Moteurs à piston d'avions : livres - histoire (2/2)

The Merlin: The Engine That Won the Second World War

Le Rolls-Royce Merlin est l'un des moteurs d'avion les plus célèbres de l'histoire. Il a équipé des avions clés de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, notamment le Spitfire et le Hurricane, qui ont défendu la Grande-Bretagne lors de la bataille d'Angleterre en 1940. Il a aussi propulsé les bombardiers Lancaster et Halifax lors de missions au-dessus de l'Allemagne, ainsi que le Mosquito, reconnu pour ses bombardements de précision et missions de reconnaissance.
Aux États-Unis, le Merlin a été utilisé dans le P-51 Mustang, qui escortait les bombardiers B-17 et B-29 lors des raids diurnes. Le Mustang a également servi en Afrique du Nord, en Méditerranée et dans le Pacifique. Ce moteur a joué un rôle crucial dans la victoire des Alliés.
Le Merlin reste emblématique, et son bruit distinctif est encore audible en Angleterre, notamment lors des démonstrations du Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Il a récemment été mis à l'honneur lors du centenaire de la RAF, avec un Lancaster menant une formation de Spitfires et Hurricanes.
L'ancien pilote Gordon Wilson raconte le développement et l'utilisation de ce moteur en temps de guerre, en partageant les témoignages des équipages qui en dépendaient.

Caractéristiques

Vee's for Victory! - The Story of the Allison V-1710 Aircraft Engine, 1929-1948

Over 60 percent of U.S. Army fighters during World War II were powered by the Allison V-1710 engine, including the P-38, P-39, the lightweight fighters XP-46A and XP-47, as well as the early P-51 Mustangs.
It was a strong and reliable power plant that powered the pre-war generation of 400 mph Army pursuits, and the majority of Army combat fighters on through World War II. Even so, the V-1710 was controversial and often maligned, considered by some to have been a "second-rate" engine. Author Whitney's objective was to find, and tell, the true story of the 70,000 V-1710's and the people who built them.

Caractéristiques

A Technical and Operational History of the Liberty Engine - Tanks, Ships and Aircraft 1917-1960

The aim of the Liberty was to standardize aircraft engine design. The theory was to have an engine design that could be built in several sizes and thus power airplanes for any purpose, from training to bombing. The differences in sizes would be obtained by using different numbers of cylinders in the same design. A large number of other parts would also be used in common by all resulting sizes of the engine series.

The initial concept called for four-, six-, eight-, and 12-cylinder models. An X-24 version was built experimentally, and one- and two-cylinder models were built for testing purposes.
The engine design eventually saw use on land, sea, and in the air, and its active military career spanned the years 1917 to 1960. In addition, it provided noble service in a multitude of civilian uses, and still does even today, some 90 years after the first engine ran.

This book covers the complete history of the Liberty's design, production, and use in amazing detail and includes appendixes covering contracts, testing, specifications, and much more.

Caractéristiques

The Engines of Pratt & Whitney - A Technical History as Told by the Engineers Who Made the History

Describes the evolution from piston engines to gas turbines by the engineers who created those engines. Included are hundreds of archival photographs, as well as over a dozen tables listing specifications and applications. The story starts with the founding of the company in the 1920s to provide reliable air-cooled piston engines to the military and to help create coast-to-coast commercial flight service.
Pratt & Whitney quickly dominated commercial and military flight in the 1930s, ultimately providing half the horsepower of American engines during World War II.

Jack Connors explains how Pratt & Whitney came from behind the competition in developing gas turbines after the war with the debut of the J57, which powered the B-52 in 1952 and later the Air Force Century Series fighters (F-100, F-101, and F-102) and the Navy A-3D, F-4D, and F-8 airplanes.
Also covered is the development of the J58, which powered the Mach 3+ YF-12 and SR-71 aircraft and subsequent military engines; the F100 in the F-15 and F-16; the F119 in the F-22; and, the F135 in the F-35 series.Pratt & Whitney's contribution to the luxury commercial jet era travel is also detailed, with its JT3, JT3D, JT4, JT8D, JT9D, PW2000, PW4000, and PW6000 in Boeing, Douglas, and Airbus aircraft.

This history of Pratt & Whitney's role in the evolution of aircraft engines from 1925 to the present day offers young engineers a wealth of insights about design, development, marketing, and product support for commercial and military customers.

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Sunbeam Aero Engines

La Sunbeam Motor Car Company, le premier grand fabricant britannique de moteurs d'avion, est entrée dans l'industrie aéronautique en 1912. Ils ont été parmi les premiers à acheter un avion pour tester leurs moteurs, piloté par le célèbre pilote d'essai Jack Alcock.

Pendant la Première Guerre mondiale, Sunbeam était un fournisseur crucial de moteurs et d'avions, en particulier pour le Royal Naval Air Service. Les moteurs Sunbeam étaient les plus puissants moteurs britanniques de l'époque. Ils ont propulsé le premier avion à torpiller un navire ennemi, le seul avion à voler lors de la bataille du Jutland, et les premiers hydravions à opérer en Afrique centrale.

Après la guerre, les moteurs Sunbeam ont propulsé des dirigeables britanniques notables comme le R.34, le premier avion à traverser l'Atlantique d'est en ouest et à effectuer une double traversée, et le R.33, le dirigeable britannique avec le plus grand nombre d'heures de vol.

Lorsque Sunbeam est retourné à la fabrication de voitures, leurs moteurs d'avion ont été utilisés dans des voitures battant des records de vitesse, y compris la première à dépasser 150 mph et 200 mph, ironiquement plus rapide que tout avion propulsé par Sunbeam.

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