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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0069.PDF
FEBRUARY 5, 1925 TWO AMERICAN AERO ENGINES The Wright " Cyclone " and the " Tornado " IN the current issue of the Aircraft Builder, a monthly " House " journal published by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation of Paterson, N.J., U.S.A., some particulars— which we quote below—are given of a new big air-cooled radial aero engine, the " Cyclone," just produced by the1 • |^v .".,_. ; _ ; ; /- \^ , The Wright "Tornado " (T-3) Aero Engine : This is a 600 h.p. 12-cyl. water- cooled V engine which has many notable successes to its credit. to the rear. The operation of the exhaust valve is orthodox by means of a push-rod and rocker arm, but the inlet valve is operated by a pull-rod across the top of the cylinder. The valve gear is located in front of the engine, and all the accessories at the rear, including carburettors, magnetos, pumps, strainers, etc. The development of this engine followed the usual practice of the Wright Co.— namely, the design and de- velopment of a single cylinder, followed by the complete design of the engine and the construction of the first one. It was found that the original limitation of diameter was detrimental to the proper operation of the engine, so that it was necessary to in- crease the length of the cylinder slightly, although eve.i with this slight increase the diameter of the engine from the tops of the cylinders is very much less than any engine of this power heretofore constructed. A 50-hour test has recently been completed, which was run in accordance with the U.S. Navy's Specification E-4-D. Unfortunately, as this engine has been developed for the Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department, further details of this engine are not available. As regards the " Tornado " (or T-3) model, this is a 600-675 h.p. 12-cylinder water-cooled V engine, and is a development Wright Company. The same issue also con- tains some details, which we also give, of the successes of the model T-3 Wright engine— now known as the " Tornado." Something over a year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy Department felt the need of an air-cooled power plant to replace the " Liberty " engine in certain types of 'planes, principally torpedo and observation 'planes. This requirement necessitated an air-cooled power plant of larger displacement than had been constructed in America before. To add to the difficulty of designing such an engine, a limitation was placed on the diameter in order to keep the parasite resistance as low as possible. A contract was given the Wright Company for the development and construction of three such engines, into which have gone the com- bined experience of the Lawrence as well as the Wright Companies. In this connection it is interesting to note that the Wright Company, in 1920, won an Army design competition for a 300 h.p. air-cooled radial engine, and subsequently built three engines, known as the model " R-l," which were the first large air-cooled engines to be built in the United States. The " P-l," or " Cyclone," is a fixed radial, with nine cylinders having a 6-in. bore and 6^-in. stroke. The total displace- ment is 1,650 cub. ins., which is the same as the " Liberty" engine. The external appearance of the engine, as may be seen from the accompanying illustration, is re- markably clean. One unique feature, that is at once apparent, is the valve gear. The valves, instead of being located in a plane at right angles to the crankshaft, are located in the plane -of the crankshaft, with the exhaust valve forward and the inlet valve The Wright "Cyclone " (P-l) Aero Engine : This engine, the latestproduction of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation of Paterson, N.J., is a 9-cyl. air- cooled radial, designed to replace the 400 h .p. " Liberty ''engine in certain types of aircraft. 69
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