Shvetsov ASh-73

Last updated
ASh-73
Type Radial engine
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Shvetsov (OKB-19)
First run1946
Major applications Beriev Be-6
Tupolev Tu-4
Number built14,310
Developed from Shvetsov M-71

The Shvetsov ASh-73 was an 18-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced between 1947 and 1957 in the Soviet Union. It was primarily used as the powerplant for the Tupolev Tu-4 heavy bomber, an unlicensed, reverse engineered copy of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

Contents

Design and development

The Shvetsov ASh-73 originated in 1938 from a specification for an 18-cylinder, twin-row, development of the Shvetsov M-25, a license-built 9-cylinder, air-cooled, radial Wright R-1820-F3 Cyclone engine. Development continued through a series of less than successful engines, before culminating in the ASh-73. The ASh-73 was not a reverse-engineered copy of the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone, itself starting its development in 1937: "There was no need to copy the Wright R-3350-23A; the engine that was put into production was the indigenous ASh-73TK - a further development of the M-71 and M-72, which differed in being fitted with twin TK-19 turbosuperchargers (TK = toorbokompressor)." [1] rather the ASh-73 was the product of a similar specification. Since the earlier M-25 engines were a licensed copy of the Wright R-1820, there were similarities and some parts were interchangeable between the Duplex Cyclone and the ASh-73 powerplants. The two engines evolved from a common ancestor and to a similar requirement. "In the late 1930s and the early 1940s OKB-19 evolved two 18-cylinder two-row radials — the 2,000-hp M-71 and the 2,250-hp M-72 — which were similar in their design features and production techniques to the Wright Duplex Cyclone engines powering the B-29." [1]

The progenitor for the ASh-73 was the M-70. It was tested in late 1938 and was a failure because of cracks in the master connecting rod and the geared centrifugal supercharger's impeller. The exhaust valves also burnt through. The M-71 of 1939 was the successor to the M-70 and it too was not a success. It used some components from the M-62 engine, but its development was slowed by the German attack on the Soviet Union in 1941. It passed its State acceptance tests in the autumn of 1942, but was not placed into production as there was not any production capacity available, although it was tested on a number of different prototypes during the war. The M-72 of early 1945 was a boosted version of the M-71 and was superseded by the ASh-73 before production could get underway. [2]

The first prototypes of the ASh-73 were built in 1945 and by the end of 1946 testing had completed successfully. The first models to enter production in 1947 lacked turbo-superchargers. They weighed 1,330 kg (2,930 lb) and had 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) during take-off. The ASh-73TK had two TK-19 turbochargers and an intercooler fitted which were direct copies of the units used on the R-3350. The engine was upgraded over the course of its production. On the fourth series of engines the crankshaft nose was changed, the articulated connecting rods were strengthened and the accessory drive was changed. The middle part of the crankcase and the pistons were strengthened and the ignition was improved in the fifth series. In the sixth series the master connecting rod and the crankshaft cheeks were strengthened, the pistons were lightened and shortened. For the seventh series exhaust valves with floating seats were introduced and the reduction gearing was improved. [3]

The displacement of the ASh-73 ended up being slightly larger than the Wright Duplex-Cyclone radials of the B-29 - while having the same cylinder count and basic layout, the ASh-73 possessed a 58.122 liter (3,546.8 in3) displacement figure, some 6% larger than its American contemporary's 54.86 L (3,347.9 in3) displacement figure.

A boosted version was developed as the ASh-82TKF that had a rating of 2,720 hp (2,030 kW). It was bench tested, but not put into production. A further development in 1949 was the ASh-73TKFN with fuel injection that boosted power to 2,800 hp (2,100 kW), but it too was not built. Another 1949 project was an ASh-73TK with a power-recovery turbine to create a turbo-compound engine, but no other information is known. [3]

Factory No. 19 began preparation to build the ASh-73 in 1946, but production did not begin until the next year. Production continued there until 1953. Factory No. 36 in Rybinsk also produced it until 1957. A total of 14,310 ASh-73s were built. A number of these were exported to the People's Republic of China during the 1950s as spare parts for their Tu-4s. [3]

Applications

Specifications (Shvetsov ASh-73TK)

Family tree of Shvetsov engines Shvetsov.jpg
Family tree of Shvetsov engines

Data from Gordon and Rigmant, Tupolev Tu-4: Soviet Superfortress

General characteristics

Components

Performance

See also

Related development

Comparable engines

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Taurus</span> 1930s British piston aircraft engine

The Taurus is a British 14-cylinder two-row radial aircraft engine, produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1936. The Taurus was developed by adding cylinders to the existing single-row Aquila design and transforming it into a twin-row radial engine, creating a powerplant that produced just over 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) with very low weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Centaurus</span> 1930s British piston aircraft engine

The Centaurus was the final development of the Bristol Engine Company's series of sleeve valve radial aircraft engines. The Centaurus is an 18-cylinder, two-row design that eventually delivered over 3,000 hp (2,200 kW). The engine was introduced into service late in the Second World War and was one of the most powerful aircraft piston engines to see service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone</span> 1937 18-cylinder radial piston engine family by Wright

The Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone is an American twin-row, supercharged, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine with 18 cylinders displacing nearly 3,350 cubic inches (54.9 L). Power ranged from 2,200 to over 3,700 hp, depending on the model. Developed before World War II, the R-3350's design required a long time to mature before finally being used to power the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. After the war, the engine had matured sufficiently to become a major civilian airliner design, notably in its turbo-compound forms, and was used in the Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation airliners into the 1990s. The engine is commonly used on Hawker Sea Fury and Grumman F8F Bearcat Unlimited Class Racers at the Reno Air Races. Its main rival was the 4,360 in3 (71.4 L), 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major, first run some seven years after the Duplex-Cyclone's beginnings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-4</span> Soviet strategic bomber aircraft, copy of B-29

The Tupolev Tu-4 is a piston-engined Soviet strategic bomber that served the Soviet Air Force from the late 1940s to mid-1960s. It was a unlicensed, reverse-engineered from the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tupolev Tu-85</span> Prototype strategic bomber aircraft based on Tu-4

The Tupolev Tu-85 was a Soviet prototype strategic bomber based on the Tu-4, an unlicensed, reverse engineered copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. It was the ultimate development of the B-29 family, being over 50% heavier than its progenitor and had nearly double the range. Only two prototypes were built before the program was cancelled in favor of the turboprop powered Tupolev Tu-95 bomber which could cover the same range at a far higher speed.

The Tupolev Tu-70 was a Soviet passenger variant of the Tu-4 bomber, an unlicensed, reverse engineered copy of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.) Designed immediately after the end of World War II, it used a number of components from Boeing B-29s that had made emergency landings in the Soviet Union after bombing Japan. It had the first pressurized fuselage in the Soviet Union and first flew on 27 November 1946. The aircraft was successfully tested, recommended for serial production, but ultimately not produced because of more pressing military orders and because Aeroflot had no requirement for such an aircraft. A military cargo aircraft version was the Tupolev Tu-75.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wright Cyclone series</span>

Wright Cyclone was the name given to a family of air-cooled radial piston engines designed by the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and used in numerous American aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s.

The BMW 802 was a large air-cooled radial aircraft engine, built using two rows of nine cylinders to produce what was essentially an 18-cylinder version of the 14-cylinder BMW 801. Although promising at first, development dragged on and the project was eventually cancelled to concentrate on jet engines instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shvetsov ASh-82</span>

The Shvetsov ASh-82 (M-82) is a Soviet 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial aircraft engine developed from the Shvetsov M-62. The M-62 was the result of development of the M-25, which was a licensed version of the Wright R-1820 Cyclone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shvetsov ASh-62</span> Soviet radial piston aircraft engine

The Shvetsov ASh-62 is a nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine produced in the Soviet Union. A version of this engine is produced in Poland as the ASz-62 and the People's Republic of China as the HS-5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiat A.74</span> 1930s Italian piston aircraft engine

The Fiat A.74 was a two-row, fourteen-cylinder, air-cooled radial engine produced in Italy in the 1930s as a powerplant for aircraft. It was used in some of Italy's most important aircraft of World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gnome-Rhône 18L</span>

The Gnome et Rhône 18L was a French-designed twin-row 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. The 18L was a large step up in terms of displacement, power and number of cylinders. The majority of Gnome-Rhone engines were either 7, 9 or 14 cylinders. The engine proved not to be a success, and it was dropped in 1939 due to a poor power-to-weight ratio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klimov M-103</span> 1930s Soviet piston aircraft engine

The Klimov M-103 is a V12 liquid-cooled piston aircraft engine used by Soviet aircraft during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shvetsov M-25</span>

The Shvetsov M-25 was an aircraft radial engine produced in the Soviet Union (USSR) in the 1930s and 1940s, a licensed production variant of the Wright R-1820-F3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shvetsov ASh-21</span> Soviet radial piston aircraft engine

The Shvetsov ASh-21 is a seven-cylinder single-row air-cooled radial aero engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfa Romeo 135</span> Motor Engine

The Alfa Romeo 135 Tornado was an Italian 18-cylinder radial engine designed by Giustino Cattaneo in 1934–1935.

UEC-Aviadvigatel JSC is a Russian developer and builder of aircraft engines, most notably jet engines for commercial aircraft. Based at the Perm Engine Plant, its products power the Ilyushin Il-76MF, Ilyushin Il-96, Tupolev Tu-204, and Tupolev Tu-214. It also designs and builds high-efficiency gas turbine units for electric power stations and for gas pumping plants. The company has its background in the Experimental Design Bureau-19 plant, set up to manufacture aircraft engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dobrynin VD-4K</span>

The Dobrynin VD-4K was a Soviet six-bank, 24-cylinder, turbo-compound, inline engine developed after the end of World War II. It was superseded by turboprop engines before it could be widely used.

The Shvetsov M-71 was a Soviet radial engine built in small numbers during World War II. It was derived from the Shvetsov M-25, which was a license-built copy of the American Wright R-1820-F3 Cyclone engine.

The R-4090 Cyclone 22 was an experimental radial piston engine designed and built in prototype form in the United States during the 1940s.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Gordon and Rigmant, p. 21
  2. Kotelnikov, pp. 129–30
  3. 1 2 3 Kay, p. 130

Bibliography

  • Kotelnikov, Vladimir (2005). Russian Piston Aero Engines. Ramsbury, Marlborough: Crowood Press. ISBN   1-86126-702-9.
  • Yefim Gordon, Vladimir Rigmant (2002). Tupolev Tu-4, Soviet Superfortress. Red Star. Vol. 7. Hinckley, England: Midland Publishing. ISBN   1-85780-142-3.