research paper on duke engine pdf

The Duke Engine is already in advanced stages of development. Multicylinder engines are operational and have been tested in Australasia, Europe and in the USA.. The Duke engine’s 5 cylinder, 3 litre, 4-stroke internal combustion engine platform with its unique axial arrangement is already in its 3rd generation. During development the Duke has been tested at Mahle Powertrain in the UK & in the USA, and test results are available.


The Duke Engine features many technology breakthroughs. The Duke's unique counter rotation, 3 dimensional, almost vibration free motion and the innovative methodology employed to achieve this, addresses previous limitations that have prevented the commercialisation of axial piston engines to date, especially at higher power and speed.


The Duke offers designers greater freedom. Duke’s axial geometry creates a very compact cylindrical package, allowing for a wide range of design applications, limited space fit, aerodynamic optimization and ease of installation.


The Duke Engine delivers huge weight and size savings. In comparisons made to conventional IC engines with similar displacement, the Duke engine was found to be up to 19% lighter and up to 36% smaller.


The Duke Engine has negligible 1st-order or 2nd-order Vibration. The Duke’s nutating reciprocator leads to very low angles of con rod articulation resulting in a near sinusoidal reciprocating motion. This combined with the counter-rotating cylinder group and crankshaft in the Duke engine delivers near perfect mechanical balance resulting in a very low vibration engine.


The Duke Engine delivers high thermodynamic efficiency. The absence of hot valves in the favourably shaped combustion chamber allows high compression ratios for efficient operation on low octane fuels. With only 3 exhaust headers for 5 cylinders there is a low surface area for heat loss prior to any catalytic converter, offering a potential catalyst light-off benifit.