Westinghouse J46

J46
J46-WE-8 cutaway
Type	Afterburning Turbojet
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division
Major applications	F2Y Sea Dart F7U Cutlass
Developed from	Westinghouse J34

The Westinghouse J46 was an afterburning turbojet engine that was developed to power several United States Navy aircraft in the 1950s. It was intended to power the improved, swept wing, F3D-3 Skyknight (swept-wing version^[1] ultimately canceled). It also powered the F2Y Sea Dart and the F7U Cutlass jets, and Walt Arfon's Wingfoot Express^[2][3] land speed-record car.

Development and Design

The J46 engine was developed as a larger, more powerful version of Westinghouse's J34 engine, about 50% larger. The development program ran into many problems with this engine, including combustion instability and control issues at altitude.^[4]

The engine featured an 11-stage compressor that was driven by two turbine stages on a single spool. The engine also featured an early afterburner, which was a simple "eyelid" design that was actuated by a long control rod that ran the length of the engine.^[4]

Variants

Maintenance on the J46s of a F7U Cutlass aboard USS Hancock (CVA-19), 1957.

• J46-WE-8: This variant powered the F7U Cutlass and produced 4800 lbf (21.4 kN) of dry thrust. The F7U-3 was re-engined with two J46-WE-8B turbojets giving a 680 mph (1,095 km/h) max speed.^[5] This variant also powered the Harvey Hustler, a speed boat designed to go faster than 275 mph.^[6]
• J46-WE-18:This variant would have produced an increased 6100 lbf (27.1 kN) of dry thrust for the proposed A2U attack aircraft, an attack variant of the F7U. This variant was canceled with the aircraft program.^[7]
• J46-WE-12:This variant powered the F2Y Sea Dart hydroski aircraft. It was equipped with a fresh water spray system that flushed salt deposits out of the engine before takeoff.^[7]

Specifications (J46-WE-8)

Data from ^[4][8]

General characteristics

• Type: Afterburning Turbojet
• Length: 198 in (5.0 m)
• Diameter: 34 in (0.86 m)
• Dry weight: 2100 lb (952.5 kg)

Components

• Compressor: Single-Spool, 11-stage Axial
• Combustors: Annular
• Turbine: 2-stage turbine

Performance

• Maximum thrust: 4800 lbf (21.4 kN) dry, 6,000 lbf (26.7 kN) afterburning
• Overall pressure ratio: 6:1
• Air mass flow: 70 lb/sec
• Thrust-to-weight ratio: 2.3:1 dry, 2.9:1 afterburning

Survivors

• Carolinas Aviation Museum, engine collection includes four (4) in storage, three came from Florida
• Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum, engine collection, dash 8 cutaway on display (see photo above)
• Project Cutlass, Phoenix Arizona, engine collection includes three (3) functional units

See also

Related development

• Westinghouse J34
• Westinghouse J40

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines

References