Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major
The Pratt & Whitney R-4360 Wasp Major is an American 28-cylinder four-row radial piston aircraft engine designed and built during World War II, and the largest-displacement aviation piston engine to be mass-produced in the United States. It was the last of the Pratt & Whitney Wasp family, and the culmination of its maker's piston engine technology, but the war was over before it could power airplanes into combat. It did, however, power many of the last generation of large piston-engined aircraft before turbojets, and equivalent (and superior) horsepower turboprops (such as the Allison T56), supplanted it. Its main rival was the Wright R-3350 Duplex-Cyclone.
Design and Development
The R-4360 was a 28-cylinder four-row air-cooled radial engine. Each row of seven air-cooled cylinders possessed a slight angular offset from the previous, forming a semi-helical arrangement to facilitate effective airflow cooling of the cylinder rows behind them, inspiring the engine's "corncob" nickname. A mechanical supercharger geared at 6.374:1 ratio to engine speed provided forced induction, while the propeller was geared at 0.375:1 so that the tips did not reach inefficient supersonic speeds. The four row configuration had severe thermal problems that decreased reliability, with an intensive maintenance regime involving frequent replacement of cylinders required as a result. Large cooling flaps were required, which decreased aerodynamic efficiency, putting extra demands on engine power when cooling needs were greatest. Owing in large part to the maintenance requirements of the R-4360, all airplanes equipped with it were hugely expensive to operate and suffered decreased availability. Its commercial application in the Boeing Stratocruiser was unprofitable without government subsidy.[1] Abandonment of the Stratocruiser was almost immediate when jet aircraft became available, while aircraft with smaller powerplants such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6 remained in service well into the jet era. Engine displacement was 4,362.5 cu in (71.489 L), hence the model designation. Initial models developed 3,000 hp (2,200 kW), and later models 3,500 hp (2,600 kW). One model that used two large turbochargers in addition to the supercharger delivered 4,300 horsepower (3,200 kW). Engines weighed 3,482–3,870 lb (1,579–1,755 kg), giving a power-to-weight ratio of 1.11 hp/lb (1.82 kW/kg). Wasp Majors were produced between 1944 and 1955; 18,697 were built. A derivative engine, the Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp E, was essentially the R-4360 "cut in half". It had two rows of seven cylinders each, and was used on the postwar Saab 90 Scandia airliner.
General characteristics: (R-4360-51VDT)
Components
Performance
The R-4360 was a 28-cylinder four-row air-cooled radial engine. Each row of seven air-cooled cylinders possessed a slight angular offset from the previous, forming a semi-helical arrangement to facilitate effective airflow cooling of the cylinder rows behind them, inspiring the engine's "corncob" nickname. A mechanical supercharger geared at 6.374:1 ratio to engine speed provided forced induction, while the propeller was geared at 0.375:1 so that the tips did not reach inefficient supersonic speeds. The four row configuration had severe thermal problems that decreased reliability, with an intensive maintenance regime involving frequent replacement of cylinders required as a result. Large cooling flaps were required, which decreased aerodynamic efficiency, putting extra demands on engine power when cooling needs were greatest. Owing in large part to the maintenance requirements of the R-4360, all airplanes equipped with it were hugely expensive to operate and suffered decreased availability. Its commercial application in the Boeing Stratocruiser was unprofitable without government subsidy.[1] Abandonment of the Stratocruiser was almost immediate when jet aircraft became available, while aircraft with smaller powerplants such as the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-6 remained in service well into the jet era. Engine displacement was 4,362.5 cu in (71.489 L), hence the model designation. Initial models developed 3,000 hp (2,200 kW), and later models 3,500 hp (2,600 kW). One model that used two large turbochargers in addition to the supercharger delivered 4,300 horsepower (3,200 kW). Engines weighed 3,482–3,870 lb (1,579–1,755 kg), giving a power-to-weight ratio of 1.11 hp/lb (1.82 kW/kg). Wasp Majors were produced between 1944 and 1955; 18,697 were built. A derivative engine, the Pratt & Whitney R-2180-E Twin Wasp E, was essentially the R-4360 "cut in half". It had two rows of seven cylinders each, and was used on the postwar Saab 90 Scandia airliner.
General characteristics: (R-4360-51VDT)
- Type: 28-cylinder supercharged air-cooled four-row radial engine
- Bore: 5.75 in (146 mm)
- Stroke: 6.00 in (152 mm).
- Displacement: 4,362.5 cu in (71,489 cm3)
- Length: 96.5 in (2,450 mm)
- Diameter: 55 in (1,400 mm)
- Dry weight: 3,870 lb (1,760 kg)
Components
- Valvetrain: Poppet, two valves per cylinder
- Supercharger: Gear-driven single stage variable speed centrifugal type supercharger
- Turbocharger: General Electric CHM-2 (optional)
- Fuel system: Bendix-Stromberg PR-100E2 pressure carburetor
- Fuel type: 115/145 Aviation gasoline
- Oil system: Dry sump
- Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
- Power output: 4,300 hp (3,200 kW)
- Specific power: 0.99 hp/in3 (45 kW/L)
- Compression ratio: 6.7:1
- Power-to-weight ratio: 1.11 hp/lb (1.82 kW/kg)
Source(s):
Wikipedia
Gunston, Bill (2006). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines: From the Pioneers to the Present Day (5th ed.). Stroud, UK: Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X.
Wikipedia
Gunston, Bill (2006). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines: From the Pioneers to the Present Day (5th ed.). Stroud, UK: Sutton. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X.
