my valveless jet kart

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loco
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my valveless jet kart

Post by loco » Sat Sep 27, 2008 1:56 pm

Hi all, I've finally finished the kart and gave it a try with my valveless engine. It worked for a bit, but unfortunately the engine isn't up to scratch - it was the first thing I ever built after learning to weld, so I made it from mild steel which isn't able to take the heat. I'm aware that it's also mounted upside down. I'm not convinced by Bruce Simpson's comment on the fuelling - what do you guys think? It was modelled on fuelling that eric beck has used before I think.

I'm going to be making a fairly large valved engine from stainless/mild/Aluminium next, so will be sure to be asking a lot of questions in the valved engine section in the near future!

anyhoo, here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBh8ZKnN-YI

Cheers, all.

thecheat
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by thecheat » Wed Oct 01, 2008 10:21 pm

just out of curiosity, what happened to the engine? did you get rid of it, or did it break? (your youtube discription said it folded?)

mild steel WILL take the heat, you may have chosen something too thin. :) you could try welding some bands around the hot spots to keep it a bit more sturdy. Also, I wouldn't reccomend pouring water on the engine...

Also, if you're not convenced by his fueling idea, try it your way, then his. it can't hurt, and it'll either help your engine work much better, or prove you're right. It's a win-win situation. :wink:

looks like a good build though!
Lasers, jets, and helicopters HURAH!

loco
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by loco » Fri Oct 03, 2008 6:20 pm

ah, the engine was damaged again - the U pipe creased and some holes formed. The reinforced straight section after the U pipe also folded in.
This engine literally was the first thing I put together after learning to weld. It's been a great project, but since it took over four hours to repair the section after the last time it failed, I think my time would be better spent learning from my mistakes in this build and putting together a whole new engine from stainless.

The mild steel used in this engine was 1.0mm, and the bend was 0.9mm (all I could get hold of locally). You'll see on my other video that the fuelling works just fine, and it fuells the engine right up until it fails.

Really keen on making this valved engine now - hoping to put something together that will push 50Kg of thrust.

loco
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by loco » Fri Oct 03, 2008 10:36 pm

video of the first time the engine failed - looks like the fuelling was working fine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhIRhrTvk70

thecheat
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by thecheat » Sat Oct 04, 2008 3:15 am

that's some thin stuff! (bet it was REALLY easy to form!) Yeah, for something that size, you'll want to use a bit thicker metal. Stainless tends to hold up a bit better though. Do make sure to clean it spotless before you run it though! Any fingerprints and such will leave some ugly marks! :)

Just out of curiosity, what kind of welding are you learning? I personally do a lot of TIG. :wink: I like my harbor freight el cheapo rig. Works great!

Just make sure to be careful with the stainless, it costs a bunch, so mistakes are a bit more severe.
Lasers, jets, and helicopters HURAH!

loco
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by loco » Sat Oct 04, 2008 7:32 pm

yeah it was pretty easy to form, but it's still a pain to do by hand compared to using slip rollers. This engine was a proof of concept prototype and I think it's really worked a treat.

As for welding stainless - I'm using MIG - 0.8mm wire with 'Cougar' argo-CO2 gas I believe. I picked up a sealey 170amp rig and use the proper high pressure gas tanks (not the rip-off disposables). Apparantly I can use this same setup to weld stainless, though the welds will rust with time. maybe I'll get new gas and filler...
Are there any major differences between welding mild and stainless?

Rocket Man
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by Rocket Man » Sun Jan 24, 2010 2:49 pm

A leaf blower would be better than that jet engine!!! Why put a video online that shows a lot of failure and no success?

marksteamnz
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by marksteamnz » Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:05 pm

Rocket Man wrote:A leaf blower would be better than that jet engine!!! Why put a video online that shows a lot of failure and no success?

Words fail me
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Mark Stacey
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WebPilot
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by WebPilot » Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:00 am


 With respect to loco and his work, let me remind one of you out there of the the old adage:

... if you're not making mistakes, you're not learning anything.
                - author unknown

 How about 'cutting the guy some slack' ... he's trying ... just like most of the rest of us.
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kevin lee
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Re: my valveless jet kart

Post by kevin lee » Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:31 am

Any updates on this project?

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