Bristol Mercury

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Bristol Mercury
Mercury manufactured by NOHAB in Sweden

The Bristol Mercury is an air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine from the British manufacturer Bristol Aircraft Company . The Mercury is a further development of the Bristol Jupiter . The Bristol Mercury from 1925 should not be confused with the fourteen- cylinder Cosmos Mercury from 1919, which was also designed by Roy Fedden .

history

The development of the Mercury began in 1925 after it became apparent that the predecessor Bristol Jupiter could no longer be improved significantly. The designer Roy Fedden used it as a basis, but reduced the stroke in order to achieve a higher speed and provided a single-stage radial fan as a compressor to improve the high-altitude performance. The propeller was driven by a reduction gear. Although the engine was initially no more powerful than the Jupiter, the British Aviation Department ordered three prototypes.

The engine became a great commercial success. It was used by the two hunters Gloster Gauntlet and Gloster Gladiator . The best-known aircraft series equipped with Bristol Mercury is likely to have been the Bristol Blenheim .

Licensed buildings

Manufacturing licenses have been sold to Poland (used in the PZL P.11 ), Czechoslovakia ( Walter ) and Sweden, where NOHAB manufactured the engine. The Junkers Ju 86 and Gloster Gladiator built there under license as well as the Swedish in-house development Saab 17 were equipped with it .

technology

The engine has 4-valve cylinder heads, the overhead valves being operated by push rods. The outlet valves are sodium-cooled .

Executions

  • Mercury VIII - maximum power 625 kW at 2750 rpm
  • Mercury XV - maximum power 740 kW at 2750 rpm in 2820 m (with 100 octane fuel)
  • Mercury XX - maximum power 650 kW at 2650 rpm in 1370 m

Technical data (Mercury XV)

  • Bore: 146 mm
  • Stroke: 165 mm
  • Displacement: 24.9 l
  • Diameter: 1307 mm
  • Weight: 485 kg
  • Carburetor: Claudel-Hobson
  • Lubrication system: dry sump
  • Compression: 7: 1

Web links

Commons : Bristol Mercury  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Cosmos Aero Engines, Flight edition v. July 3, 1919, page 869 f. , available online at flightglobal.com - Aviation History - PDF archive, in English