Author Topic: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build  (Read 930937 times)

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Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #255 on: September 10, 2013, 12:03:49 AM »
Anders, I spend a lot of time making shrouding to enclose the wheel areas so the salt stays there and out of the main part of the bike with the electrics.  Sheet aluminum and duct tape with baling wire reinforcement is used.  There is a little hole in the duct tape wall for the chain to pass through.  It works.  Seven years of racing the same bike and absolutely no corrosion on the electric terminals.

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #256 on: September 11, 2013, 01:08:17 PM »
Anders, I spend a lot of time making shrouding to enclose the wheel areas so the salt stays there and out of the main part of the bike with the electrics.  Sheet aluminum and duct tape with baling wire reinforcement is used.  There is a little hole in the duct tape wall for the chain to pass through.  It works.  Seven years of racing the same bike and absolutely no corrosion on the electric terminals.

That sounds like the way to do it, the front wheel needs to be covered so that not a single grain of salt can get ingested by the engine. Having both wheels enclosed like that would save me hours of cleaning up not to mention a lack of electrical corrosion.

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #257 on: September 11, 2013, 03:33:41 PM »
Last night I started modifying the shaft tunnel, first I cleaned off the remaining cheramic coating from the internal surfaces. As you might remember I coated them to lessen the heat soak from the glowing combustor but most of it came off during the first test run, most likely because of a lazy coater who didn´t prepare the surfaces enough... :)



It took a while to figure out how to clamp down the shaft tunnel properly, I really didn´t want it to move during the milling since that would bring mayhem and destruction to my dear shaft tunnel. After making a journal bearing dummy I could fit it like this on the rotary table.



A couple of hours of milling, measuring, thinking and more milling I had come this far. A 30mm wide slot where an aluminum rod will fit, an internal oil channel will be drilled through one end of the rod and oil exit holes drilled that matches the existing holes in the shaft tunnel that feeds the journal bearings. Anyone who understood that?  :-)



Test fitting the aluminum rod, I´ll make the O-ring grooves in this piece since I can´t afford to make a mistake with the shaft tunnel.



Cheers!
/Anders

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #258 on: September 14, 2013, 01:02:46 AM »
A couple of days ago I found some workshop time and finished the shaft tunnel modifications.



Next up is to make the piece with all the oil channels drilled in it, hopefully I can do it in a couple of days. Fixing the last house projects before snow falls have higher priority right now... :)



The drive chain has also arrived.



A quick test fit confirmed what I already knew, the rear gearbox mount needs to me modified for chain clearance. A test drive this fall feels far away right now... :)



This isn´t even the largest front sprocket so I´ll have to remove a fair bit of material, perhaps even add a nylon strip in case the chain still can get close to the mount.



The new ignition has also arrived, even at 3V it packs a mighty punch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAd8fZD_ky8

Cheers!
/Anders
« Last Edit: September 14, 2013, 01:06:49 AM by Mobacken Racing »

Offline bucketlist

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #259 on: September 14, 2013, 06:57:48 PM »
In that picture with the chain box, lower left corner. That looks like a handy tool screwed to the bench for some often repeated task. Nifty idea.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

Offline grumm441

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #260 on: September 15, 2013, 05:13:16 AM »
I think I´ll take my chances, there is no engine vibrations that can mess things up so I find it extremely unlikely that a switch would break during a run. The bike will probably be covered in wiring, switches and gauges anyway so I don´t need to double the trouble. :-)

So many switches and wires
we have two switches and one light
on switch, starter button, red light
If the red light comes on, turn the switch off and turn right
If there is smoke in the cabin, pull the chute and aim to get out as soon as it stops
G
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Spirit of Sunshine Bellytank Lakester
https://www.dlra.org.au/rulebook.htm

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #261 on: September 15, 2013, 11:01:20 AM »
In that picture with the chain box, lower left corner. That looks like a handy tool screwed to the bench for some often repeated task. Nifty idea.

Very handy indeed, its purpose is to lock the turbine wheel hub while torquing/removing the compressor nut. This way I can use a T handle to avoid bending the shaft while torquing down the comp nut.

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #262 on: September 16, 2013, 12:06:31 AM »
Yesterday I had some time to work on the engine while the family was away, and I managed to squeeze in a couple of hours before I went to bed as well.



The oil distributor was fitted to the shaft tunnel to get its ends trued in the lathe, they need to be perfectly in line with the shaft tunnel sides.



After that I drilled the mail oil channel that connects the two journal bearings and the thrust bearing.



After drilling the journal bearing feed holes the distributor block looked like this.



Here it is fitted to the shaft tunnel, the hole in the end feeds oil to the thrust bearing.



The oil needs to get in to the distributor block somehow, so I drilled a hole in the side and gave it 1/2" UNF threads. A steel rod was threaded and will have a steel oil line welded to it. I had to make a custom die holder first since I didn´t have anyone that fitted the 1/2"UNF die.



Here it is partially fitted to the oil distributor block.



To make the distributor block a bit less ugly I took the corners away in the lathe so its radius would follow the shaft tunnel.



And here is the result, the only thing left to do with this part is to drill the bolt heads for lock wire and cut O-ring grooves for the three oil holes. I have ordered a bag of silicon O-rings so as soon as they arrive I can try to figure out how to make a tool to cut the grooves with.



Cheers!
/Anders
« Last Edit: September 16, 2013, 12:10:26 AM by Mobacken Racing »

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #263 on: September 16, 2013, 12:16:49 AM »
So many switches and wires
we have two switches and one light
on switch, starter button, red light
If the red light comes on, turn the switch off and turn right
If there is smoke in the cabin, pull the chute and aim to get out as soon as it stops
G

It is because both the fuel pump and the three oil pumps are powered by the battery, if they were powered by a belt like on a car I could probably remove 3/4 of the wiring. :-)

Offline grumm441

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #264 on: September 16, 2013, 05:31:48 PM »

It is because both the fuel pump and the three oil pumps are powered by the battery, if they were powered by a belt like on a car I could probably remove 3/4 of the wiring. :-)

I'm not sure they make a belt that will deal with the RPM , or pumps
As long as the deadman switch turns the fuel off and you can also turn the fuel off without taking your hands off the handle bars
G
Chief Motorcycle Steward Dry Lakes Racers Australia Inc
Spirit of Sunshine Bellytank Lakester
https://www.dlra.org.au/rulebook.htm

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #265 on: September 17, 2013, 12:14:42 AM »
An o-ring groove tool.  I just noticed the end is not square.  You want it to be if you make one.

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #266 on: September 18, 2013, 03:15:20 PM »
Unfortunately the grooves I am about to make is around a hole drilled on a flat surface, so a tool like that one wouldn´t work. I have figured out how to do it without having to make a special tool, I´ll show you as soon as I have done it.

New brake discs arrived today, the old ones looks more like a pair of wave washers... :-)



Cheers!
/Anders

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #267 on: September 21, 2013, 01:10:30 PM »
This weekend the rest of the family are away, so I have three whole days for myself. A strange feeling for someone with small kids, I spent the whole day in the workshop and got a fair bit of work done.



I made the oil pressure tube that goes through the compressor housing and an AN6 fitting that is threaded to fit the tube.



A bit more work on the mill and lathe and the oil pressure tube is ready to have the internal oil line welded to it.



Everything set for tig welding!



The oil line is cooling down after welding.



With that done I milled O-ring seats in the distribution block, the silicone rings were bought on Ebay for 1/20 of what a local dealer would charge me...



The insex heads were drilled for lock wire, don´t want them to come loose and drop into the turbine wheel.



Now it was time to fix the oil leak in the compressor housing, a piston ring seal on the turbine shaft is meant to hold the oil inside the shaft tunnel but during the mishap last winter when the compressor wheel came loose the piston ring sealing surface in the aluminum housing was damaged and started to leak oil.



I made a bushing in stainless that the rings will seal against, another benefit with this is that I could make it long enough for both piston rings. Earlier I could only use one ring due to space restraints.



I opened up the hole in the compressor housing so the stainless bushing could be pressed in place.



To make sure it wouldn´t spin or drop out I milled two recesses in the compressor housing and grinded two slots in the stainless bushing, a pair of punch marks locked it firmly in place.



Like this.



The oil hole for the thrust bearing was then drilled, very important that it is perfectly centered against the O-ring to avoid oil leaks.



Finally I could start to assemble the engine again, you can see a plug fitted where the old banjo oil fitting used to be.



Bearings and oil scavenge line fitted, by now I was pretty hungry so I called it a night and went inside to try to find me something to eat.



Cheers!
/Anders

Offline peterdallan

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #268 on: September 21, 2013, 02:13:16 PM »
Great build, cannot wait to see this all done and started up.

Exceptional workmanship

Peter

Offline Mobacken Racing

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Re: APS/Ω Gas turbine bike build
« Reply #269 on: September 21, 2013, 04:32:22 PM »
Thank you very much Peter.