Hammerdrive Engine

The Hammerdrive engine works by utilizing compressed Void essence as fuel, which is struck by small hammer-like pistons to generate a powerful explosive reaction. The hammer-piston shafts, cylinder housing, and driveshaft is made of Nullmetal , which allows them to withstand the repeated strikes against the compressed Void material without causing any damage to the housing or shafts of the hammers themselves. This innovation, developed by the Culvarkt dwarves has opened the way for numerous modes of transportation and power generation. Though the Nullmetal needed to create these devices is extremely rare, and the most effective method of Void Compression is in the hands of The Becht Nation , through tenuous trade agreements between them and The Ventrytes , who's land seems to have the highest concentration of the rare metamaterial, Nullmetal, they have been able to work in tandem to create several technological wonders that have catapulted the global economy forward. The functionality is described below:

Compressed Void Brick: The compressed Void brick serves as the fuel for the Hammerdrive Engine. It is located in a Nullmetal fuel chamber within the cylinder.
Air Intake Valve: The air intake valve allows air into the engine to push pressure through the cylinder and out through the exhaust so as to avoid pressure related ruptures and undue stress on the device itself. When the piston is at the top of its stroke, the intake valve opens, and the air is drawn into the cylinder.
Cylinder: The cylinder is where the explosive reaction process takes place. The cylinder contains the compressed Void brick holding chamber and the hammer-piston assembly.
Hammer-Piston Assembly: The hammer-piston assembly is responsible for striking the compressed Void brick to initiate the explosive reaction. It consists of several small hammer-like pistons that are designed to strike the brick at precise intervals to maximize the engine's power output.
Nullmetal Housing and Output Shaft: The nullmetal housing contains the hammer-piston assembly and the compressed Void brick holding chamber, and transfer the energy generated by the explosive reaction to the output shaft. The nullmetal material allows the engine to withstand the tremendous forces generated by the explosive reaction.
Hammer-Piston: The hammer-piston is responsible for converting the energy generated by the explosive reaction into mechanical energy. The hammer-piston is located within the cylinder and is connected to a series of linkages and gears.
Linkages and Gears: The linkages and gears convert the linear motion of the hammer-piston into rotary motion, which can be used to power a vehicle or machine.
Exhaust Valve: The exhaust valve is responsible for expelling the spent air pressure and waste generated by the reactions from the engine. When the piston is at the bottom of its stroke, the exhaust valve opens, and the spent waste-air mixture is expelled from the engine.

Utility

Travel, trade, and military applications are the primary uses thus far, however, a few larger units have been produced and put into place as a means to generate large amounts of energy for stationary locations as well.

Manufacturing

Due to the expense of several of the rare materials used in their production, each engine is crafted by hand with tremendous amounts of oversight and safety regulation. The Nullmetal itself is very toxic if handled incorrectly, and if the engine cylinder is not sealed correctly, it can lead to significant damage to the external parts of the device and whatever vehicle or structure is housing it, not to mention the environmental concerns should a larger and more damaging Void reaction occur due to leakage or the engine housing falling apart.

Social Impact

The generation of this technology has opened the way for powered travel. Two rail lines and a small number of ships large enough and safe enough to once again voyage out into the Undullain Ocean are now in production, opening new trade routes, the faster delivery of goods at lowered costs, and an increase in leisure travel as well.

Parent Technologies

Steam Engine

Children Technologies

Void Compression

Inventor(s)

Francois Leblanc and a team of engineers and craftspeople within the workshops of Culvarkti.

Access & Availability

This technology is extremely expensive and therefore fairly rare to use. Only the wealthy nations can afford the cost of the engines, the materials to create them, and the compressed Void matter.

Complexity

While the device is a fairly complex one, the basic principals are fairly simple to grasp once taught or explained.

Discovery

While the initial concepts of propulsion within the Culvarkt nation are nothing new, the lack of fuel had become a significant issue, especially in matters of trade. While the Culvarkt airship fleet is fairly efficient, even this was becoming a dangerously delicate drain on the treasury and available global resources to sustain. To this end, the engineers of the Culvarkt empire were tasked with finding solutions. Thanks to the recent discovery of Nullmetal, various new ideas could be explored that had previously been impossible. The irony of using the Void as a resource is not lost on the dwarves of Culvarkti either. While their initial designs were much less efficient, using the raw void energy in its gaseous, vapor form that was difficult to collect and contain, and generated very little sustainable energy, the engines only working for a short time before running out of fuel. When their intelligence networks became aware of the works of Ephram Nadus and his progress and success with Void Compression, the dwarves reached out through more official channels and called a summit of representatives from the Becht, Culvarky, and Ventryte nations to discuss the future with this new technology and how they might all benefit from a mutual agreement. The Becht, accustomed to working with their dwarven allies for many years now, had little issue with this, but the Ventryte people were determined to assure that this new form of wealth remain under their control and regulations in order to protect their interests. While the summit was a successful endeavor, the three all came away with grievances, and tensions began to rise between them slowly as matters progressed and the new engines were developed.

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