Bristol Titan
| Titan | |
|---|---|
| Type | Piston aircraft engine |
| Manufacturer | Bristol Aeroplane Company |
| First run | 1928 |
| Major applications | Avro 504N Bristol Primary Trainer |
The Bristol Titan was a five cylinder air cooled radial engine. It had the same size cylinders as the earlier Bristol Mercury engine, 5.75 in x 6.5 in (844 cu in/13.8 L) and produced between 200-240hp. Later versions of the Bristol Titan also used a Farman style reduction gear produced by Gnome-Rhône.
Design and development
The engine was designed as a five-cylinder radial to use as many parts of the Bristol Jupiter as possible, cylinders, pistons, articulated connecting rods, crankshaft and other minor parts were interchangeable with the Jupiter.[1]
The major significance of the Titan was that it was licensed to Gnome-Rhône and became the pattern for the Gnome-Rhône 5K. In 1927 Gnome-Rhône was looking for ways out of its license agreement with Bristol for the Jupiter engine of 1920 and began to produce the Gnome-Rhône 5K without royalties.
The Gnome-Rhône 5K was built in much greater numbers than the original Bristol Titan. Gnome-Rhône was not satisfied with simply producing Bristol designs under license, and started a major design effort based around the mechanicals of the Titan engine. The results were introduced in 1927 as the K-series, spanning the 260 hp (190 kW) Gnome-Rhône 5K Titan, the 7-cylinder 370 hp (270 kW) the Gnome-Rhône 7K Titan Major, and the 9-cylinder 550 hp (405 kW) Gnome-Rhône 9K Mistral. With the introduction of the K-series, Gnome-Rhône finally ended royalty payments to Bristol. By 1930 they had delivered 6,000 Jupiters, Mistrals and Titans, making them the largest engine company in France.
Specifications (Titan I)
Data from [2]
General characteristics
- Type: Five cylinder air cooled radial engine.
- Bore: 5.75 in (146 mm)
- Stroke: 6.5 in (165 mm)
- Displacement: 844 cu in (13.8 L)
- Diameter: 48.4 in (1229.3 mm)
- Dry weight: 500 lb (227 kg)
- Designer: Roy Fedden
Components
- Valvetrain: Overhead valve
- Cooling system: Air cooled
- Reduction gear: Direct drive, left hand tractor
Performance
- Power output: 210 hp at 1,800 rpm
- Compression ratio: 5:1
- Power-to-weight ratio: 0.42 hp/lb
See also
Related development
Comparable engines
Related lists
References
Notes
- ^ Flight International 5 July 1928
- ^ Lumsden 2003, p.102.
Bibliography
- Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6.