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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0877.PDF
27 June 1958 NAPIER Aero-Engines Their Characteristics and Applications: A Birthday Album THE most appropriate tribute that Flight can pay thefirm of D. Napier and Son, Ltd., in this year of their150th anniversary, is to review the aero-engines which have perpetuated thai; company's fame since 1918. Napier built their first engines for aircraft—to official designs—in 1915; and in 1916 Montague Stanley Napier offered to produce, at his own expense, a wholly Napier ujiit. This was the famous Lion, designed by A. J. Rowledge, and it appeared in 1918. The Lion was fitted to aircraft which won two Schneider Trophy contests and four Aerial Derbys. It went on to establish speed records, and airline reliability records. In 1921 Mr. Rowledge left, and ten years later Montague Napier died. By an arrangement between the Air Ministry and de Havilland, Major Frank Halford, working as a con- sultant, designed the 16-cylinder air-cooled Rapier, and this was followed by the 24-cylinder Dagger. The last of the Halford/Napier engines was the Sabre, best remembered as the powerplant of, the Hawker Typhoon and Tempest. In 1942 the English Electric Company bought all the Napier share capital and acquired control. Nevertheless, Napier have continued to function with their own board of directors, which includes one or more representatives of English Electric. The first Napier gas turbine was the Naiad, and a con- temporary engine of different character was the two-stroke heavy-oil Nomad. Like the Oryx gas generator, these develop- ments were abandoned, but the Eland and Gazelle turboprops are now in production for very important applications. The fifty-year-old Lion continues growling to this day—as a marine powerplant under the designation Sea Lion. Napier have also played a part in the development of rocket motors for missiles and aircraft, and their Double Scorpion was largely responsible for a height record of 70310ft set up by a Canberra in August 1957. In co-operation with the National Gas Turbine Establishment the company has been engaged upon an extensive programme of ramjet research and development, and one test vehicle has "coasted" to a height of nearly 20 miles. Lion VI (supercharged). LION A TWELVE-CYLINDER water-cooled engine of "W," or "broadarrow," form, i.e., haying the cylinders arranged in three banks of four each, there being an angle of 60 deg between the verticalbank and each lateral bank. Usually geared. Variants—Lion I: First production series, geared but unsuper-charged, and rated at 450 h.p. at 1,925 r.p.tn. Possibly of slightly greater bore than prototype engines. Weight, 860 lb approx.Lion IA: A slighdy modified version. May have differed from Lion I in having separate water jackets. Lion I AY: Believedused for turbo-supercharging experiments. Lion II: Compres- sion ratio increased to give slight improvements in power andeconomy. Lion IIA: Slighdy modified version of Lion II. Lion I IB: Another slightly modified version of the Lion II.Lion III: Possibly die racing engine for Supermarine Sea Lion III. Lion IV: An experimental, geared engine installed in twoof the three Gloster Gorcocks. Lion V: A very widely used series of Service engine which remained in production until 1928,when it was succeeded by the Lion XI series: 470 h.p. at 2,000 r.p.m.; 500 h.p. at 2,250 r.p.m.; weight, 970 lb. Lion VA:Compression ratio raised from 5:1 to 5.8:1. Normal r.p.m. raised to 2,250 (500 h.p.) and maximum to 2,475 r.p.m. (520 h.p.).Lion VA (N.S.): Lions of this sub-series differed from the stan- dard Lion VA in having a petrol pump incorporated in the design.The letters "N.S." signified "non-standard." Lion VS: Adapted for Roots blower, made by Allison, and installed for trials in [Contd. on p. 896, afterdouble page of Napier engine pictures.] Lion V (with turbo-supercharger). Lion VIII.
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