Lorraine Algol

Algol
Type 9-cylinder air-cooled radial aircraft engine
National origin France
Manufacturer Société Lorraine, Argenteuil, Paris
Major applications Bloch 120
Variants Lorraine Sirius

The Lorraine 9N Algol was a French 9-cylinder radial aeroengine built and used in the 1930s. It was rated at 500 hp (375 kW).

Contents

Design and development

The Algol was a conventionally laid out radial engine, with nine cylinders in a single row. The crankcase was a barrel-shaped aluminium alloy casting, with an internal integral diaphragm which held the front crankshaft bearing. Forward of the diaphragm there was an integrally cast cam-gear case for the double track cam-ring. The reduction gear was housed under a domed casing attached to the front of the crankcase.[1]

Flange-mounted steel barrels were bolted to the crankcase and enclosed with cast aluminium alloy, screwed-on, cylinder head with integral cooling fins. The pistons were also made of aluminium alloy and had floating gudgeon pins. The nine pistons drove the single throw crankshaft via one channel-section master rod and eight circular section auxiliary rods. The master rod had an integral, split type big-end. The crankshaft was machined from a single forging, with bolt-on balance weights.[1]

The Algol had a single pair of overhead inlet and exhaust valves per cylinder. The cam-ring drove roller tappets, mounted in the cam-case, which in turn operated rocker arms, fitted with ball bearings, via pushrods. The cam-ring was concentric with the crankshaft and driven via epicyclic gears.[1]

Most Algols were conventionally aspirated via a single carburetter[1] but at least one 1938 variant used a form of fuel injection, where fuel was blown into the induction system rather than the cylinder head.[2]

Applications

Specifications

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938[1]

General characteristics

Components

Performance

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Grey, C.G. (1972). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1938. London: David & Charles. pp. 48d-49d. ISBN 0-7153-5734-4. 
  2. ^ "To Paris". Flight (8 December 1938): p.534. http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1938/1938%20-%203458.html.