W engines & crankshafts/gearing

[Sureboss]

So, I was thinking about the W16 engine in the Bugatti Veyron, obviously it is a beast. I was wondering how it would work.

My presumption:

Both crankshafts have their own flywheel then connect to the clutch via a joining gear?

Also, has there ever been a W engine (or any type of engine, though I presume only possible on a W engine) with two driveshafts, as it has two crankshafts? Though I presume that wouldn't be possible to have two outputs coming out of a gearbox, but you never know what some genius may have thrown up in the past.

Edit: it would also be pretty cool to have any information on different types of W engine, be it weird angle sizes, unusual positioning, anything on W's.

 

[gibson]

w type motors have 1 crank.

 

[Sureboss]

Really? How would that work?

 

[buickgnx88]

Have 8 rods on one crank like a V8, but have the cylinders offset.

Edit: like this:

Edit 2: Here's the W16 block

 

[Rykon Zero]

I've designed (designed not built, although Bugatti did a concept with these) a W18 engine, basically a V-12 with an additional 6 cylinders between, all connected to the same crankshaft. I figured it would be simplest, and quite powerful.
Well, back on topic. I imagine that the engines, which is basically two V-8s together,would run in the same direction, and you would therefore have a solid gear running between the crankshafts to the transmission.

 

[Sureboss]

Have 8 rods on one crank like a V8, but have the cylinders offset.

Edit: like this:

Edit 2: Here's the W16 block

I see, that makes sense. I did have a look at the wiki pic of the Veyron's W16 and it didn't look quite right for a literal W shape.

But two cranks in one engine would be possible, right?

 

[buickgnx88]

It could work if you put two V8 configurations side by side and ran the pistons from one bank of one engine fit between the pistons from the adjacent bank of the other engine.

 

[slowman]

I don't know what that Veyron engine is, but it isn't a W.

 

[buickgnx88]

Yeah it is.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

I don't know what that Veyron engine is, but it isn't a W.

It is,thats showing one bank,you can see the W formation.

 

[CyborgGT]

Yes, the shape is more like a V stacked within another V, or a triple-u, but it's called a "W".

 

[Jim Prower]

There's two types: the three-row type, and the "Two VR-6s strapped together at the crank" type. Things get pretty confusing, I imagine.

At least it's not a Napier Deltic...That has THREE cranks!

 

[Boz Mon]

At least it's not a Napier Deltic...That has THREE cranks!

Just looked into that, and it is SWEET 👍

 

[YSSMAN]

Edit: it would also be pretty cool to have any information on different types of W engine, be it weird angle sizes, unusual positioning, anything on W's.

Volkswagen is the only company that has toyed with it to my knowledge, and the only successor to the wonderfully underrated W8 (only offered in the Passat) is the W16 in the Veyron. Nothing too unconventional about it other than the awkward layout of the cylinders, kinda similar to how they do the VR6 and such.

Damn VW for killing the Passat W8. Its still one of my top-three VWs of all-time, across the board.

 

[slowman]

It is NOT a W. Look at it. It is two V8's stacked.

Now Look at the Passat's W8. These engines have nothing to do with each other. I don't care if Moron Trend or whoever calls it a W16, it isn't a W.

 

[Holdenhsvgtsr]

It is NOT a W. Look at it. It is two V8's stacked.

Now Look at the Passat's W8. These engines have nothing to do with each other. I don't care if Moron Trend or whoever calls it a W16, it isn't a W.

Erm it is a W.

A V is one row on each bank, a W is 2 rows on each bank. (thinks that makes sense.)

I think the company that makes them knows more about what it is than you do and can call it what they want.

 

[Keef]

It is NOT a W. Look at it. It is two V8's stacked.

Now Look at the Passat's W8. These engines have nothing to do with each other. I don't care if Moron Trend or whoever calls it a W16, it isn't a W.

You're right that it's not literally shaped like a W. But that's what it's called. It's not a Two-V8s-Stacked-16.

 

[slowman]

I'm not trying to slight the engines, as both the Offset V16 of the Veyron and Offset V8 of the Passat are fantastic engines.

They can call them whatever they want, but it still doesn't make it a W. If an engine was truely a W, it would be a V6 with an extra bank of two cylinders straight in the middle.

Call it offset V , staggered V, Double V, stacked V, I don't care. Just don't call it a W.

You're right that it's not literally shaped like a W. But that's what it's called. It's not a Two-V8s-Stacked-16.

Thank you. This is what I'm getting at. Why call it something it isn't? You don't call a goose a platypus do you?

 

[Pupik]

Why call it something it isn't? You don't call a goose a platypus do you?

It's like explaining the difference between manual, manumatic, automatic, semi-automatic, and automated manual transmissions.

They are as follows:



[/runs away like a sissy]

 

[Wolfe]

It is NOT a W. Look at it. It is two V8's stacked.

Now Look at the Passat's W8. These engines have nothing to do with each other.

The W8 is "two V4's stacked," if you want to describe it that way. You may not think VW's W engines deserve to be called "W," but the design is consistent within the company.

Also, VW's design is no less a "W" than three rows of pistons stemming from a single crankshaft. That is, I don't see very many people write their "W" with three lines.

 

[Sureboss]

There's two types: the three-row type, and the "Two VR-6s strapped together at the crank" type. Things get pretty confusing, I imagine.

At least it's not a Napier Deltic...That has THREE cranks!

That's really cool and one of the kind of things I was looking to get out of this thread. 👍

I was flummoxed by the W engine not actually being like a W, as in the V engine is shaped like a V. Good stuff guys.

 

[Grand Prix]

There's two types: the three-row type, and the "Two VR-6s strapped together at the crank" type. Things get pretty confusing, I imagine.

At least it's not a Napier Deltic...That has THREE cranks!

That's ****ing awesome!

 

[Jim Prower]

You oughta hear 'em throttle up...

 

[slowman]

Now THAT thing is wild.

It would seem that the design inherently produces a lot of torque with the downside being the rather large space required for it. In a train, that should'nt be a problem whatsoever.

 

[wfooshee]

Um, as for naming engine configurations, has anybody seen a boxer throw a punch????

Just askin'

A rotary doesn't exactly just rotate, and in bikes an inline twin is called a parallel twin, but no inline 4 is called a parallel 4.

And don't get me started about VW calling the VR-6 engine a DOHC design. LIARS!!!!

 

[Grand Prix]

At least radial engines are pretty self explanatory.

Somewhat.

Boxers get even more confusing when you consider that: Every boxer is flat, but not all flats are boxers.


Should change thread name to "Unconventional Engines"

 

[Casio]

D'uh.

 

[wfooshee]

^^^^^

 

[Grand Prix]

LOL. In that case VW should call the VR6 a W6 and call the Veyron's engine a WV16.

Or is that WW16? VW16? I dunno.


EDIT:

How cool would it be to have an X24 in your car?

 

[Wolfe]

Um, as for naming engine configurations, has anybody seen a boxer throw a punch????

Just askin'

Yes. Look at one cylinder bank of a boxer 4. Although the configuration got its name because if you look down from above, each pair of pistons is like a boxer tapping his gloves together.