel's first trial merely blew the indicator apart.

I'm glad you have managed to repair the damage and can display the engine 

[Alyn Foundry]

Many thanks for your comments. Needless to say that the repair was successful and testing recommenced....

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMiwEyade0" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NMiwEyade0</a>

We have now discovered that this engine won't run autonomously without some serious modification to the compressor side. More to come after a serious rest period.

   Graham.