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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0535.PDF
APRIL IOTH, 1947 FLIGHT 319 RADIAL REVIEW A Stock-taking of the Newest Bristol Hercules and Centaurus Engines : Important InstallationsM ANY people who virtually lived with Bristol engines during the war now confess to profound ignorance of the various post-war marks of the Hercules and Centaurus and of their applications to new aircraft The following outline, based on the latest information from Bristol, will bring them fully up to date and will add to their knowledge some facts concerning important new military and civil installations. Hercules At the Paris Show last November the Bristol Company announced the new Hercules 230 and 730 engines with a take-off power of 2,000 h.p.; the previous highest figure was 1,715 h.p. Associated with this useful increase in output was a strengthened "power section," including a new crankcase with bigger main bearings, new cylinders and an altogether new type of steel-topped, copper-based cylinder head to give greatly improved heat dissipation. Comprising the new series are the military marks 230 and 231 and the civil marks 730-733. In every case the basic engine is the same and the different numbers denote varia- tions of equipment. Numbers with odd last digits signify the inclusion of a torquemeter. Up to the present the Bristol Company has not been permitted to name the military aircraft for which the 230 series was introduced and on the civil side there is as yet no firm programme, but the 730 series may be regarded as natural successors to the 630 range of which the 630 and 634 are used in the Viking, 632 and 638 in the Bristol Freighter and Wayfarer, and 637 in the Solent. The Hercules types already named have single-speed superchargers but the recent announcement of the Hermes IV by Handley-Page led to the disclosure that this aircraft would use a two-speed-supercharged Hercules in the 2,000 h.p. class. This will be the Hercules 763 (or 762 if a torquemeter is not required). The precise rating is still subject to discussion and type test, but, as the engine is intended to be operated on 115/150 grade fuel, it may be expected that higher powers will be available than in the 730 series. An important characteristic will be the main- tenance of full sea level take-off power up to the height of such airfields as Nairobi. The engines will be supplied as complete plants of extremely low drag. Corresponding military types, though of different rating, are the Hercules . 260 and 261. Mention must be made of the new Hercules-Tudor, the present prototype of which (a Tudor II airframe) is fitted with two Hercules 120 and two Hercules 121 engines in Bristol power plants. Here again, the only difference de- noted by the mark numbers is the fitting of a torquemetcr on the i2i. These engines, it must be pointed out, were put in hand at an early stage, before there was any question about the take-off power required by the Tudor, and the output is, therefore, 1,715 h.p. Even so, the makers "would not be surprised " if take off and climb and handling with one engine cut were found to be better than with the standard Tudor II. The lean mixture cruising consumption figures of only 0.42 lb/b.h.p./hr at 1,230 h.p. in low supercharge, and 0.47 lb/b.h.p./hr at 1,090 h.p. in high supercharge, should be of considerable benefit. Although no official instructions to proceed further with the Tudor installation have been received at Bristol it should not be difficult to apply the Hercules 763, as for the Hermes IV. Centaurus The Hawker Sea Fury and Bristol Brigand are fitted with the latest military marks of Centaurus—the XVIII and 57 respectively. In each case the basic engine is the same, with two-speed supercharger, but the XVIII has a flexible mounting, interconnected throttle and airscrew controls and a 0.444 reduction gear ratio, whereas the 57 has a rigid mounting, separate controls and a 0.40 gear ratio. Moreover, the Sea Fury's engine is not equipped for methanol/water injection, and is limited to 2,500 h.p. for take-off, whereas the Brigand used the power boost system to allow a take-off output of 2,825 h.p. The civil development of the Centaurus XVIII and 57 is the 630, as used in the Airspeed Ambassador. If a torque- meter is fitted the mark number becomes 631. A single- speed supercharger is fitted on the 630-631 and various detail refinements, including a full "dynamic suspension" engine mounting, improved Hobson-R.A.E. bulk-fuel in- jector with oil-heated throttles, stiffer power section and copper-based cylinder heads, are incorporated. A precise rating has not yet been decided upon but the Bristol Com- pany are not out for more power than in the military Cen- taurus—at leatst not until the new fuels are in full supply. Other applications of the new civil Centaurus are in the offing and a two-speed-supercharged version may eventu- ally materialize. ILIFFE EXHIBITION PLANS THE withdrawal by the Council of the Trade and TechnicalPress of their intended joint exhibit from all sections of the British Industries Fair lends interest to the extensive plansfor the B.I.F. which are announced by the Associated Iliffe Press, whose range of 31 technical, trade and specializedjournals comprises the largest group of this type in the world. Since many of the Iliffe journals are concerned with engineer-ing in its various branches, the mam display will be Stand D 216 at Castle Bromwich. Periodicals to be exhibited there include:— ... ,7 T, Aircraft Production, The Architect & Building News. TheAutocar Automobile Engineer, British Engineering Export Journal British Plastics, Bus &• Coach Electrical ReviewExport Trader, Farmer & Stock-Breeder Flight Iron & Steel Machine Shop Magazine, Mechanical Handling, ^J1^!/-The Motor Cycle, Motor Cycle &• Cycle Trader, Motor Trader Motor Transport, Poultry World, Power Laundry WeIding:Wireless <S, Electrical Trader, Wireless Engineer and Wireless ^Technical books and year books published by the house of Iliffes will also be displayed on this stand. At Earls Court the Plastics Section is likely to be one of the chief centres of interest and here another Iliflc stand (No. 846)will show British Plastics and the British Plastics Year Book. In a field rather different from the B.I.F., Iliffe journals andtechnical books are also to be shown at the 10,47 Exhibition of the Physical Society, open at the Imperial Institute. London,from April 9th to April 12th. Wireless World, Wirclrss Engineer, Electrical Review, British Plastics, Iron A- Stcrl,Metal Industry and Welding will be amongst the Iliftc publications exhibited. FORTHCOMING EVENTS April 10th.—G.A.P.A.N. Annual Genera' Meeting at 5 p.m.. Londonderry House, Park Lane, fallowed by annual dinner at 7 p.m., Connaughc Rooms (York Room). Gt Queen Street, W.C.2. April 10th.—Royal Aeronautical Soc. " A Review of Production Difficulties in Relation to Aircraft Design " C E. Fielding April 12th.—British Interplanetary Society 'Cosmic Rays," Lionel Gilbert, A R.C.S., B.Sc, Science Museum, South Kensington. April 15th.—R.Ae.S. Bristol Annual General Meeting. April 17th.—Royal Aeronautical Soc. "Testing Civil Aircraft," P. A. Hufton, M.Sc. April 18 to 21st.—Aero Club of Spain Madrid Air Rally. April 24th.—Royal Aeronautical Soc. : " The Ri»k of Fire, and Fire Pre- vention Methods," Dr | W Drinkwater B.Sc.. D. Phil., and W G. Glendemng. May 3rd.—Yorkshire Aeroplane Club : Flying meeting, Sherburn-in-Elrnet.
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