Obturator ring
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The rotary aircraft engines of World War I (engines where the crankshaft was fixed to the airframe and the cylinders rotated) were notoriously difficult to keep cool when operating, concequently the very thin walled steel cylinders became distorted to an unacceptable level. Obturator rings, made of brass, were fitted in order to overcome this out of roundness in much the same way as a leather washer does in a bicycle pump. Wear was considerable and these rings only lasted a matter of hours. By the time the war ended, technology and materials had advanced sufficiently to do away with these Obturator rings. The Bentley BR2 was manufactured in small numbers at the end of the war being the last of the Rotary Engines.
For obturation in bullets and artillery, see Obturating ring
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