Bentley BR1

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Type	Rotary engine
Manufacturer	Humber Limited
Major applications	Sopwith Camel
Developed from	Clerget 9B

The Bentley BR.1 was a British rotary aircraft engine of the First World War. Designed by the motor car engine designer W. O. Bentley, the BR.1 was built in large numbers, being one of the main powerplants of the Sopwith Camel.

Design and development

The 130 horsepower (97 kW) Clerget 9B was an important engine for the British Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps, being license-produced in Britain and powering a number of important British aircraft, including the Sopwith Camel. However, at £907 a copy it was expensive, and prone to overheating, so the Admiralty asked Lieutenant W. O. Bentley, an established pre-war engine designer,^[1] to produce a modified version to solve these problems.^[2]

Bentley came up with his idea of an engine - fitted with aluminium cylinders with cast iron liners, and aluminium pistons. Dual ignition was introduced to improve reliability, and the stroke increased to 6.7 inches (17 cm) which allowed power to be increased to 150 horsepower (110 kW).^[3] The cost of the engine was also reduced, falling to £605 per engine.^[2]

The resulting engine, initially known as the A.R.1 for "Admiralty Rotary", but later called the BR.1 ("Bentley Rotary") was manufactured in quantity, although initially against Admiralty orders. It was standardised for the Camel in RNAS squadrons, but unfortunately there were never enough to entirely replace the inferior and more expensive Clerget engine in British service, and most RFC Camel squadrons continued to use Clerget engines; in fact licenced production of the Clerget continued.^[3]

The BR.1 was developed as the BR.2, a heavier, more powerful engine, which powered, among other types or aircraft, the Camel's eventual replacement, the Sopwith Snipe.

Applications

Specifications

Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I ^[4]

General characteristics

Type: 9-Cylinder air-cooled rotary engine
Bore: 4.72 in, (120 mm)
Stroke: 6.69 in (170 mm)
Displacement: 1,055.9 cu in (17.3 L)
Dry weight: 397 lb (180 kg)

Components

Cooling system: Air-cooled

Performance

Power output: 150 bhp (110 kW) at 1,250 rpm
Fuel consumption: 11 gallon/hr (50 L/hr)
Oil consumption: 12 pints/hr (6.8 L/hr)
Power-to-weight ratio: 0.38 bhp/lb

References

↑ Barstow, Donald (1978). W.O. Bentley - Engineer. Sparkville, Somerset, UK: Haynes publications. ISBN 0-85429-215-2.
↑ 2.0 2.1 Gunston, Bill (1999). The Development of Piston Engines (Second ed.). Sparkville, Somerset, UK: Patrick Stephens. ISBN 1-85260-599-5.
↑ 3.0 3.1 Gunston, Bill (1986). World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. London: Guild Publishing.
↑ Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I. London: Random House. 2001. p. 274. ISBN 1-85170-347-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bentley AR1.

v t e Bentley timeline, 1920s–present
Type	1920s		1930s	1940s		1950s		1960s		1970s		1980s		1990s		2000s				2010s
Ownership	Bentley Motors Limited (1919–1931)		Rolls-Royce Bentley Motors (1931) Limited (1931–1980)									Vickers plc Rolls-Royce Bentley Motors (1931) Limited (1980–1998)				Volkswagen Group (1998–)
Coachbuilder's open 2/4 seater	3 L	4½ L 6½ L Speed Six
Coachbuilder's large saloon coupé or convertible		6½ L Speed Six 8 L	4L 3½ 4¼L Mark V		Mark VI	R	S1 S2 S3		T
Coachbuilder's large saloon coupé or convertible						C o n t	Continental S1 Continental S2 Continental S3
Cars with Bentley own-factory coachwork
Large saloon					Mark VI	R	S1 S2 S3		T1		T2	Mulsanne		Brooklands		Arnage				Mulsanne
Large saloon													Turbo R
Coupé										Corniche				Continental R/S/T					Br.
Convertible										Corniche			Continental		Azure
Bentleys on the Volkswagen platform
Large saloon																		Continental Flying Spur
Coupé																	Continental GT
Convertible																	Continental GTC
Walter Owen Bentley (founder) A marque of the Volkswagen Group Bentley Boys

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