Radial engine bike by Jesse James

**kevfromcoro** · 10th August 2007, 22:00

Didnt Sukuki bring out a rotatary in the early 80s.seem to remember something out that..
Never really got of the ground.

**pete376403** · 10th August 2007, 22:43

Originally Posted by kevfromcoro

Didnt Sukuki bring out a rotatary in the early 80s.seem to remember something out that..
Never really got of the ground.

Search google for suzuki re-5

**Animal** · 13th August 2007, 09:48

I read the September issue of the Aeroplane magazine at a mate's house last night. It featured a two-page spread on the Bristol Centaurus Sleeve Valve radial engine - with the clearest illustrations I've seen on the engine. I'd only ever seen a sleeve valve engine once, but never taken a spanner to one. Part of my apprenticship curriculum involved radials (Pratt & Whitney R-985s, R-1340s, R1830s, R-2000s and R2800s) but the sleeve valve concept always interested me. The principle is simple: A floating steel sleeve fits inside the cylinder around the piston. The sleeve has a number of shaped holes machined into it which correspond with the inlet and exhaust ports of the cylinder, and is moved about through a geared crank mechanism. It operated on a four-stroke cycle, matching the hole with the inlet port on the intake stroke, closing off the ports through the compression and power strokes, and matching up the hole and port on the exhaust stroke. No rockers, pushrods, valves, springs, buckets, shims... clever, simple but for some reason, never as prolific as they should've been. P&W tried to get their own sleeve valve design to work, gave up, and continued building tens of thousands of rocker valve radials. Bristol could never match the volumes that P&W were producing and faded into obscurity. Worth Googling.

**Animal** · 13th August 2007, 09:56

Originally Posted by pete376403

The Sherman (?) engine was a Chrysler bitza - five x six cylinder flathead blocks on a common crankcase. I believe that was the origin of the Pentastar as the Chrylser insignia http://shopswarf.orcon.net.nz/chrypen.html

and heres a link to the building of the radials for the B29 bomber. Designed by Wright, but built by Chrysler -
http://allpar.com/history/military/b-29.html

Excellent post! I loved the 20-cylinder concept.

**Bass** · 13th August 2007, 13:24

Originally Posted by Henn01

What aeroplane did the R-4360 originally power?

I have this idea lurking in the back of my tiny mind, that the 4360 was linked in some way with Howard Hughes' Hercules - the Spruce Goose as she was known. I think that the 4360 was developed for the Spruce Goose (a term which Hughes detested) and after it's failure went on to power several transport aircraft for decades (e.g. the Globemaster), but don't quote me. I had also heard that the operating range of aircraft using this engine was limited by their oil consumption rather than fuel capacity.

I do know that this motor (knicknamed " the corncob") was retrofitted to a few WW 2 fighters for racing at Reno because they could extract about 3000 hp from it at relatively modest boost numbers. This meant it was more reliable than the competing motors for similar output.

As for sleeve valve motors, they were not limited to aircraft. The occasional car sported one and the pre-war Willys Knight was notable. It was called the "silent knight" because of the motor's quiet operation, but it didn't last long, mostly I think because they were so much more expensive to make. This may have had something to do with it's demise in aircraft use, but I think it more likely that they were displaced by jets.

**Animal** · 13th August 2007, 13:44

I don't know if P&W developed the Corncob specifically for Hughes, but he certainly had the financial muscle to make it happen if this was the case. The eight R-4360s would've sounded really, really good together. I had an instructor during my apprenticship that had worked on Globemasters. His memory of the engines was perhaps a little less pleasant. I vaguely recall him mentioning overheating and oil consumption as the engine's biggest failings. In my experience of Pratt radials, when they stopped leaking oil it meant that the sump had run dry and it was time to top it up again!

I remember reading a very detailed book about the Vaught Super Corsair (designated F2G), which had the R-4360s fitted. The Goodyear company produced an impressive number of these under licence towards the end of the war but sadly not a lot remain, other than in museums and the few racing in the Unlimited class at Reno and other hotrod aircraft events.

**Bass** · 13th August 2007, 14:05

Originally Posted by CADanimal

I don't know if P&W developed the Corncob specifically for Hughes, but he certainly had the financial muscle to make it happen if this was the case.

You may well be quite right. I am unsure of the exact nature of the link and it may be that Hughes took advantage of their advent to design the Hercules.

Also, I had no idea that the 4360 went into Corsairs other than as a special for racing. Thanks for that.

I just worked out that 8 x R-4360 is 224 cylinders all beating together and 572 litres of swept displacement. You are so right. That would have to sound just awesome

**nudemetalz** · 13th August 2007, 17:14

With the sleeve-valve radials...we had them here a wee way back in NZ's aviation history, them being Bristol Hercules radials on our Safe-Air Bristol Freighters. Also the RNZAF used them back in the '50s.
They were such a big old brute of an aircraft with bugger all speed, but sounded awesome as they tried to climb with a full load.

Here's also a sound file of 2 starting up, running, and then shutting down.
http://www.enginehistory.org/Sounds/Nord/Hercules.mp3

**Pancakes** · 13th August 2007, 20:15

Man you guys know tons about these old engines! I got lost out the back of Ngaruawahia one day and ended up having the best talk with this old guy about steam engines and types of valves, he had heaps of huges ass trains in the shed and kilometers of track that ended up who knows where! I even went back the next day to look and talk more!

What other valve types and variations do you guys know about?
Poppet.
Disc.
Cylinder.
What else?

**sAsLEX** · 14th August 2007, 05:29

Originally Posted by Pancakes

What other valve types and variations do you guys know about?
Poppet.
Disc.
Cylinder.
What else?

By cylinder you mean rotary valves?

**nudemetalz** · 14th August 2007, 07:29

If you're talking about two-stroke induction, then rotary and disc valves are one and the same thing.

**sAsLEX** · 14th August 2007, 07:34

Originally Posted by nudemetalz

If you're talking about two-stroke induction, then rotary and disc valves are one and the same thing.

These http://www.coatesengine.com/index.html

IS what I meant http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...y+valve&page=3

**Bass** · 14th August 2007, 08:46

Originally Posted by nudemetalz

If you're talking about two-stroke induction, then rotary and disc valves are one and the same thing.

Almost.....
I have raced miniature 2 strokes with other types of rotary valve induction. There are drum valves and a variant of them using a hollow crankshaft

**Bass** · 14th August 2007, 08:54

Originally Posted by nudemetalz

Safe-Air Bristol Freighters. They were such a big old brute of an aircraft with bugger all speed, but sounded awesome as they tried to climb with a full load.

50,000 rivets flying in formation - the plane with the built-in head wind

Huge clouds of smoke at start up

Shit! I'm showing my age