I am very pleased to present the forum with a new pulsejet specifically designed as an alternative
to the "classic" Lockwood-Hiller 55 lbf (245 N) valveless pulsejet. Until now, the only choices when
it came to pulsejets powerful enough for go-karts and other forms of "kinetic art" were either the
Lockwood or the more efficient, but less powerful 45 lbf (200 N) quad-intake "Kentfield" valveless.
No longer. Now you can have more thrust and higher efficiency combined into one compact motor:
The Thunderchine's pulsejet "core" (shown below) is only 51 inches long (1295 mm); the Lockwood
is 104.25 inches long (2648 mm). With its u-bend a Lockwood folds down to 50 inches (1270 mm),
so the Thunderchine is only 2% longer (so sue me
). Thunderchine displaces 20 liters of volumeto the Lockwood's 25; if built from 0.5 mm stainless (ca. 25 gauge), Thunderchine's pulsejet core
tops a thrust-to-weight ratio of 10:1, easily besting the equivalent Lockwood (7:1). With respect
to fuel efficiency, Thunderchine's integrated ejector-augmentors allow it to be competitive with
the notably thrifty Kentfield and far superior to the Lockwood. Obviously, including the ejectors in
the mix means that Thunderchine develops more than 55 lbf of thrust. Estimated static thrust, at
sea level, is 63 lbf (280 N); for go-kart / propulsive uses, thrust increases with increasing speed.
I want to express many thanks to "Rossco", my innovative and tireless associate in this endeavor;
without his help, you would only have my poor MS Paint line drawings and no sheet metal patterns
to work from. Rossco helped me solve several practical problems ("how to dos"); my thanks, mate!
The attached plans are in the ubiquitous *.pdf format, so everyone should be able to open them
and print out the sheet metal patterns. Please note the default page size is A4 -- you can change
this, and that the actual patterns are very large; these must be printed out across multiple pages.
Please read these plans carefully: there are many notes covering all aspects of construction inside.
I will also point out that the plans do not include any fuel delivery system: there are many threads
on this site with helpful suggestions and advice; ask away if you do not know where/how to begin.
No fuel delivery system is included in part because the Thunderchine has been designed to run off
multiple fuels without significant modifications. Propane (vapour or liquid), gasoline (petrol), any
kerosene-based fuel (eg., Jet-A) and diesel are all equally acceptable. See the plans for more info.
Additional posts may follow with revisions, as needed, and I am always available to assist builders.
Enjoy!
M.