Pratt & Whitney Wasp series

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Wasp series
SYAM Pratt & Whitney R-985.jpg
Pratt and Whitney Wasp.jpg
Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior.jpg
R-1830 IWM.JPG
Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Engine 1.jpg
Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major 1.jpg
R-985, R-1340, R-1535, R-1830, R-2800 and R-4360
Type Radial engine
National origin United States
Manufacturer Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney Wasp was the civilian name of a family of air-cooled radial piston engines developed in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. [1]

Contents

The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company (P&W) was founded in 1925 by Frederick B. Rentschler, who had previously been the President of Wright Aeronautical. He brought with him some of Wright's best designers and the new team quickly came up with their first design, the R-1340 Wasp. [1] [2] The name "Wasp" was suggested for the first model by Rentschler's wife, Faye. [3] [4]

Wasp series

Note: the designations refer to the engine configurations as follows: "R" = Radial, followed by the approximate displacement in cubic inches.

See also

Related development

Comparable engines

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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 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">Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major</span> R-28 piston aircraft engine family

The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major is an American 28-cylinder four-row radial piston aircraft engine designed and built during World War II. First run in 1944, at 4,362.5 cu in (71.5 L), it is the largest-displacement aviation piston engine to be mass-produced in the United States, and at 4,300 hp (3,200 kW) the most powerful. It was the last of the Pratt & Whitney Wasp family, and the culmination of its maker's piston engine technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nakajima Homare</span> 1940s Japanese piston aircraft engine

The Nakajima Homare was an air-cooled twin-row 18 cylinder radial Japanese aircraft engine manufactured during World War II. Producing almost 2,000 horsepower, it was used widely by both the Imperial Japanese Army and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Given the Navy service designation NK9, the "Homare" was also given the company designation NBA, Army experimental designation Ha-45 (ハ45) or, Army long designation Nakajima Army Type 4 1,900 hp Air-Cooled Radial and, (coincidentally) unified designation code of Ha-45.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp</span> 1932 14-cylinder radial piston engine family by Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp is an American air-cooled radial aircraft engine. It displaces 1,830 cu in (30.0 L) and its bore and stroke are both 5.5 in (140 mm). The design traces its history to 1929 experiments at Pratt & Whitney on twin-row designs. Production began in 1932 and it was widely used during the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp</span> Aircraft engine family by Pratt & Whitney

The Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp is an aircraft engine of the reciprocating type that was widely used in American aircraft from the 1920s onward. It was the Pratt & Whitney aircraft company's first engine, and the first of the famed Wasp series. It was a single-row, nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial design, and displaced 1,344 cubic inches (22 L); bore and stroke were both 5.75 in (146 mm). A total of 34,966 engines were produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior</span>

The Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior was an engine used in American aircraft in the 1930s. The engine was introduced in 1932 as a 14-cylinder version of the 9-cylinder R-985. It was a two-row, air-cooled radial design. Displacement was 1,535 cu in (25.2 L); bore and stroke were both 5+316 in (132 mm).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Curtiss R-600 Challenger</span> Aircraft engine

The Curtiss R-600 Challenger was a six-cylinder, double-row, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft use built in the United States in the late 1920s. It developed 170 to 180 horsepower.

<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">Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp</span> Radial aircraft engine

The Pratt & Whitney R-2000 Twin Wasp is an American radial engine developed in 1942 to power military aircraft. It is one of the Pratt & Whitney Wasp series of Radial engines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp E</span> American radial aircraft engine

The Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp E was a radial aircraft engine developed in the United States by Pratt & Whitney. It had two rows of seven cylinders each. Its only production application was on the post-World War II Saab 90 Scandia airliner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmos Mercury</span> 1910s British radial aircraft engine

The Cosmos Mercury was a fourteen-cylinder twin-row air-cooled radial aeroengine. Designed by Roy Fedden of Cosmos Engineering, it was built in the United Kingdom in 1917. It produced 347 horsepower (259 kW). It did not enter production; a large order was cancelled due to the Armistice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B</span> Early 20th century aircraft engine

The Pratt & Whitney R-1860 Hornet B was a relatively uncommon aircraft engine. It was a development of Pratt & Whitney's earlier R-1690 Hornet and was basically similar, but enlarged in capacity from 1,690 to 1,860 cubic inches (30.5 L). Cylinder bore was increased by 1/8" and the crankshaft stroke by 3/8". Both engines were air-cooled radial engines, with a single row of nine cylinders.

The Pratt & Whitney XH-3130 was an H-block aircraft engine project developed for the United States Navy in the late 1930s. The design was later enlarged as the XH-3730), but the project was canceled in 1940 in favor of Pratt & Whitney developing the R-4360 Wasp Major air-cooled radial engine.

The Wright R-4090 Cyclone 22 was an American experimental radial piston engine designed and built in prototype form by Wright Aeronautical during the 1940s.

The Shvetsov ASh-2 was a 28-cylinder, air-cooled, radial aircraft engine designed in the Soviet Union in the late 1940s. It was inferior to the Dobrynin VD-4K engine and did not enter production. One of the problems was air-cooling which ate up to 50% of the total engine power at 15000 meters. In contrast, the liquid-cooled VD-4K required only 5% of power for cooling at the same altitude.

The Nakajima Ha5 is a twin row, 14 cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engine built by the Japanese Nakajima Aircraft Company. The engine was a development of earlier single-row Japanese engines, the Kotobuki and Hikari, which had combined features of the Bristol Jupiter and Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp designs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pratt & Whitney R-2180-A Twin Hornet</span>

The Pratt & Whitney R-2180-A Twin Hornet was a radial engine developed in the United States by Pratt & Whitney. It had two rows of seven cylinders each.

The Piaggio P.XIX was an Italian aircraft engine produced by Rinaldo Piaggio S.p.A. during World War II and used to power aircraft of the Regia Aeronautica.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Gunston 1986, pp. 109–113.
  2. White 1995, pp. 195–198.
  3. The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Story 1950, p. 41.
  4. Sullivan 2008, p. 8.
  5. 1 2 Gunston 1986, p. 111.
  6. White 1995, p. 201.
  7. Gunston 1986, p. 110.
  8. White 1995, p. 195.
  9. White 1995, p. 203.
  10. White 1995, p. 206.
  11. White 1995, p. 221.
  12. 1 2 Gunston 1986, p. 113.
  13. White 1995, p. 222.
  14. White 1995, p. 253.

Bibliography

  • Gunston, Bill (1986). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire: Patrick Stephens Limited. ISBN   0-85059-717-X.
  • Sullivan, Mark P. (2008). Dependable Engines: The Story of Pratt & Whitney. Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. ISBN   978-1-56347-957-1.
  • The Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Story. East Hartford, Connecticut: Pratt & Whitney Aircraft. 1950.
  • White, Graham (1995). Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc. ISBN   1-56091-655-9.