Rolls-Royce: Aero Engines
Note: This is a sub-section of Rolls-Royce
General
1915 The company's first aero engine was the Eagle completed in October 1915. Designed to produce 200 hp, in practice it showed 255 hp. By 918 this engine was producing 360 hp at 1,800 rpm. [1]
1915 December. Designed the Hawk engine to produce 75 hp at 1,350 rpm. By October 1918 it had been increased to 105 hp. [1]
1916 April. The Falcon engine gave 205 hp and by July 1918 was producing 285 hp. [1]
Around half the aircraft engines used by the Allies in World War I were made by Rolls-Royce.
1919 John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown fly the Atlantic in a Vickers Vimy fitted with two Eagle engines
1919 Ross Smith and his brother Keith Smith fly from England to Australia in a Rolls-Royce engined Vimy
By the late 1920s, aero engines made up most of Rolls-Royce's business.
1933 The Condor engine was produced.
1935 Henry Royce's last design was the Merlin aero engine, which came out in 1935, although he had died in 1933. This was developed after the R engine, which had powered a record-breaking Supermarine S6B seaplane to almost 400 mph in the 1931 Schneider Trophy. The Merlin was a powerful V12 engine and was fitted into many World War II aircraft: the Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, de Havilland Mosquito (two-engine), Avro Lancaster (four-engine), Vickers Wellington (two-engine); it also transformed the American P-51 Mustang into possibly the best fighter of its time, its Merlin engine built by Packard under licence. Over 160,000 Merlin engines were produced. The Merlin crossed over into military vehicle use as the Meteor powering the Centurion tank among others.
1937 Aero engine manufacturers. "Kestrel" Aero Engines. "Merlin" Aero Engines. [2]
1937 Rotol Airscrews was formed on 13th May 1937 by Rolls-Royce and Bristol Aeroplane Co to take over both companies' propeller developments.
In the post-World War II period Rolls-Royce made significant advances in gas turbine engine design and manufacture. The Dart and Tyne turboprop engines were particularly important, enabling airlines to cut times for shorter journeys whilst jet airliners were introduced on longer services. The Dart engine was used in Argosy, Avro 748, Friendship, Herald and Viscount aircraft, whilst the more powerful Tyne powered the Atlantic, Transall and Vanguard, and the SRN-4 hovercraft. Many of these turboprops are still in service. Amongst the jet engines of this period was the RB163 Spey, which powers the Trident, BAC 1-11, Grumman Gulfstream II and Fokker F28.
During the late 1950s and 1960s there was a significant rationalisation of all aspects of British aerospace and this included aero-engine manufacturers, culminating in the merger of Rolls-Royce and Bristol Siddeley in 1966 (Bristol Siddeley had itself resulted from the merger of Armstrong Siddeley and Bristol Aero Engines in 1959). Bristol Siddeley, with its principal factory at Filton, near Bristol, had a strong base in military engines, including the Olympus, Viper, Pegasus and Orpheus. They also manufactured the Olympus 593 Mk610 for Concorde.
1968 First test run of the RB.211 turbo-fan engine for Lockheed.
List of Engines
- Eagle 1915-1928 - (4,681 built) - V12
- Hawk 1915-1918 - (215 built) - V6
- Falcon 1916-1927 - (2,185 built) - V12 of 14.2 litres
- Condor 1918-1932 - (327 built) - V12
- Merlin 1935- - (150,000) - V12 of 27 litres
- Kestrel 1927
- Peregrine
- Buzzard
- R 1929-34 - (19 built)
- Griffon
- Exe
- Pennine 1945- - X24 of 44 litres
- Vulture X24
|-
|bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Crecy
|bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1945
|bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| 6
|bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce Crecy was a two-stroke 90-degree V12 liquid cooled aero engine of 26.1 litres capacity, featuring sleeve valves and direct petrol injection. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Eagle 22 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| 50 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce Eagle 22 was a 24-cylinder sleeve-valve aero engine of 46 Litres (2,807 cubic inches) displacement. Produced in the late 1940s it was liquid cooled, of flat H configuration with two crankshafts and capable of 3,200 hp (2,387 kW) at 18 psi boost. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 colspan=4| Gas turbine turbojet aero-engines
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Welland |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1943 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| 167 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Welland was Britain's first production jet engine. It was designed by Frank Whittle's team at Power Jets, originally intended to be produced by Rover as the W.2B/23. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Derwent |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Derwent was a 1940s British centrifugal compressor turbojet engine, the second Rolls-Royce jet engine to enter production. . . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Nene |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1944 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Nene or RB.41, was Rolls-Royce's third jet engine to enter production. The Nene doubled the thrust of the earlier generation engines, with early versions providing about 5,000 lbf (22.2 kN), but remained generally similar in most ways. . . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Tay |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.44 Tay was essentially an (optionally) afterburning version of the Nene, aimed at the same military market that the Nene served. It saw little use in England, but the design was licensed by Pratt & Whitney as the J48 and saw extensive use in several versions of the Grumman F9F Panther and F-94 Starfire, and by Hispano-Suiza as the Verdon which was used in the Dassault Mystère IV.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Avon |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1950-74 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| >11,000 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Avon was Rolls-Royce' first axial flow jet engine. Introduced in 1950, it went on to become one of their most successful post-World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of aircraft, both military and civilian, ending production after 24 years. . . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Viper |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1953- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Viper was a turbojet engine developed and produced by Armstrong Siddeley and then by its successor companies Bristol Siddeley and Rolls-Royce. The design is a 7-stage compressor based on their Sapphire engine — in effect a small scale Sapphire.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Olympus |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Olympus is a high-powered axial-flow turbojet aircraft engine, originally developed and produced by Bristol Engine Co (hence the name from Greek mythology, a long time tradition of the company), later passed to Bristol Siddeley, and finally to Rolls-Royce. The original design was used as the powerplant for the Avro Vulcan V Bomber. It was later developed for sustained supersonic performance as part of the TSR-2 program, and when this was cancelled was used as the powerplant for Concorde. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Soar |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1953 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.82 Soar was a small, expendable axial-flow turbojet intended for cruise missile use. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top colspan=4| Gas turbine turboprop aero-engine
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Clyde |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Clyde, or RB39, was Rolls-Royce's first purpose-designed turboprop engine. . . . More information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Trent |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1945 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce Trent or RB.50 was the world's first turboprop engine. It was based on a concept provided by Frank Whittle and was essentially a Derwent Mark II turbojet engine with an additional turbine stage driving a reduction gearbox connected to a five-bladed Rotol propeller. The Trent ran for 633 hours on test before being installed in a Gloster Meteor jet fighter which flew for the first time on 20 September 1945 at the start of a program comprising 298 hours of flight tests.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Dart |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| -87 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.53 Dart was a long-lived turboprop engine. First produced in the late 1940s, it powered the first Vickers Viscount maiden flight in 1948. It was still in production until the last F-27s and H.S 748's were produced in 1987. Power output was around 1,500 hp (1,120 kW) in early versions, and close to twice that in later versions, such as those which powered the NAMC YS-11 airliner.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Tweed |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| -
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Tyne |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.109 Tyne was a 2 shaft turboprop developed in the late 1950's by Rolls-Royce Limited, primarily for the Vickers Vanguard airliner. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top colspan=4|Gas turbine bypass turbofan aero-engine
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Conway |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.80 Conway was the first by-pass engine (or turbofan) to go into service in the world. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Medway |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| -
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Spey |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Spey is a low-bypass turbofan engine from Rolls-Royce that has been in widespread service for over 30 years. Originally intended for the civilian jet airliner market when it was being designed in the late 1950s, the Spey machinery was also used in various military engines, and later as a turboshaft engine for ships known as the Marine Spey. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RB 211 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB211 is a family of high-bypass turbofan engines made by Rolls-Royce plc and capable of generating 37,400 to 60,600 pounds-force (166 to 270 kilonewtons) thrust. Originally developed for the Lockheed L-1011 (TriStar), it entered service in 1972 and was the only engine to power this aircraft type. Derivative versions were later produced for variants of the Boeing 747, 757 and 767, as well as the Russian Tupolev Tu-204 airliner. . . . More information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Tay |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.183 Tay is a development of the RB.163 civil Spey, using the low-pressure components from the famous RB.211 to produce a version with a bypass ratio increased to 3:1. It was initially developed as the Spey Junior.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Turbomeca Adour |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Adour jet engine is a two-shaft turbofan developed by Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca, a joint subsidiary of Rolls-Royce (UK) and Turbomeca (France).
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RB.199 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Turbo Union RB 199 is an aircraft turbofan jet engine designed and built jointly by Rolls-Royce, MTU and FiatAvio (now Avio). It is produced in three versions.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Trent |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Rolls Royce Trent is a family of high bypass turbofan engines manufactured by Rolls-Royce. All are developments of the RB211 with thrust ratings of between 53,000 and 95,000 lbf (236 to 423 kN). . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top colspan=4|Gas turbine lift jet aero-engine
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RB.108 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce RB.108 was a jet engine designed by Rolls-Royce specifically for use as a VTOL lift engine, i.e., an engine intended primarily for providing lift rather than for horizontal propulsion.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RB.145 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| -
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RB.162 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| -
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Pegasus |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls Royce Pegasus is a turbofan engine originally designed by Bristol and now manufactured by Rolls-Royce. The unique Pegasus engine powers all versions of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier multi-role military aircraft. . . . More Information
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top colspan=4|Gas turbine turboshaft aero-engine
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| Gem |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The Rolls-Royce Gem is a turboshaft engine developed specifically for the Westland Lynx helicopter in the 1970's. The design started off at de Havilland (hence the name starting with "G") and was passed to Bristol-Siddeley as the BS.360. When Rolls-Royce bought-out the latter, it became the RS.360.
|- |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| RTM322 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| 1992 |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top align=right| - |bgcolor=#F0F0F0 valign=top| The RTM322 is a turboshaft engine produced by Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Ltd., a joint venture between Rolls-Royce plc and Turbomeca. The engine was designed to suit a wide-range of military and commercial helicopter designs. The RTM322 can also be employed in maritime and industrial applications.
Sources of Information
- [1] Wikipedia
- 1961 Guide to Key British Enterprises