BMW 803

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The BMW 803 was BMW's attempt to build a high-power aircraft engine by "coupling" two BMW 801 engines back-to-back, driving contra-rotating propellers. The result was a 28-cylinder, four-row radial engine, each comprising a multiple-bank in-line engine with two cylinders in each bank, which, due to cooling concerns, were liquid cooled.[1]

Design and development

One problem with scaling up any piston engine design is that eventually a point is reached where the crankshaft becomes a major engineering challenge. This was a problem that affected almost all engines of the 2,500 hp (1,900 kW) class, including BMW's own 18-cylinder BMW 802 project. For the 803 the engineers decided to avoid this problem by simply not using a common crankshaft, and driving a set of independent contra-rotating propellers. The front engine drove the front propeller directly, while the rear engine drove a number of smaller shafts that passed between the cylinders of the front engine before being geared back together to drive the rear prop. This layout resulted in a rather large gearbox on the front of the engine, and the front engine needing an extended shaft to "clear" the gearbox.

With no common crankshaft it became more practical for all of the accessories to be powered by one engine alone, in this case the rear engine. The supercharger itself used up several hundred horsepower, so the rear propeller delivered considerably less power than the front one.

The engine weighed a staggering 2,950 kg (6,490 lb) dry, and 4,130 kg (9,086 lb) fully loaded, displacing a massive 83.5 litres. For all this weight it delivered 3,900 PS (Pferdestärken) (2,868 kW). Although this made it the most powerful German engine design, its power-to-weight ratio was not at all impressive, at about 0.60 hp/lb, comparing rather poorly with other large designs like the Junkers Jumo 222 at 1.04 hp/lb. Specific power was likewise poor, at about 34.4 kW/l, compared to the 222's 40 kW/l, as was specific fuel consumption, at 380 g/kWh (0.63 lb/hp·h), comparable to late generation turboprops.

As with most coupled engines, like the earlier Daimler-Benz DB 606 and DB 610, the 803 was not a success on the test-bed, and did not enter production.

Aircraft projected for BMW 801/802/803

The engine was intended to be used only on the largest of designs, notably the Focke-Wulf Fw 238, the Focke-Wulf Ta 400 six-engined Amerika Bomber design competition competitor, and other large bombers. The big, 6-engined Ta 400 was proposed in 1942 as an upgraded version of the never-produced Focke-Wulf Fw 300, and was meant to compete directly against the Messerschmitt Me 264, Junkers Ju 390 and later the Heinkel He 277 for the May 1942-approved Amerika Bomber contract, for a trans-Atlantic range strategic bomber designed to attack New York City from European bases. The projected range was enough for the round trip from France to New York, but it was of course never realized. The Focke-Wulf firm even intended to use the BMW 803 powerplant for single-seat fighter design, and it also appeared on several Blohm & Voss designs as well. None of these designs was particularly inspiring, and as the engine never matured the project was cancelled. A single example remains in the Deutsches Museum.

Specifications (BMW 803)

The large gearbox at the front is evident. The display on the left of the engine shows how the overhead cams were driven off the crank via a series of driveshafts

General characteristics

  • Type: 28-cylinder 7-bank liquid-cooled coupled inline radial engine
  • Bore: 156 mm (6.14 in)
  • Stroke: 156 mm (6.14 in)
  • Displacement: 83.5 L (5,095 in³)
  • Diameter: 160 cm (63 inches)
  • Dry weight: 4 130 kg (9,100 lbs)

Components

Performance

See also


Comparable engines
Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Gunston 1989, p. 27.

Bibliography

  • Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9

External links

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