Heinkel HeS 3
The HeS 3 is a jet engine that was developed by Hans von Ohain in the 1930s . A few days before the start of the Second World War, the world's first jet flight took place with this engine in a He 178 .
history
In 1935 Ernst Heinkel was informed that at the University of Göttingen the physicist Hans von Ohain and his technical assistant, the auto mechanic Max Hahn, were working on an aircraft drive that was supposed to work according to the recoil principle instead of a propeller . Frank Whittle had submitted a patent specification in 1930. Heinkel recognized the possibilities, hired both of them and provided them with experienced designers. At this point in time, Hans von Ohain had exhausted his private funds and was dependent on the cooperation with a financially strong sponsor in order to be able to continue his project. He believed that he had almost reached the goal and was convinced that he would be able to test a prototype for 50,000 marks in a few months.
This optimism was premature, because it took 18 months for the first prototype to run. In September 1937 the first test run took place in a remote barrack of the Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in Rostock- Marienehe ; however, this prototype was not yet operated with kerosene or gasoline, but with hydrogen . Heinkel was enthusiastic about this success, because he hoped to be able to outperform the aircraft and aircraft engine factories that competed with him with this new type of drive. At this point in time, Heinkel ordered a corresponding airframe (later the He 178 ).
In the following years, von Ohain's team worked on the further development of the HeS-3 jet engine. One of the main difficulties of the project, however, was the development of an annular combustion chamber , which ultimately led to the engine receiving a front combustion chamber, which now ran on gasoline as fuel.
After two HeS 3 jet engines were completed in 1938 and these had proven their reliability after numerous stationary runs, one of the engines was installed under the fuselage of a He 118 type engine that was still in the factory . In the subsequent flight tests, the jet turbine started without any problems and accelerated the flying test bench considerably. Further test flights followed and were similarly successful, until the jet engine burned out completely when the He 118 landed. Heinkel then decided to have the second turbine installed in the He 178, which has now been completed .
However, the actual thrust of the unit remained well below the minimum requirements and the theoretical values, which is why the test flight was delayed again. After several revisions and discontinuation of the technical fuel supply, the world's first test flight with an aircraft powered by a jet turbine was finally successfully carried out on August 27, 1939. The flight was carried out by the experienced flight captain Erich Warsitz , who had already participated in the trials of the rocket-propelled He 176 .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| Max. Diameter | 1.20 m |
| length | 1.63 m |
| Mass (dry) | 360 kg |
| Performance values (without inlet losses) | 450 kp (4.4 kN) static thrust at a speed of 11,000 min −1 370 kp (3.6 kN) at 11,000 min −1 and 200 km / h 345 kp (3.4 kN) at 400 km / h |
Web links
- deutsches-museum.de
- Video of the first flight of the Heinkel He 178 with audio commentary by test pilot Erich Warsitz
Individual evidence
- ^ First Patent for a Turbo-jet Filed by Frank Whittle, March 16, 30 ( Memento of February 13, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Wilhelm Gundermann: Germany: By a short nose - Developing the first aircraft gas turbines . In: AIR Enthusiast August 1972, p. 81