Wright R-1820 Cyclone
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Union as the Shvetsov M-25.
Design and development
The R-1820 Cyclone 9 represented a further development of the Wright P-2 engine dating back to 1925. Featuring a greater displacement and a host of improvements, the R-1820 entered production in 1931. The engine remained in production well into the 1950s.
The R-1820 was built under license by Lycoming, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and also, during World War II, by the Studebaker Corporation. The Soviet Union had purchased a license for the design, and the Shvetsov OKB was formed to metricate the American specification powerplant for Soviet government-factory production as the M-25, with the R-1820's general design features used by the Shvetsov design bureau for many of their future radials for the Soviet air forces through the 1940s and onwards. In Spain the R-1820 was license-built as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V.[1]
The R-1820 was at the heart of many famous aircraft including early Douglas airliners (the prototype DC-1, the DC-2, the first civil versions of the DC-3, and the limited-production DC-5), every wartime example of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Douglas SBD Dauntless bombers, the early versions of the Polikarpov I-16 fighter (as the M-25), and the Piasecki H-21 helicopter.
The R-1820 also found limited use in armored vehicles. The G-200 variant developed Template:Convert at 2,300 rpm and powered the strictly experimental M6 Heavy Tank.
D-200 Diesel
The Wright R-1820 was converted to a diesel during World War II by Caterpillar Inc. as the D-200 and produced Template:Convert at 2,000 rpm in the M4A6 Sherman.Template:Sfn
Variants
Template:Columns-list Notes: Unit numbers ending with W indicate engine variants fitted with water-methanol emergency power boost systems.
Hispano-Suiza 9V
The Hispano-Suiza 9V is a licence-built version of the R-1820.[2]
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vr
- 9V with reduction gear
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vb
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vbr
- variant of the 9Vb with reduction gear[2]
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vbrs
- variant of the 9Vb with reduction gear and supercharger
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vbs
- variant of the 9Vb with supercharger[2]
- Hispano-Suiza 9Vd
- variant of the 9V[2]
- Hispano-Suiza 9V-10
- Template:Convert driving fixed-pitch propeller
- Hispano-Suiza 9V-11
- as -10 but RH rotation
- Hispano-Suiza 9V-16
- Template:Convert driving variable-pitch propeller, LH rotation
- Hispano-Suiza 9V-17
- as -16 but RH rotation
Applications
Vehicles
Engines on display
Preserved Wright R-1820 engines are on display at the following museums:
- American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum[3]
- Fleet Air Arm MuseumScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- Delta Flight MuseumScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- National Air and Space MuseumScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- National Museum of the U.S. Air ForceScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
- San Diego Air & Space Museum
- Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum[4]
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Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 engine of restored Douglas DC-3 "Flagship Knoxville" at American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
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Wright R-1820 cutaway at the Museum of Aviation
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Wright R-1820 at the Museum of Aviation
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Wright R-1820-82 Cyclone Radial Engine at Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum, Horsham, Pennsylvania
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Curtiss Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine on display at the San Diego Air & Space Museum
Specifications (GR-1820-G2)
Data from Jane's. [5]
General characteristics
- Type: Nine-cylinder single-row supercharged air-cooled radial engine
- Bore: Template:Convert
- Stroke: Template:Convert
- Displacement: Template:Convert
- Length: 47.76 in (1,213 mm)
- Diameter: 54.25 in (1,378 mm)
- Dry weight: 1,184 lb (537 kg)
Components
- Valvetrain: Two overhead valves per cylinder with sodium-filled exhaust valve
- Supercharger: Single-speed General Electric centrifugal type supercharger, blower ratio 7.134:1
- Fuel system: Stromberg PD12K10 downdraft carburetor with automatic mixture control
- Fuel type: 87 octane rating gasoline
- Oil system: Dry sump with one pressure and one scavenging pump
- Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
- Power output: 1,000 hp (746 kW) at 2,200 rpm for takeoff
- Specific power: 0.46 hp/in³ (20.88 kW/L)
- Compression ratio: 6.45:1
- Specific fuel consumption: 0.6 lb/(hp•h) (362 g/(kW•h))
- Oil consumption: 0.35-0.39 oz/(hp•h) (13-15 g/(kW•h))
- Power-to-weight ratio: 0.84 hp/lb (1.39 kW/kg)
See also
Related development
- Wright Cyclone family
- Wright R-1300 Cyclone 7
- Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 (Twin Cyclone)
- Wright R-3350 Cyclone 18 (Duplex Cyclone)
- Shvetsov M-25
- Shvetsov ASh-62
Comparable engines
Related lists
References
Bibliography
- Bridgman, L, (ed.) (1998) Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II. Crescent. Template:ISBN.
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- Eden, Paul & Soph Moeng, The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, Template:ISBN.
- Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines: From the Pioneers to the Present Day. 5th edition, Stroud, UK: Sutton, 2006.Template:ISBN
- White, Graham. Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the United States During World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, 1995. Template:ISBN
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Template:Wright aeroengines Template:US military piston aeroengines