Alexander Rudnik, a designer from Khimki, proposed a scheme for an internal combustion engine without a crank mechanism. Gears perform the main work in it.
The principle resembles several types of power units at once. The engine takes in air in portions, then compresses it, after which the fuel burns in a separate chamber.
Expanding gases enter the turbine section, where gear mechanisms also operate. At the same time, the compressor and turbine parts actually separate the cycle stages.
Rudnik proposed assembling the unit from several sequentially operating sections: air intake, compressor, combustion chamber, and turbine. Their working elements are pairs of internal gear pumps.
A feature of the design is synchronizing gears. They should eliminate slippage of the teeth of the main mechanisms and reduce mechanical losses. The author also provided a servo-driven damper to facilitate engine starting.
Earlier, Vladimir Mikhailov, an engineer from Kostroma, came up with a scheme in which an internal combustion engine and a pneumatic engine work as a single system with a closed energy transfer scheme through a turbocharger.