1943-1945 USA studies on Campini Caproni motorjet propulsion

[mvdmitri]

Study of Jet-Propulsion System Comprising Blower, Burner, and Nozzle - year 1944
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc62460/m2/1/high_res_d/19930093531.pdf

Analytical Theory of the Campini Propulsion System - year 1945
https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc63097/m2/1/high_res_d/19930094407.pdf

NACA Investigation of a Jet-Propulsion System Applicable to Flight - year 1943

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc64950/m2/1/high_res_d/20050241734.pdf


Design studies were made for the air cooled piston engines. While this powerplant allowed aircraft to reach speed of over 500 mph, it was inherently heavier and more complex than turbojet engine.

 

[swampyankee]

Interestingly, Garrett was working on something vaguely similar in the early 1980s, basically a turbofan with the combustor replaced by a very highly supercharged diesel.

 

[mvdmitri]

There were many aircraft motorjet projects with gasoline and kerosine piston engines, and more recently with high power density rotary Wankel engines.
The largest 4000 hp motorjet engine that was partially built in 1946-1947, but soon abandoned in favor of turbojets, was Soviet 032(R-130). It had weight 1400 kg and maximum takeoff thrust 2000 kg and 1500 kg at sea level at 530 mph. Fuel consumption at this speed was 765 kg per hour.

NASA was researching motorjet Wankel engine for a high speed subsonic passenger aircraft in 1970s:
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760014112
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c0/a6/81/f75a133ab741c3/US5692372.pdf
A Novel Type of Engine Design

Recently German company Bauhaus Luftfahrt proposed essentially the same engine:

Unified thermodynamic evaluation of Composite Cycle Engines

 

[basil]

There were many aircraft motorjet projects with gasoline and kerosine piston engines, and more recently with high power density rotary Wankel engines.
The largest 4000 hp motorjet engine that was partially built in 1946-1947, but soon abandoned in favor of turbojets, was Soviet 032(R-130). It had weight 1400 kg and maximum takeoff thrust 2000 kg and 1500 kg at sea level at 530 mph. Fuel consumption at this speed was 765 kg per hour.

 

[basil]

Mvdmitri,
thanks, interesting links. In fact the 032 was a Junkers project and its design was finished under soviet occupation in Germany immediatly after the end of the war by Junkers staff. It was a two stroke radial diesel with one variant as a 10 cylinder and a second as a 12 cylinder with the crankshaft directly linked to the compressor stages without gearing. Do you have any copies of the original design?
Pratt & Whitney had similar ideas at the end of WWs - the PT1 Pratt & Whitney PT1 - Wikipedia

 

[brianwnz]

Interestingly, Garrett was working on something vaguely similar in the early 1980s, basically a turbofan with the combustor replaced by a very highly supercharged diesel.

Hi there, I don't suppose you have any more info on this Garret work? ..... I'm interested in aircraft diesels........
Thanks, brianwnz

 

[brianwnz]

There were many aircraft motorjet projects with gasoline and kerosine piston engines, and more recently with high power density rotary Wankel engines.
The largest 4000 hp motorjet engine that was partially built in 1946-1947, but soon abandoned in favor of turbojets, was Soviet 032(R-130). It had weight 1400 kg and maximum takeoff thrust 2000 kg and 1500 kg at sea level at 530 mph. Fuel consumption at this speed was 765 kg per hour.

NASA was researching motorjet Wankel engine for a high speed subsonic passenger aircraft in 1970s:
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19760014112
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/c0/a6/81/f75a133ab741c3/US5692372.pdf
A Novel Type of Engine Design

Recently German company Bauhaus Luftfahrt proposed essentially the same engine:

Unified thermodynamic evaluation of Composite Cycle Engines

Hi there,
Any chance you could send larger pictures of those plans? I have an interest in aircraft diesels, especially old ones, and I've only just recently found out vague references to this engine - but it looks like you have concrete plans! I assume they are the Junkers originals? Would love a copy either way
Thanks in advance,
Brianwnz (Australia)

 

[mvdmitri]

This plan was not digitized. It is 1946 technical report of German engineer Egon Scheibe for the OKB-5 technical bureau in Russian city Samara.
Engine probably was not feasible. At 6000 rpm and 4000 hp two stroke air cooled diesel had to have weight just over 1000 kg. This is closer to turboprop weight.

The original German motorjet (Motor LuftStrahltriebwerk) plans can be probably requested here:

Luftwaffe Cockpits

 

[swampyankee]

Hi there, I don't suppose you have any more info on this Garret work? ..... I'm interested in aircraft diesels........
Thanks, brianwnz

Alas, I don't, but try searching NASA's NTRS at ntrs.nasa.gov. The search interface is a bit wonky, and it will give a lot of spurious hits, so be prepared for that and the possibility of finding many rabbit holes to quest into.

It was, in essence, a turbofan engine that replaced the combustion chamber with a very highly turbocharged diesel.

 

[basil]

Alas, I don't, but try searching NASA's NTRS at ntrs.nasa.gov. The search interface is a bit wonky, and it will give a lot of spurious hits, so be prepared for that and the possibility of finding many rabbit holes to quest into.

It was, in essence, a turbofan engine that replaced the combustion chamber with a very highly turbocharged diesel.

I do not know of a Garrett turbofan but a concept for a turbo compound helicopter engine as an alternative for the typical turboshaft:
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19870002357.pdf

 

[basil]

Hi there,
Any chance you could send larger pictures of those plans? I have an interest in aircraft diesels, especially old ones, and I've only just recently found out vague references to this engine - but it looks like you have concrete plans! I assume they are the Junkers originals? Would love a copy either way
Thanks in advance,
Brianwnz (Australia)

Sorry, I do not have copies of the original Junkers / OKB plans. My sources are the books "Junkers Flugtriebwerke" by Reinhard Müller and "Flugmotoren und Strahltriebwerke" by Gersdorff et alias, both excellent sources based on original documents and on people involved in the development.