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[[Engineering Abstracts|Back to the index of Engineering Abstracts]]
= Engineering Abstracts from 1949 =
= Engineering Abstracts from 1949 =


== '''Volume XII, No. 5, June 1949''' ==
== Modern Trends in the Development of High-Powered Diesel Machinery ==
'''Crankshaft Damping'''
CARSTENSEN, H. ''Trans. Institute of Naval Architects, paper read'' 2 Sept. 1949.


The author attempts to give a correct physical explanation of natural damping by torsional vibrations, and also to obtain approximate formulae for pre-calculation of the damping in any given case. The paper describes experimental work with a single-cylinder engine driven by external power, and excited to torsional vibrations by a spring- loaded cam disk. In this way the damping from the moving parts could be investigated separately, and it was found that the damping was almost entirely due to hysteresis in the crankshaft, and oil damp­ ing, due to lateral shaft movements in the main and crankpin bearings, which was directly proportional to the bearing clearance. The paper also gives a simple and practical method for the calculation of damped vibrations in arbitrary elastic systems, and the calculation of hysteresis and bearing damping in a single-cylinder engine. Formulas are given for the total damping in multi-cylinder engines, with or without heavy flywheels, and the results are compared with the measured damping in a number of oil engines in service.—Paper P. Draminsky, read
Typical examples are given of high-powered marine Diesel plants of more than 16,000 b.h.p. built between 1926 and 1939. Of these, the double-acting four-stroke engine has been abandoned, and the single-acting four-stroke engine is now used very little for larger ships, though it may be preferred under particularly difficult service conditions because of its simple and robust design, moreover, tests with high-pressure supercharge have shown that its output can be increased considerably. The remaining engine types mentioned are two-stroke engines, single-acting or double-acting, having either loop scavenging or uniflow scavenging. These two-stroke engine types and the four-stroke single-acting engine have been developed into fast-running units whereby any output desired can be furnished by geared or Diesel-electric plants.


In passenger ships the arrangement of the accommodation will determine whether steam-turbine plants, fast-running Diesel engines with geared or electric transmission, or slow-running Diesel engines coupled directly to the propeller shafts will be most advantageous. The Diesel plants, particularly the direct-coupled plants, appear to be the most economical. For cargo vessels and tankers, direct-coupled Diesel plants give the greatest advantages and economies. The possibilities of higher outputs and improved economy are discussed, and the effect of the use of heavy fuel oil in Diesel engines on the relative merits of the plants is considered briefly. Some two-stroke engines of the single-acting crosshead and the double-acting types with uniflow scavenging, and examples of high-powered marine Diesel plants with these engine types for a tanker, an intermediate cargo and passenger ship, and a passenger liner are described and illustrated.


In this paper the subject of "engine wear” has been limited to
== Volume XII, No. 5, June 1949 ==
 
'''Crankshaft Damping'''
== Volume XVII, No. 6, June 1954 ==
'''Large Nine-cylinder Diesel Engine'''
 
A nine-cylinder engine designed to develop 11,200 b.h.p. at 115 r.p.m. under normal conditions at sea has recendy been completed by Burmeister and Wain. It has cylinders 740 mm. in diameter with a piston stroke of 1,600 mm., and is to be installed in a tanker under construction at the Nakskov Skibsvaerft for A.P. Moller, Copenhagen. It is the highest-powered marine engine constructed by Burmeister and Wain.
 
The new engine is equipped with three turbochargers of the Brown-Boveri VTR-630 type, these blowers being similar to those employed in the main engines of A. P. Moller’s M.S. ''Dorthe Maersk'' and the ''Songkhla, Samoa'' and ''Sibonga'' of the East Asiatic Co. The output of the 11,200 b.h.p. engine is slightly higher than that of a corresponding 12-cylinder non-turbo-charged unit, which is about 10 feet 10 inches longer and 35 per cent heavier than the nine-cylinder turbo-charged engine. Ten nine-cylinder engines of this type are being built by Burmeister and Wain and one with 10 cylinders, for a cargo ship, at Eriksbergs Mek. Verk. developing 12,500 b.h.p. In Japan an engine has been installed in the recently completed ''Hanmasan Maru,'' a cargo ship of 10,200 tons with a service speed of 17} knots. The fuel consumption of these engines, based upon the results of similar but smaller units installed in ships now in service is expected to be 0 3341b. per b.h.p. hr., the mechanical efficiency being about 88 per cent. In normal service the mean indicated pressure is approximately 1021b. per sq. in.
 
—''The Motor Ship, March 1954; Vol. 34, p. 518.''
 
'''Cas Turbine Progress'''
 
Marine auxiliary and industrial gas turbines ranging in power from 140 to 900 kW are being developed at Bedford by W. H. Allen, Sons and Co., Ltd. Of the four basic designs involved, the smallest is an all-radial-flow single-shaft unit with a rating of 200 b.h.p. (140 kW) at an air inlet temperature of 60 deg. F. (15 deg. C .); the prototype is now undergoing extensive testing and development. Designed originally at the request of the Admiralty, this small engine is intended for any duty where low fuel consumption is of less importance than such advantages as light weight, compactness, quick starting, rapid acceptance of load, and absence of cooling water. An ingenious feature is the use of a one-piece turbo-compressor rotor, with the centrifugal impeller vanes machined from one face of a forged steel disc and the centripetal turbine vanes from the other. By thus taking the familiar back-to-back arrangement of radial-flow components to its logical conclusion, the opportunity is presented of cooling the turbine by direct heat transfer across the rotor disc. The Allen designers have applied this principle so successfully that the ferritic steel disc of the prototype engine shows every sign of lasting for many thousands of running hours despite the use of inlet gas temperatures up to 800 deg. C. (1,470 deg. F.). A larger gas turbine of familiar type to the 200-b.h.p. unit has been designed, and manufacture will commence shortly. Six d.c. generator-driving versions of it have been ordered by the Alfred H olt shipping concern for auxiliary use aboard Blue Funnel liners, the rating being 350 kW at an air inlet temperature of 85 deg. F. (30 deg. C.). These sets are too large to make efficient use of a radial-flow turbine, so the single-stage centrifugal impeller is driven in each case by a two-stage axial turbine. On behalf of the Admiralty, the company is designing and constructing two interesting gas-turbo-alternators rated at 500 kW in tropical conditions. No details have yet been released for publication.
 
—''The Oil Engine and Gas Turbine, March 1954; Vol. 21, p. 436.''
 
'''Centripetal Turbine tor High Specific Outputs'''
 
In 1939 the U.S. Navy Department requested bids on
 
two 2,500-h.p. propulsion turbines for the Navy submarine
 
chaser PC-452. The author’s Company was awarded the
 
contract on the basis of the evaluation made by the U.S. Navy
 
Department, which took into consideration the weight of the
 
turbines, their overall dimensions, and their efficiency. The
 
Company’s design study resulted in the choice of a compound
 
turbine arrangement—this is, a high-pressure and a separate
 
low-pressure turbine for each of the two propelling units.
 
It also indicated that it was necessary to operate these turbines
 
at no less than 15,000 r.p.m. if the design target (with regard
 
to bulk, weight, and efficiency) was to be met. This high speed
 
ruled out the axial-flow wheel for the last stage of the low-
 
pressure turbine, because this type is incapable of passing the
 
large volume flows at such high r.p.m., without prohibitively
 
low efficiency. The high-specific-speed centripetal turbine
 
came to the rescue, and was used not only in the last stage
 
but also in the next-to-last stage of the low-pressure turbine,
 
a sectional view of which is shown in Fig. 10. This particular
 
application of the high-specific-speed centripetal turbine made
 
possible the attainment of a specific weight, for the complete
 
unit, of only slightly over 31b.-per-shaft horsepower, including
 
the double reduction gear, turning gear, and other accessories.
 
This specific weight is by far the lowest that has ever been
 
achieved for a marine propelling steam turbine. The units
 
fully met the efficiency guarantees, and their small dimensions made it possible to accommodate them easily in the confined
 
space of the slender hull. Several different sizes of turbosuperchargers
 
for Diesel engines have been constructed in the
 
past four years by the author’s Company. In the course of
 
the development of these units it has been clearly demonstrated
 
that the high-specific-speed centripetal turbine wheel is the ideal
 
answer for this application for the following reasons: 1. This
 
turbine is capable of an r.p.m. sufficiently high to bring the
 
compressor driven by it into a specific speed range where
 
maximum compressor efficiency can be obtained. An axial-
 
flow turbine designed for the same flow and stress conditions
 
would have to operate at lower r.p.m., which would result in a
 
correspondingly lower specific speed of the compressor, thus
 
preventing the attainment of maximum possible compressor
 
efficiency. 2. Under the particular flow and operating conditions
 
encountered in the service of exhaust turbines for Diesel
 
engines, distinctly higher turbine efficiency can be obtained
 
with the centripetal turbine than is possible with the axial-flow
 
type. 3. The efficiency of the centripetal turbine, which in
 
itself is high, can be further increased by the recovery of kinetic
 
energy in the turbine exhaust through the use of an exhaust
 
diffuser in the form of a simple conical duct. 4. The centripetal
 
turbine, owing to its low number of husky blades, is far less
 
delicate than the axial-flow wheel and better able to cope with
 
the severe service of Diesel-engine exhaust gas operation. In
 
addition thereto, it is cheaper to manufacture. 5. The turbine
 
blades and turbine rotor hub can be cooled in a simple manner,
 
similar to the one described for the aircraft exhaust gas turbines.
 
This reduces the metal temperatures even under the extreme
 
conditions of Diesel-engine preturbine temperature encountered
 
during engine overload conditions, to values which permit
 
designing for virtually unlimited time to rupture. 6. The
 
inertia of the centripetal wheel is lower than that of an equivalent
 
axial-flow wheel, which results in a more rapid change of
 
turbo-supercharger speed with a change in engine load. 7. The
 
stationary turbine nozzles, directing the flow into the centripetal
 
wheel, can be arranged between parallel radial walls,
 
which makes it practicable to provide for pivoting the guide
 
vanes to adjust the nozzle areas and angles for matching the
 
turbo-supercharger to the engine.
 
—''R. Birmunn, Transactions of the A.S.M.E., February 1954; Vol. 76, pp. 173-187.''
 
'''Motorships for South America'''
 
Canadian Vickers, Ltd., of Montreal is again delivering ships to The Flota Mercante Grancolombiana. First two of a series of four additional motorships, the ''Ciudad de Valencia'' and ''Ciudad de Cali,'' have been in service several months. The other two vessels, the ''Ciudad de Ibague'' and ''Ciudad de Cumana'' will be delivered in the forthcoming months. In accord with their building programme, Flota Mercante Grancolombiana, S.A., placed orders with Canadian Vickers, Ltd. for the construction of these four new vessels to augment their very fast cargo carrying service between the major ports of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, New Orleans, New York and Montreal. Each ship is propelled by a single Nordberg six-cylinder Diesel engine, rated 4,275 b.h.p. at 160 r.p.m., direct connected to
 
the propeller shaft. The engine has a 29in. bore by a 40in. stroke and is of the two-cycle, single-acting type with port scavenging and port exhaust. The propulsion Diesel is independently scavenged by two motor-driven blowers each of 200 h.p. rating, taking air from the engine room through a Maxim silencer and each discharging 10,000 cfm. at about 2 -41b. per sq. in. discharge pressure to a common intake manifold. This method of obtaining scavenge air results in a shorter engine, and in case of failure of one of the blowers, the engine is still capable of maintaining 70 per cent ship speed with the remaining blower. The main engine control platform is at the after end of the engine on the port side and the log desk, engine telegraph, instrument panel, alarm panel, telephone booth are all disposed conveniently around the operator and are actuated by automatic controls. They have an actual air delivery of 68 cfm. at 870 r.p.m. and are of the two-stage type, water cooled and fitted with inter and after cooler. Auxiliary power on each of the vessels is supplied by three Nordberg four-cycle, eight-cylinder inter-cooled-super-charged Diesel engines. These engines are of the single-acting, trunk piston, mechanical injection type with cylinders of 9in. bore and ll^in . stroke rated 580 h.p. at 600 r.p.m. Each drives a 400 kW. 120/240 volt, 3 phase Westinghouse generator arranged for parallel operation and capable of carrying a 25 per cent out of balance current.
 
—''D. Shearing, Diesel Progress, December 1953; Vol. 19, pp. 42-43.''
 
'''Diesel-electric Tanker'''
 
The accompanying illustration shows one of the two Diesel-electric propelling motors of 1,750 h.p. at 128 r.p.m. in the 9,300-tons Soviet tanker ''General Asi Aslanow.'' The motors are supplied with direct current at 700 volts from four 700 kW. D.C. generators, each driven by a supercharged six-cylinder four-stroke cycle Diesel engine at 900 b.h.p. at 720 r.p.m. Cylinder diameter is 308 mm. and stroke is 330 mm. The pistons are of light alloy and are not liquid cooled.
 
—S. ''Antonow, Schiffbautechnik, December 1953; Vol. 3, pp. 359-362.''
 
'''Cas Turbined Coaster'''
 
The first merchant vessel to be equipped with propelling
 
machinery consisting of gas turbines fed by free-piston gas
 
generators has recently completed her sea trials. This coaster,
 
the ''Cantenac,'' is one of two vessels of the same type ordered
 
by the French M inistry of M erchant Marine on behalf of
 
Worms & Cie., from the Chantiers et Ateliers Augustin
 
Norm and at Le Havre, as war loss replacement. The ''Cantenac''
 
is a vessel of 850 tons with three holds and has her propelling
 
machinery arranged aft. She is 185 feet in length b.p.,
 
30 feet 6 inches moulded breadth, 14 feet 5 inches moulded
 
depth to main deck, and has a mean draught of 13 feet 6 inches.
 
The propelling machinery consists of two Pescara-SIGMA type
 
GS-34 free-piston gas generators; two gas turbines connected
 
to a reduction gear, each fed by one gas generator; and a
 
double reduction gear connecting the turbines to a single shaft
 
and reducing the number of revolutions to 220 r.p.m. The
 
complete design of this vessel, both hull and engines, has been
 
carried out by the shipbuilders. ''Saving in Weight.'' The free-
 
piston gas generator operates on the two-stroke cycle and consists
 
of a horizontal cylinder with two opposed pistons, each of
 
which is directly connected to a compressor piston. The outer
 
part of the compressor cylinder constitutes a compensating
 
cushion. The mixture of exhaust gas and scavenge air forms
 
the gas which is used to drive the turbine. A comparison of
 
the weight of a gas generator installation compared with that
 
of a corresponding Diesel installation is in favour of the
 
former scheme. A typical four-stroke Diesel engine, developing
 
1,800 h.p. at 220 r.p.m., and with 40 per cent supercharge,,
 
weighs about 1261b. per h.p., whereas a gas generator installation
 
consisting of two GS-34 generators, one turbine and reducion
 
gear of the same power and speed, is about 891b. per h.p.
 
The saving in weight and bulk is only one advantage. There is
 
also flexibility of operation, avoidance of vibration, ease of
 
maintenance and low starting air consumption. It is claimed
 
that in all probability the free-piston gas generator unit will
 
become the engine with the highest thermal efficiency, with a
 
specific fuel consumption referred to the turbine shaft of less
 
than 0-331b. per s.h.p. per hr. At the moment it is in the
 
region of 0 391b. per s.h.p. per hr., a figure not far different
 
from the consumption of 0-331b. per b.h.p. per hr. obtained
 
from a supercharged two-stroke Diesel engine. Trials were
 
run on 19th January on fuel No. 1, which corresponds to a
 
Redwood viscosity of about 950 secs, at 100 deg. F. The unit
 
is designed to run on both distillator and light residual fuel.
 
The engine was run with two gas generators developing
 
1,200 h.p. on one trial and with one only developing 700 h.p.
 
on another. It is understood that the tests were highly satisfactory
 
and it was found possible to establish, in particular, the
 
ease and speed of manoeuvrability of the propelling machinery,
 
as well as the ease with which one fuel was substituted for
 
another.


—''The Shipping World, 17th February 1954; Vol. 130, p. 213.''
The author attempts to give a correct physical explanation of natural damping by torsional vibrations, and also to obtain approximate formulae for pre-calculation of the damping in any given case. The paper describes experimental work with a single-cylinder engine driven by external power, and excited to torsional vibrations by a spring- loaded cam disk. In this way the damping from the moving parts could be investigated separately, and it was found that the damping was almost entirely due to hysteresis in the crankshaft, and oil damp­ ing, due to lateral shaft movements in the main and crankpin bearings, which was directly proportional to the bearing clearance. The paper also gives a simple and practical method for the calculation of damped vibrations in arbitrary elastic systems, and the calculation of hysteresis and bearing damping in a single-cylinder engine. Formulas are given for the total damping in multi-cylinder engines, with or without heavy flywheels, and the results are compared with the measured damping in a number of oil engines in service.  


'''Free Piston Cas Generators'''
—Paper P. Draminsky, read


The Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton free piston generator development was conducted under a (U.S.) Navy Department contract to obtain a unit suitable for naval-combatant requirements. Consequently, it was designed with a view toward high specific output, reasonably low weight, and compactness, and to provide high thermal efficiency and reliability. In other words, to fulfil its purpose, it had to compete favourably with the thermal efficiency of modern Diesel engines and give the added advantages of simplicity, low initial cost, and smooth vibrationless
== The Modag Two-Cycle Diesel Engine ==
(German). ''Harzsa,'' '''86''' (1949), p. 1011 (15 Oct.).


operation. 'I'he power plant constructed was a twin unit with
Small craft used to be propelled by two-stroke hot-bulb engines, which were gradually superseded by the crankcase two-cycle Diesel. In recent years a new type has been developed in Germany, the '''Modag-Krupp''' Diesel, which is at least as simple to handle and as robust as the former two types. It is an improvement on the crankcase two-cycle Diesel, its main new feature beingthe scavenging of the cylinders by means of a rotary blower. Moreover, the engine has solid fuel injection, so that the fuel consumption is low ; it is half that of the hot-bulb engines, and considerably less than that of normal engines


two gas generators supplying gas to a single turbine and reduction
with crankcase and pre-combustion chamber. The '''Modag''' Diesel is at present built with one to five cylinders, and its main structural parts are the cast-iron bed plate, the cylinder block, and the cylinder heads. Cylinder liners and pistons are made of special cast iron. The use of pressure lubrication prevents overheating of the bearings even under occasional overload. Because of its simple, robust design, this engine rapidly became popular for small German craft like coasters and trawlers. The article tabulates the main dimensions of the five engine sizes now on the market, and a diagram shows fuel consumption, engine speed, and exhaust temperature as functions of the power.


gear. It is outward-compression with both direct-bounce
== Comprehensive Oil Engine Research. ==
'''''Gas and Oil Power, 44''''' (1949), p. 339 (Nov.).


and reverse-bounce cylinders for control. The two gas generators
The work of the British Internal Combustion Engine Research Association is described, and details are given of research work in progress and test rigs which have been developed at their laboratories. Combustion-engine roughness and knock are being studied on a '''Crossley''' BWI-17 engine, which is also used to determine the effect of different types of fuel, especially those of lower ignition quality. Investigations of torsional-vibration damping are carried out on a six-cylinder four-stroke '''Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz''' engine developing 105 b.h.p. at 1,300 r.p.m., a seismic-type of torsional vibration pick-up being attached to the front end of the crankshaft. A '''Petter''' self-induction single-cylinder two-stroke engine is used to investigate stresses in a crankweb under conditions of deliberate vertical mis-alignment of an outer bearing, and a specially designed single-cylinder engine is used for determining the cetane rating  of Diesel fuels. Investigations into the cause of crankcase explosions will be carried out on a '''General Motors''' 12-cylinder two-stroke engine, in which the original crankcase door will be replaced by a special type of safety door. A prototype bearing-testing machine has been developed for investigating the performance of bearings under the type of loading experienced in a Diesel engine big-end.


are synchronized to reduce pulsations of the gas to the
An important part of the work is the study of crankshaft stresses, and two resonant bending-fatigue machines have been developed for this purpose. A number of foreign engines have recently been examined. A '''Paxman''' three-cylinder RPH engine is used for general study of pressure-charging effects, and the performance of highly rated engines on low-grade fuels is tested on two engines representative of latest practice.


turbine and they can be operated together or singly, as the load
== New Welded Frame Engine ==
[[File:New_welded_fame_engine_Burmeister_Wain.png|alt=Cross section og a 1949 Burmeister & Wain two-stroke engine|left|thumb|428x428px|Cross section og a 1949 Burmeister & Wain two-stroke engine]]
The accompanying cross-section shows the principal details of construction of the latest type of two-stroke welded frame engine built at Copenhagen by Messrs. Burmeister and Wain. The engine in the m.s. Topeka has seven cylinders with the standard measurement of 740 mm. bore and 1,400 mm. stroke, corresponding to approximately 29 inch and 55 inch respectively. The output is 6,400 i.h.p. at 105 r.p.m., and the mechanical efficiency is in the neighbourhood of 81 per cent, giving the engine a rating of 5,200 b.h.p. which corresponds to nearly 743 b.h.p. per cylinder. The mean indicated pressure at this rating is 92Ib. per sq. in. or 6°5 kg. per sq. cm. In the case of the welded design illustrated, the bedplate, frames and scavenging air receiver are fabricated. The weight of the engine is reduced by at least 15 per cent, although the reduction may reach 25 per cent compared with cast-iron construction, depending on the type. This engine has two camshafts and there are four guides for each crosshead, and in the case of the original four-stroke B. and W. double-acting design, By using fabricated steel plates in the construction, it becomes unnecessary to carry the through-bolts which take the combustion loads down to the bottom of the bedplate. In this instance the bolts are carried from the jackets to the top of the A-frames. The exhaust takes place through a spring-loaded poppet valve centrally arranged in the cylinder cover, and scavenging air is admitted through ports uncovered by the piston at the bottom of the stroke. The air is supplied by rotary blowers, and these are driven from the crankshaft by chains and resilient couplings. It may be noted that the cylinder covers and the piston crowns are of heatresisting steel, Fresh water is used for cooling the cylinder covers and liners, the pistons being cooled by means of lubricating oil.


requirements necessitate. The principal specifications are given
There is a stuffing box with tightening rings for the air and scraper rings for the crank-chamber oil. This box is located between the scavenging-air reservoir and the crank chamber. The design allows complete separation of the lower part of the engine from the scavenging-air system, while a short piston can be utilized, with a corresponding reduction in the engine height. The length of the unit is limited by placing the scavenging-air blowers at the back and a change valve is employed for the air delivery when the direction of rotation of the crankshaft is reversed. The shop trial results showed a specific fuel consumption of 0:28lb. per ih.p. hour. Reference was made to this engine on p. 78 of Engineering Abstracts, but the design shown here represents the correct representation of the engine.


as follows: —-
—The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, August 1949, p. 193.


Table 2.—B-L-H Model B Gas Generator Specifications


Power-cylinder bore, inches ... ... 8 1/4


Compressor-cylinder bore, inches ... 23


Direct-bounce-cylinder bore, inches ... 8 1/4
== Werkspoor Single-acting Two-stroke Engine ==
[[File:1949 Stork-Werkspoor.png|alt=(1949) Werkspoor|left|thumb|250x250px|(1949) Werkspoor]]
In Fig. 2 is illustrated a single-acting crosshead engine with multiple exhaust valves (7) in the cylinder head. The valves are Investigation of Cavitation Phenomena by Tunnel Tests moved together by a lever (8) driven from a camshaft (9). The scavengine air chamber (3) is separated from the crank chamber by a partition (20), and the lover end (25) of the liner (5) is removable, so that the piston rings may be inspected and removed without dismantling the piston, Large removable doors (27, 28) enclose the scavenging air chamber, and the bottom part (25) of the liner is lowered until it rests on the partition (20), The engine has a short piston uncovering the scavenging air ports (12). The scavenging air pump (30) is driven by levers (31) from the crosshead and is located below the level of the partition, which has an outlet (32) for the discharge of air from the pump


Reverse-bounce-cylinder bore, inches... 23
—Brit, Pat, No. 616,893, issued to N.V. Werkspoor, Amsterdam. The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, September 1949, p. 244,


Piston stroke (full load), inches ... 11


Cyclic frequency (maximum), cycles per min. ... ... ... ... 1,035


Exhaust pressure to turbine, lb. per sq. in. gauge ... ... ... ... 90
== Controlled Injection in High Speed Diesels ==
[[File:1949 CAV and Ricardo.png|alt=(1949) Nozzle|thumb|(1949) Nozzle]]
In a paper read by Mr. Garton of the Shell Petroleum Co,, Ltd., in Stockholm some time ago, reference is made to the knock in high speed Diesel engines with fuels of low ignition quality.  This is due to the fact that these fuels give rise to a relatively long ignition lag; hence a considerable amount of fuel has been injected into the cylinder by the time ignition starts, and it is the rapid, uncontrolled inflammation of this fuel which causes knock, One method of overcoming this difficulty, and permitting smooth operation with low cetane number fuels, is by arranging to inject only a small quantity of fuel during the earlier part of the injection period, and to increase the rate after ignition has occurred. In the Atlas system this is accomplished by the use of a two-stage cam in the fuel pump, and_a specially designed injection valve. A particular case of controlled injection is pilot injection, in which a small amount of fuel is injected before the main charge. It has already been mentioned that separate chamber engines are less sensitive to fuel ignition quality than open chamber types. The former are, however, somewhat more difficult to start at low temperatures. One method of overcoming this difficulty, without the use of heater plugs, is the Pintaux nozzle patented jointly by Messrs, C.A.V. and Messrs. Ricardo (Fig. 1) Recent experimental work has shown that the hottest zone of the separate chamber on starting is outside the normal spray path. The Pintaux nozzle is so designed that on starting (ie, at slow speeds) partial lifting of the needle valve permits a side spray of fuel into the hottest zone of the chamber (Fig. 2), thus facilitating starting. As the speed increases, the full lift of the needle valve results in most of the fuel spraying through the normal nozzle, though some delivery through the auxiliary nozzle acts as ilot charge, thus reducing combustion noise to some extent,


Exhaust temperature to turbine, deg. F. 1,295
—The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, August 1949, p. 201.


Gas horsepower (maximum) ... ... 885
== A New 4,500 B.H.P. Engine ==
Successful tests have been carried out by Messrs. John G. Kincaid of the first two-stroke, single-acting, crosshead design of the eccentric-type, opposed-piston, propelling engine which is being installed in the motor vessel ''Braeside.''


The complete power plant, after completion of its acceptance trials at the builders’ plant, was sent to the U.S. Naval Engineering
An illustrated description is given of the engine which has six cylinders 24.4 in. in diameter, the main piston stroke being 55.1 in and that of the exhaust pistons 18.5 in. Maximum continuous rating is 4,500 b.h.p. at 115 r.p.m., the mean indicated pressure being 92.4 lb/sq. in. The engine has ample width of bedplate when compared with the overall height. On account of the head-room available, the pistons and rods can be completely withdrawn vertically. The crankshaft is of the fully-built type, the webs being of cast steel.


Experiment Station at Annapolis, Md., in 1950, for further test and evaluation. The principal data obtained during 700 hours of test operation are presented. Fig. 11 shows the gas-generator output, based on adiabatic expansion of the gas. The output pressure to the turbine was carried to 901b. per sq. in. gauge as contrasted with 501b. per sq. in. gauge for the French SIGM A Model GS-34. Of course, the relation of horsepower output to exhaust pressure is mainly a function of the size and characteristics of the turbine used in these tests. The curve shows outputs up to 1,770 gas-horsepower with the 901b. per sq. in. gauge maximum pressure to the turbine. On later accelerated tests to determine piston-ring and cylinder-liner suitability, where more severe operating conditions were imposed without a turbine, the same output was reached with only 701b. per sq. in. gauge exhaust pressure and the same exhaust temperature. This was a result of increasing the effective orifice area because the turbine used has a smaller equivalent orifice. The gas-horsepower curve in Fig. 11 shows that the output is increasing without any decrease in rate up to the limiting exhaust temperature and pressure set by this particular design. The shaft-horsepower curve in Fig. 11 is based on the desired 85 per cent efficiency for turbine and reduction gear, as it was in the SIGMA data. T hat efficiency
Integrally cast with each crankweb is an eccentric for operating the exhaust-piston gear. Each pair of eccentrics is coupled by eccentric straps and rods and four steel side rods to the cast-steel yoke of the exhaust piston. The exhaust pistons are therefore driven by, and, in turn, transmit power through the eccentrics on the crankshaft.


was not reached with the turbine used on the actual tests. However, turbines are available with peak efficiency of 85 per cent or higher. The shaft-horsepower curve is corrected for the power requirement of the auxiliary equipment which cannot be driven directly from the turbine. Thus about 1,420 s.h.p. is available from an installation with a weight and space no greater than that of current Diesel installations and less than that of other types of power plants having comparable thermal efficiency. The model now under development at B-L-H is much smaller and lighter. Fig. 12 shows the measured fuel consumption on a gas-horsepower basis and those calculated for a possible turbine efficiency of 85 per cent. The maximum thermal efficiency of 40 3 per cent at the gasifier discharge is very satisfactory and compares favourably with the SIGMA maximum of 3 8 2 per cent. This increase in thermal efficiency
The cylinders are of vanadium cast iron, cast in one piece, and are water-jacketed above the flanges by which they are bolted to the scavenge belt. The scavenge air has a clear blow-through, ensuring a fresh charge of air for each compression stroke. The scavenge air is supplied by two positive rotary blowers each driven by Renold triplex chains from the crankshaft. The fuel pumps are independent units operated by a camshaft driven by chain from the crankshaft. The main and exhaust pistons are oil-cooled and the engine is force-lubricated throughout.


is to be expected in view of higher operating conditions. The correction to a shaft-horsepower basis shows a greater reduction than was made for the SIGM A design because exact information was available on the B-L-H power plant and deduction was made for all losses, including supply of auxiliary control air, cooling-water pumping, and similar power expenditures.
The overhauling arrangements are very complete, and the gear supplied enables maintenance work in port to be cut down to a minimum. The engine runs smoothly and quietly.


The only deduction made for the SIGM A unit was based on turbine efficiency of 85 per cent. It is not known if the previously published data include corrections for power to auxiliary equipment. After making these corrections to a minimum shaft-horsepower basis, the thermal efficiency is still 32’3 per cent. The turbine was rated at a maximum inlet temperature of 1,350 deg. F. However, the peak pressure of 901b. per sq. in. gauge was reached with less than 1,300 deg. F. As stated before, without the turbine and with a variation in the gas pressure-to-orifice relationship, the same temperature gave as much load with only 701b. per sq. in. gauge exhaust-gas pressure.
== Opposed Piston Diesel Engine ==
The first '''Fairbanks Morse''' opposed piston Diesel engines were built in 1934. The first engines built attracted the attention of the U.S. Navy, and approximately three million horsepower was installed in various types of Naval vessels. As currently constructed, the engine is built in 8£ inch bore and 10 inch stroke on each piston. The engine has been built in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 cylinder assemblies, and the makers are now beginning on a 12 cylinder engine. The most common engine is the ten cylinder size, which the U.S. Navy rated up to 2,000 h.p. at 850 r.p.m. In commercial service engines of six cylinders are rated 960 h.p., eight cylinders 1,250 h.p., ten cylinders 1,600 h.p.


—''J. J. McMullen and W. G. Payne, Transactions of the A.S.M.E., January 1954; Vol. 76, pp. 1-14.''
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Engineering Abstracts from 1949

Modern Trends in the Development of High-Powered Diesel Machinery

CARSTENSEN, H. Trans. Institute of Naval Architects, paper read 2 Sept. 1949.

Typical examples are given of high-powered marine Diesel plants of more than 16,000 b.h.p. built between 1926 and 1939. Of these, the double-acting four-stroke engine has been abandoned, and the single-acting four-stroke engine is now used very little for larger ships, though it may be preferred under particularly difficult service conditions because of its simple and robust design, moreover, tests with high-pressure supercharge have shown that its output can be increased considerably. The remaining engine types mentioned are two-stroke engines, single-acting or double-acting, having either loop scavenging or uniflow scavenging. These two-stroke engine types and the four-stroke single-acting engine have been developed into fast-running units whereby any output desired can be furnished by geared or Diesel-electric plants.

In passenger ships the arrangement of the accommodation will determine whether steam-turbine plants, fast-running Diesel engines with geared or electric transmission, or slow-running Diesel engines coupled directly to the propeller shafts will be most advantageous. The Diesel plants, particularly the direct-coupled plants, appear to be the most economical. For cargo vessels and tankers, direct-coupled Diesel plants give the greatest advantages and economies. The possibilities of higher outputs and improved economy are discussed, and the effect of the use of heavy fuel oil in Diesel engines on the relative merits of the plants is considered briefly. Some two-stroke engines of the single-acting crosshead and the double-acting types with uniflow scavenging, and examples of high-powered marine Diesel plants with these engine types for a tanker, an intermediate cargo and passenger ship, and a passenger liner are described and illustrated.

Volume XII, No. 5, June 1949

Crankshaft Damping

The author attempts to give a correct physical explanation of natural damping by torsional vibrations, and also to obtain approximate formulae for pre-calculation of the damping in any given case. The paper describes experimental work with a single-cylinder engine driven by external power, and excited to torsional vibrations by a spring- loaded cam disk. In this way the damping from the moving parts could be investigated separately, and it was found that the damping was almost entirely due to hysteresis in the crankshaft, and oil damp­ ing, due to lateral shaft movements in the main and crankpin bearings, which was directly proportional to the bearing clearance. The paper also gives a simple and practical method for the calculation of damped vibrations in arbitrary elastic systems, and the calculation of hysteresis and bearing damping in a single-cylinder engine. Formulas are given for the total damping in multi-cylinder engines, with or without heavy flywheels, and the results are compared with the measured damping in a number of oil engines in service.

—Paper P. Draminsky, read

The Modag Two-Cycle Diesel Engine

(German). Harzsa, 86 (1949), p. 1011 (15 Oct.).

Small craft used to be propelled by two-stroke hot-bulb engines, which were gradually superseded by the crankcase two-cycle Diesel. In recent years a new type has been developed in Germany, the Modag-Krupp Diesel, which is at least as simple to handle and as robust as the former two types. It is an improvement on the crankcase two-cycle Diesel, its main new feature beingthe scavenging of the cylinders by means of a rotary blower. Moreover, the engine has solid fuel injection, so that the fuel consumption is low ; it is half that of the hot-bulb engines, and considerably less than that of normal engines

with crankcase and pre-combustion chamber. The Modag Diesel is at present built with one to five cylinders, and its main structural parts are the cast-iron bed plate, the cylinder block, and the cylinder heads. Cylinder liners and pistons are made of special cast iron. The use of pressure lubrication prevents overheating of the bearings even under occasional overload. Because of its simple, robust design, this engine rapidly became popular for small German craft like coasters and trawlers. The article tabulates the main dimensions of the five engine sizes now on the market, and a diagram shows fuel consumption, engine speed, and exhaust temperature as functions of the power.

Comprehensive Oil Engine Research.

Gas and Oil Power, 44 (1949), p. 339 (Nov.).

The work of the British Internal Combustion Engine Research Association is described, and details are given of research work in progress and test rigs which have been developed at their laboratories. Combustion-engine roughness and knock are being studied on a Crossley BWI-17 engine, which is also used to determine the effect of different types of fuel, especially those of lower ignition quality. Investigations of torsional-vibration damping are carried out on a six-cylinder four-stroke Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz engine developing 105 b.h.p. at 1,300 r.p.m., a seismic-type of torsional vibration pick-up being attached to the front end of the crankshaft. A Petter self-induction single-cylinder two-stroke engine is used to investigate stresses in a crankweb under conditions of deliberate vertical mis-alignment of an outer bearing, and a specially designed single-cylinder engine is used for determining the cetane rating of Diesel fuels. Investigations into the cause of crankcase explosions will be carried out on a General Motors 12-cylinder two-stroke engine, in which the original crankcase door will be replaced by a special type of safety door. A prototype bearing-testing machine has been developed for investigating the performance of bearings under the type of loading experienced in a Diesel engine big-end.

An important part of the work is the study of crankshaft stresses, and two resonant bending-fatigue machines have been developed for this purpose. A number of foreign engines have recently been examined. A Paxman three-cylinder RPH engine is used for general study of pressure-charging effects, and the performance of highly rated engines on low-grade fuels is tested on two engines representative of latest practice.

New Welded Frame Engine

Cross section og a 1949 Burmeister & Wain two-stroke engine
Cross section og a 1949 Burmeister & Wain two-stroke engine

The accompanying cross-section shows the principal details of construction of the latest type of two-stroke welded frame engine built at Copenhagen by Messrs. Burmeister and Wain. The engine in the m.s. Topeka has seven cylinders with the standard measurement of 740 mm. bore and 1,400 mm. stroke, corresponding to approximately 29 inch and 55 inch respectively. The output is 6,400 i.h.p. at 105 r.p.m., and the mechanical efficiency is in the neighbourhood of 81 per cent, giving the engine a rating of 5,200 b.h.p. which corresponds to nearly 743 b.h.p. per cylinder. The mean indicated pressure at this rating is 92Ib. per sq. in. or 6°5 kg. per sq. cm. In the case of the welded design illustrated, the bedplate, frames and scavenging air receiver are fabricated. The weight of the engine is reduced by at least 15 per cent, although the reduction may reach 25 per cent compared with cast-iron construction, depending on the type. This engine has two camshafts and there are four guides for each crosshead, and in the case of the original four-stroke B. and W. double-acting design, By using fabricated steel plates in the construction, it becomes unnecessary to carry the through-bolts which take the combustion loads down to the bottom of the bedplate. In this instance the bolts are carried from the jackets to the top of the A-frames. The exhaust takes place through a spring-loaded poppet valve centrally arranged in the cylinder cover, and scavenging air is admitted through ports uncovered by the piston at the bottom of the stroke. The air is supplied by rotary blowers, and these are driven from the crankshaft by chains and resilient couplings. It may be noted that the cylinder covers and the piston crowns are of heatresisting steel, Fresh water is used for cooling the cylinder covers and liners, the pistons being cooled by means of lubricating oil.

There is a stuffing box with tightening rings for the air and scraper rings for the crank-chamber oil. This box is located between the scavenging-air reservoir and the crank chamber. The design allows complete separation of the lower part of the engine from the scavenging-air system, while a short piston can be utilized, with a corresponding reduction in the engine height. The length of the unit is limited by placing the scavenging-air blowers at the back and a change valve is employed for the air delivery when the direction of rotation of the crankshaft is reversed. The shop trial results showed a specific fuel consumption of 0:28lb. per ih.p. hour. Reference was made to this engine on p. 78 of Engineering Abstracts, but the design shown here represents the correct representation of the engine.

—The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, August 1949, p. 193.



Werkspoor Single-acting Two-stroke Engine

(1949) Werkspoor
(1949) Werkspoor

In Fig. 2 is illustrated a single-acting crosshead engine with multiple exhaust valves (7) in the cylinder head. The valves are Investigation of Cavitation Phenomena by Tunnel Tests moved together by a lever (8) driven from a camshaft (9). The scavengine air chamber (3) is separated from the crank chamber by a partition (20), and the lover end (25) of the liner (5) is removable, so that the piston rings may be inspected and removed without dismantling the piston, Large removable doors (27, 28) enclose the scavenging air chamber, and the bottom part (25) of the liner is lowered until it rests on the partition (20), The engine has a short piston uncovering the scavenging air ports (12). The scavenging air pump (30) is driven by levers (31) from the crosshead and is located below the level of the partition, which has an outlet (32) for the discharge of air from the pump

—Brit, Pat, No. 616,893, issued to N.V. Werkspoor, Amsterdam. The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, September 1949, p. 244,


Controlled Injection in High Speed Diesels

(1949) Nozzle
(1949) Nozzle

In a paper read by Mr. Garton of the Shell Petroleum Co,, Ltd., in Stockholm some time ago, reference is made to the knock in high speed Diesel engines with fuels of low ignition quality. This is due to the fact that these fuels give rise to a relatively long ignition lag; hence a considerable amount of fuel has been injected into the cylinder by the time ignition starts, and it is the rapid, uncontrolled inflammation of this fuel which causes knock, One method of overcoming this difficulty, and permitting smooth operation with low cetane number fuels, is by arranging to inject only a small quantity of fuel during the earlier part of the injection period, and to increase the rate after ignition has occurred. In the Atlas system this is accomplished by the use of a two-stage cam in the fuel pump, and_a specially designed injection valve. A particular case of controlled injection is pilot injection, in which a small amount of fuel is injected before the main charge. It has already been mentioned that separate chamber engines are less sensitive to fuel ignition quality than open chamber types. The former are, however, somewhat more difficult to start at low temperatures. One method of overcoming this difficulty, without the use of heater plugs, is the Pintaux nozzle patented jointly by Messrs, C.A.V. and Messrs. Ricardo (Fig. 1) Recent experimental work has shown that the hottest zone of the separate chamber on starting is outside the normal spray path. The Pintaux nozzle is so designed that on starting (ie, at slow speeds) partial lifting of the needle valve permits a side spray of fuel into the hottest zone of the chamber (Fig. 2), thus facilitating starting. As the speed increases, the full lift of the needle valve results in most of the fuel spraying through the normal nozzle, though some delivery through the auxiliary nozzle acts as ilot charge, thus reducing combustion noise to some extent,

—The Motor Ship, Vol. 30, August 1949, p. 201.

A New 4,500 B.H.P. Engine

Successful tests have been carried out by Messrs. John G. Kincaid of the first two-stroke, single-acting, crosshead design of the eccentric-type, opposed-piston, propelling engine which is being installed in the motor vessel Braeside.

An illustrated description is given of the engine which has six cylinders 24.4 in. in diameter, the main piston stroke being 55.1 in and that of the exhaust pistons 18.5 in. Maximum continuous rating is 4,500 b.h.p. at 115 r.p.m., the mean indicated pressure being 92.4 lb/sq. in. The engine has ample width of bedplate when compared with the overall height. On account of the head-room available, the pistons and rods can be completely withdrawn vertically. The crankshaft is of the fully-built type, the webs being of cast steel.

Integrally cast with each crankweb is an eccentric for operating the exhaust-piston gear. Each pair of eccentrics is coupled by eccentric straps and rods and four steel side rods to the cast-steel yoke of the exhaust piston. The exhaust pistons are therefore driven by, and, in turn, transmit power through the eccentrics on the crankshaft.

The cylinders are of vanadium cast iron, cast in one piece, and are water-jacketed above the flanges by which they are bolted to the scavenge belt. The scavenge air has a clear blow-through, ensuring a fresh charge of air for each compression stroke. The scavenge air is supplied by two positive rotary blowers each driven by Renold triplex chains from the crankshaft. The fuel pumps are independent units operated by a camshaft driven by chain from the crankshaft. The main and exhaust pistons are oil-cooled and the engine is force-lubricated throughout.

The overhauling arrangements are very complete, and the gear supplied enables maintenance work in port to be cut down to a minimum. The engine runs smoothly and quietly.

Opposed Piston Diesel Engine

The first Fairbanks Morse opposed piston Diesel engines were built in 1934. The first engines built attracted the attention of the U.S. Navy, and approximately three million horsepower was installed in various types of Naval vessels. As currently constructed, the engine is built in 8£ inch bore and 10 inch stroke on each piston. The engine has been built in 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 cylinder assemblies, and the makers are now beginning on a 12 cylinder engine. The most common engine is the ten cylinder size, which the U.S. Navy rated up to 2,000 h.p. at 850 r.p.m. In commercial service engines of six cylinders are rated 960 h.p., eight cylinders 1,250 h.p., ten cylinders 1,600 h.p.

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