Renault 12F
| Renault 12F | |
|---|---|
| |
| Renault 12Fe engine on display at the Polish Aviation Museum in Kraków | |
| Type | Water-cooled V12 aero engine |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Renault Wolseley Motors |
| First run | Late 1915 |
| Major applications | Breguet 14 |
| Number built | 12Fe: >7,000 Others: ~700 |
| Variants | Renault 12Fe |
The Renault 12F is a family of liquid-cooled 22 L (1,300 cu in) 50 deg V12 aircraft engines that saw widespread use during WW1 and the 1920s.[1]
Design and development
[edit]Engines in the series are V12s with a 50 degree angle between two rows of cylinders each of which has a single overhead camshaft. The crankshaft is carried on four plain bearings with master-and-slave connecting rods allowing corresponding cylinders in each row to be arranged directly opposite each other. Cylinders have a bore of 125 mm (4.92 in), a stroke of 150 mm (5.91 in) and are built in pairs with water circulated in welded liners.[2][3]
Engines in the series have ignition systems with 100% redundancy. Two spark plugs per cylinder and four magnetos (two per cylinder bank).[4][5]
The early 12F engines were often supplied with an aluminium six-cylinder radial pneumatic starter motor which was mounted on the back of the engine.[4][6] The pneumatic motor allowed the engine to be restarted mid-flight or on the ground without assistance from ground crew. The starter motor was fed from a pressurised vessel with enough air for ten starts.[4] The device was not included in later models.[2][5][6]
In late 1915 the 220 hp (12Fa) model used cast iron pistons. The engines were progressively improved with the introduction of aluminum pistons allowing for increased power output and reduced weight.[2]
In 1917, the 12Fe model was homologated with a nominal rating of 300 hp (224 kW) (later increased to 320 hp (239 kW)).[1] The 12Fe became the standard powerplant for the Breguet 14[7] and accounted for the vast majority of engines built from the series.[1]
12F series engines were exported to the United States[7] and produced in the United Kingdom.[8]
In Russia, Renault 12F engines were assembled from imported parts by the Russian Renault Society in Petrograd.[9][10] A total of 98 engines were assembled from July 1916 to September 1917. All the engines assembled were early 12F models with cast iron pistons. In 1921 the 12F was re-designated as the M-3 under a new Soviet numbering system which included the M-1 (RBVZ-6) and the M-2 (Le Rhone 9J).[10]
Variants
[edit]Publications often refer to the 12Fe as the Renault 300 hp with earlier engines in the series referred to as the Renault 220 hp.[6] Post WW1 the 12Fe engine was marketed as the 300 CV (cheval-vapeur) (French: "horsepower”).[11]
- 12Fa
- (1915) Rating of 220 hp (164 kW) at 1300 rpm.[1][7] Used on the Breguet 14s and Henry Farman HF.35 prototypes.[1] The HF.35 made its first flight in December 1915.[12]
- 12Fb
- (1916) Rating of 250 or 265 hp. Equipped the Paul Schmitt P.S.7[1] and the Breguet 5.[13]
- 12Fc
- Used on early model Bréguet 14s. 12Fcx (250 hp (186 kW) at 1500 rpm) and 12Fcy (280 hp (209 kW) at 1600 rpm) sub-variants. In US service 12Fc engines were all rated at 300 hp (224 kW).[7]
- 12Fe
- Rated for 300 hp (224 kW) at 1600 rpm. Main production variant in the series and the standard power-plant in the Breguet 14 from early in 1918 onwards.[7] The names 12Fe and 300 CV / hp (cheval-vapeur / horsepower) are used interchangeably in post war technical documentation.[14] Some of these engines were fitted with early experimental Rateau turbochargers.[15]
- 12Ff
- Sometimes used to describe a small number of engines produced with increased bore (128 mm) and stroke (160 mm). Rated for 350 hp (261 kW) at 1,600 rpm. These engines were fitted to a few late production Breguet 14s.[15]
Applications
[edit]- Breguet 5
- Breguet 14
- Breguet 16
- Caudron C.91
- Farman F.60 Goliath
- Farman F.70
- Georges Levy G.L.40
- Hanriot HD.18
- Henry Farman HF.35
- Latécoère 14
- Latécoère 17
- Lioré et Olivier LeO 8
- Lioré et Olivier LeO H-13
- Nieuport 15
- Paul Schmitt P.S.7
- Paul Schmitt P.S.10
- Potez XV
- Voisin X
- Airco DH.4
- Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
- Short Type 184
- Curtiss Wanamaker Triplane
- Grigorovich M-24
- Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
Specifications (12Fc)
[edit]Data from Angle,[3]
General characteristics
- Type: Water–cooled, upright, 50-degree, V-12 piston engine
- Bore: 125 mm (4.92 in)
- Stroke: 150 mm (5.91 in)
- Displacement: 22.08 L (1,347 cu in)
- Dry weight: 379 kg (836 lb)
Components
- Valvetrain: SOHC (single overhead camshafts). Two valves per cylinder.
- Fuel system: Two Zenith duplex carburetors. Heated by water jacket.
- Fuel type: Gasoline
- Oil system: Wet sump. 2 Gear pumps. One pump circulates oil. The other pump transfers oil from tank to sump.
- Cooling system: Water-cooled. Two centrifugal pumps.
- Reduction gear: None. Direct drive.
- Rotation: Counterclockwise when looking end on at the propeller hub
Performance
- Power output: 285 hp (213 kW) @ 1550 rpm
- Compression ratio: 4.6:1
- Specific fuel consumption: 0.315 kg/kWh (0.518 lb/(hp⋅h))
- Oil consumption: 0.033 kg/kWh (0.055 lb/(hp⋅h))
- Power-to-weight ratio: 0.561 kW/kg (0.341 hp/lb)
See also
[edit]Related development
- Renault 8G - A family of V8 engines sharing the same cylinder size and bank angle as the 12F
Comparable engines
Related lists
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f Hartmann, Gerard (2005). "Les moteurs d'aviation Renault" [Renault aviation engines] (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "Conferences sur les moteurs d'aviation 300 - 450 - 550 hp". Handout given to delegates at Renault factories (Annex A N.E. 21 & N.E. 21A). Renault. December 1921 – via Safran.
- ^ a b Angle, Glenn D. (1921). Airplane Engine Encyclopedia. Dayton, Ohio, USA: The Otterbein Press. pp. 417–418.
- ^ a b c "Moteur d'aviation 220 chevaux" [Engine manual for 22L 220 hp model]. Renault.
- ^ a b "Moteur d'aviation 300 chevaux" [Engine manual for the 22L 300 hp engine]. Renault – via Safran.
- ^ a b c Les Moteurs D'Aviation Renault. Drager – via Safran.
- ^ a b c d e Toelle, Alan D (2003). "Motors and Cowlings". Breguet 14. Albatros Productions Limited (Windsock Datafile Special). pp. 52–53. ISBN 1902207610.
- ^ Lumsden, Alec (2002). British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Airlife Publishing. p. 181. ISBN 1853102946.
- ^ "Klimov United Engine Corporation. Jsc klimov". Kupichic.ru. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ a b Kotelnikov, Vladimir (2010). Отечественные авиационные поршневые моторы. 1910–2009 [Domestic aircraft piston engines. 1910–2009] (in Russian). Litres. pp. 54–63. ISBN 978-5-91244-017-5.
- ^ Hatry, Gilbert (1984). Renault et l'aviation [Renault and aviation] (in French). Editions JCM. pp. 32–41 – via Safran.
- ^ Liron, J (1984). Les Avions Farman (in French). Docavia / Editions Lariviere. p. 46.
- ^ Treadwell, Terry (2011). "Société des Avions Louis Breguet". British and Allied Aircraft Manufacturers of the First World War. United Kingdom: Amberley. ISBN 9781445620091.
- ^ Type 14 A2. Model 1921 (PDF). Notice technique de l'avion Breguet (Report). Ministere de la guerre. 24 April 1922.
- ^ a b Bruce, J.M; Noel, Jean (1967). The Breguet 14. 157. United Kingdom: Profile Publications. ASIN B0007JXD5I.
External links
[edit]- Moteur d'aviation 220 chevaux. Engine manual.