Le Rhône 9C: Difference between revisions
Major rewrite. Improved design and development section moved reproduction paragraph out of design and development. |
Steyr Werke, Mercedes Benz and Siemens had licenses to produce the 9C but my source is unclear if any engines were fitted to aircraft. In any case Geman and Austrian prouction is dealt with in main Le Rhone series page. |
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The '''Le Rhône 9C''' was a nine-cylinder [[Rotary engine|rotary aircraft engine]] produced in France by ''[[ Société des Moteurs Le Rhône]]'' / [[Gnome et Rhône]]. Also known as the '''Le Rhône 80 hp''' in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to many military aircraft types |
The '''Le Rhône 9C''' was a nine-cylinder [[Rotary engine|rotary aircraft engine]] produced in France by ''[[ Société des Moteurs Le Rhône]]'' / [[Gnome et Rhône]]. Also known as the '''Le Rhône 80 hp''' in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to many military aircraft types during the [[World War I|First World War]]. Le Rhône 9C engines were also produced under license by various companies in Great Britain, the United States and Sweden. |
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==Design and development== |
==Design and development== |
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Revision as of 15:51, 7 May 2023
| 9C | |
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| Le Rhône 9C engine installed in a Sopwith Pup at the Royal Air Force Museum London | |
| Type | Rotary engine |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Société des Moteurs Le Rhône / Gnome et Rhône, Union Switch & Signal (US), Daimler Company (UK) |
| First run | 1912 [1] |
| Major applications | Nieuport 11, Sopwith Pup |
| Number built | >10,000 |
| Developed into | Le Rhône 9J |
The Le Rhône 9C was a nine-cylinder rotary aircraft engine produced in France by Société des Moteurs Le Rhône / Gnome et Rhône. Also known as the Le Rhône 80 hp in a reference to its nominal power rating, the engine was fitted to many military aircraft types during the First World War. Le Rhône 9C engines were also produced under license by various companies in Great Britain, the United States and Sweden.
Design and development
First marketed in 1912, the 80 horsepower 9C was the first of the Rhône series rotary engines to have 9 cylinders. In common with other Le Rhône series engines, the 9C featured copper induction pipes and used a single push-pull rod to operate its two overhead valves. Unlike the later 110 horsepower 9J, the induction pipes and push rods were located on the front of the engine.
Prior to the outbreak of world war 1, aircraft powered by the Rhone 9C set numerous long distance city to city records including a highly publicized 1,400km flight from Paris to Gdańsk with a single refueling stop in Berlin. The 9C also powered the 1913 world altitude record of 6,120m set by the aviator Georges Legagneux in a Nieuport.
The 9C was selected early on for use in military aircraft with the first of many applications being the 1912 Vosin type 1.
During WW1 the 9C was the engine used in many single seater scout aircraft such as the Nieuport 11 “Bebe” and the Sopwith Pup. Later in the war most 9Cs built were used in training aircraft.
The German Fliegertruppen fitted captured 9Cs in their Fokker Eindekkers in place of engines built by Oberursel (which were themselves licensed built copies of the Gnome Lambda). Eindekkers fitted with the Le Rhone 9C were found to be superior particularly in relation to climb and maximum altitude.
Applications
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- Bristol M.1
- Bristol Scout
- Caudron G.III
- Caudron G.IV
- Caudron C.43
- Caudron C.127
- Farman HF.20
- Grahame-White Type XV
- Grahame-White Bantam
- Morane-Saulnier G
- Morane-Saulnier H
- Morane-Saulnier L
- Morane-Saulnier N
- Morane-Saulnier P
- Mosca-Bystritsky MB 2bis
- Nieuport 10
- Nieuport 11
- Nieuport 21
- Nieuport 24 (trainers only)
- Nieuport 27 (trainers only)
- Nieuport 80
- Nieuport 81
- Nieuport 82
- Nieuport 83
- Pemberton-Billing P.B.23
- Ponnier M.1
- Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.8
- Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
- Sopwith Dove
- Sopwith Pup
- SPAD S.A-1
- SPAD S.A-4
- Thomas-Morse S-4
- Thulin Type A
- TNCA Serie E
- Vickers F.B.12
Survivors and Reproductions
Examples of Le Rhône 9C engines are on view in aviation museums either installed in aircraft exhibits or as stand-alone displays. A few examples of the 9C engine remain airworthy both in Europe and North America, one powering a vintage Sopwith Pup biplane in England, and a small number of others having powered reproduction WW I-era aircraft at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome and other American "living" aviation museums that fly their restored original engines in both similarly restored original, and airworthy reproduction period aircraft.
Both the restored Shuttleworth Collection's airworthy Sopwith Pup and the 1960s-built reproduction Pup of the Owl's Head Transportation Museum (originally from Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome) are each powered by 80 hp Le Rhône 9C rotary engines, and fly regularly throughout the summer months.[2][3] An operative Le Rhone 9C is shown at the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica in Buenos Aires Argentina.
Engines on display
A Le Rhône 9C is installed in the Sopwith Pup on display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. After renovation this aircraft flew for a brief period in the 1970s and is now retired.[4]
- a Le Rhône 9C is on public display at the Aerospace Museum of California
- a Le Rhône 9C is on public display at The Hangar Flight Museum
Specifications (Le Rhône 9C)
Data from Lumsden.[5]
General characteristics
- Type: Nine-cylinder, single-row rotary engine
- Bore: 105 mm (4.13 in)
- Stroke: 140 mm (5.51 in)
- Displacement: 10.89 L (664.47 cu in)
- Diameter: 94.5 cm (37.2 in)
- Dry weight: 121.5 kg (268 lb)
Components
- Valvetrain: Cam-operated single rocker for both inlet and exhaust valves
- Oil system: Castor oil, total loss
- Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
- Power output: 92 hp (68.6 kW) at 1,300 rpm (maximum)
- Compression ratio: 4.5:1
See also
Comparable engines
Related lists
References
Notes
- ^ Hartmann, Gerard (2004). "Moteurs de légende : Le Rhône" [Ledgendary Engines: The Rhone] (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2023.
{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires|magazine=(help) - ^ CAA G-INFO - Sopwith Pup, G-EBKY Retrieved: 17 November 2010
- ^ Shuttleworth Collection - Sopwith Pup Retrieved: 06 April 2017.
- ^ Royal Air Force Museum London - Sopwith Pup, N5182- Full history Retrieved: 17 November 2010.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Lumsdenwas invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Bibliography
- Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6.
- Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9
External links
