Originally Posted by
onetrack
There is no reason why the engineering advances in automotive engines cannot be engineered into aircraft engines, along with numerous other sound and progressive ideas such as rotary or sleeve valves, using current high technology.
For Gods sake man, engines are still using poppet valves, the shortest life, worst and weakest part of any IC engine design, and it's the same valve design as used in the 1890's!!
Interesting the mention of sleeve valves - I thought that idea had been done to death by Bristol and Continental back in the 1940's - although it was obviously the advent of the jet engine that killed further research into large aero pistons.
But the main point seemed to be that the early advantages of sleeve valves disappeared with improved poppet valve design, and improved fuels.
Of course, it's possible that modern technology metallurgy, lubrication and fabrication could put sleeve valves on top, but if so, wouldn't the auto-manufactures have done it already?
Such R&D purely in piston aero-engines would be cost prohibitive. Any major developments such as re-introducing sleeve valves into mass-production IC engines are going to have to come from the auto industry.