Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI ( English Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI ) is an experimental British aircraft engine developed by Rolls-Royce . Work on the engine was discontinued at the bench testing stage, as priority was given to the Kestrel motor being developed in parallel.
| Rolls-Royce Eagle XVI | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rolls-Royce Limited |
| Years of production | 1925 |
| Specifications | |
| Volume | 19.8 l |
| Power | 500 hp |
| Power density | 18.8 kW / l (Eagle IX) |
| Bore | 114 mm |
| Piston stroke | 121 mm |
| Number of cylinders | sixteen |
| Valves | upper valve ( SOHC ), 4 valves per cylinder |
| Compressor | single-speed single-stage monitoring station |
| Fuel system | one carburetor |
| Fuel type | petrol |
| Cooling system | liquid |
| Dimensions | |
Background
The emergence of the Curtiss D-12 engine and its import under license by Fairey Prompted the Ministry of Aviation to order the Rolls Royce company to develop a new engine for boosters . According to the Ministry, there were too many firms engaged in the manufacture of engines in the country, and it did not support the Fairey initiatives. Rolls-Royce developed two types of engines: the first, designated by the letter F , later became known as Kestrel , and the second was the Eagle XVI [1] .
Design and Development
Designed by Henry Royce , the Eagle XVI has become a completely new design, unrelated to previous Eagle models. He was distinguished by four cylinder blocks , which were located at a right angle to each other, forming a regular cross; neighboring blocks were displaced relative to each other so that the cylinders were staggered. The valves (4 per cylinder) were driven by one camshaft . Carter and cylinder blocks were cast from aluminum alloy. Since this arrangement did not allow the use of a conventional motor mount, the engine was mounted on two test cones attached to the crankcase on a test bench [2] .
The first start was made without a supercharger, with an improvised carburetor and intake manifold. With such equipment, the engine did not work very well due to insufficient fuel supply, however, when the supercharger and a suitable carburetor (borrowed from the Kestrel prototype) were mounted, it started normally and developed 500 hp. (373 kW) on a dynamometer . Despite this, the engine was not favorably received by the aviation industry, since, when mounted on a typical fighter, it would obstruct the pilot's vision ahead. The project was closed, and the developers focused on Kestrel [3] .
Eagle XVI , like Crecy , was one of the few projects of aircraft engines of the company Rolls-Royce, never lifted into the air, but it is worth noting that the X-shaped layout was later used in engines Vulture and Exe .
Eagle XVI Specification
Main characteristics
- Type: 16-cylinder X-shaped liquid cooling
- Cylinder Bore: 114 mm
- Stroke: 121 mm
- Engine capacity: 19.8 liters.
Features of operation
- Valves: overhead valve ( SOHC ), 4 valves per cylinder
- Compressor : single-speed single-stage monitoring station
- Fuel system: one carburetor
- Fuel type: gasoline
- Cooling system: liquid
Performance
- Output power: 500 hp (373 kW)
- Specific power : 18.8 kW / l
See also
Similar engines
- Napier cub
Notes
- β Rubbra 1990, p.19.
- β Rubbra 1990, p.21.
- β Rubbra 1990, p.24.
Literature
- Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft . Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6 .
- Rubbra, AA Rolls-Royce Piston Aero Engines - A Designer Remembers . Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust. Historical Series no 16. ISBN 1-872922-00-7