The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928Meyer, Robert B.
History
The First Airplane Diesel Engine: Packard Model DR-980 of 1928
Meyer, Robert B.
Airplanes -- Motors (Diesel)
[Illustration: Figure 24.--Rear crankcase cover and gear train:
crankshaft gear drives B, which drives oil pump at F. A, integral with
B, drives internal cam gear. B also drives C on fuel-circulating pump.
D, driven by crankshaft gear, drives E on generator shaft. U.S. Navy
test, 1931. (Smithsonian photo A48325C.)]
[Illustration: Figure 25.--Master and link connecting rods. U.S. Navy
test, 1931. (Smithsonian photo A48323A.)]
[Illustration: Figure 26.--Crankshaft with automatic-timing retarding
device on rear end of pivoted- and spring-mounted counterweights. U.S.
Navy test, 1931. (Smithsonian photo A48323B.)]
[Illustration: Figure 27.--Propeller hub and vibration damper. U.S. Navy
test, 1931. (Smithsonian photo A48325A.)]
Crankshaft: Since this engine developed the high maximum cylinder
pressure of 1500 psi, it was necessary to protect the crankshaft from
the resulting heavy stresses. Without such protection the crankshaft
would be too large and heavy for practical aeronautical applications.
Although the maximum cylinder pressures were 10 times as great as the
average ones, they were of short duration. The method of protecting the
crankshaft took full advantage of this fact. It consisted of having the
counterweights flexibly mounted instead of being rigidly bolted, as was
common practice. The counterweights were pivoted on the crank cheeks.
Powerful compression springs absorbed the maximum impulses by permitting
the counterweights to lag slightly, yet forced them to travel precisely
with the crank cheeks at all other times.
Propeller Hub: The propeller is, of course, subject to the same stresses
as the crankshaft. Instead of being rigidly bolted to the shaft as was
common practice, it was further protected from excessive acceleration
forces by being mounted in a rubber-cushioned hub. This permitted the
use of a lighter propeller and hub.
Valves: A further weight saving resulted from the use of a single valve
for each cylinder instead of two as in the case of conventional gasoline
aircraft engines. (A diesel engine designed in this manner loses less
efficiency than a gasoline one because only air is drawn in during the
intake stroke.) In addition to the weight saving brought about by having
fewer parts in the valve mechanism, there was an additional advantage
since the cylinder heads could be made considerably lighter.
[Illustration: Figure 28.--Cylinder disassembly, showing valve and fuel
injector. U.S. Navy test, 1931. (Smithsonian photo A48324D.)]
Diesel Cycle Features
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