On Nov 21, 2:10*pm, Jon Elson wrote:
Pete Snell wrote:
steamer wrote:
* * --Remember the time they tried to make an I.C. engine run on
gunpowder? A bunch of us were talking about this the other day and we
seemed
to have vague memories of this actually working once, maybe in the 1800s.
Anyone got a reference? Also looking for anything on engines running on
acetylene. Fear not! Not going to put one in my car; just thinking of the
pyrotechnic spinoff for a *very* remote location, heh.

* I know there were a variety of tractors that used a 'shotgun' like
shell as a starting mechanism. Not sure how common it was.

That's a Kauffmann starter, also used in a lot of aircraft up to the
F-4, at least. *it was a pretty big shell (at least for an F-4) with a
SLOW-burning powder. *it would give about 15 seconds of continuous gas
production.

Jon

Here’s a patent for a gunpowder-fuelled IC engine:
http://www.google.com/patents?id=-Ws...1774#PP A2,M1

A 1965 movie with Jimmy Stewart called “Flight of the Phoenix” had an
airplane with a Coffman starter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fli...nix_(1965_film)
(Remade in 2004 with Dennis Quade)

Coffman engine starter:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffman_engine_starter