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Interestingly, the air cooled air racers at Reno spray water onto the engine to keep their monsters cool. Liquid cooled racers spray water on their radiators - basically because in both instances they are operating beyond the cooling capacity of their installations.
When considering sleeve valve vs. poppet valve development, it is unfair to speak of "15 years of development and millions of dollars/pounds" when one can ask that how many years and how many millions were spent to developing poppet valves to the level they were in WW2?
One more thing. When one compares e.g. 2000 hp engines to those projects with 4000 hp, one can note 2 things: the power/weight gets substantially poorer and the complexity goes disproportionally up.
Were the planes with leading-edge radiators slow birds?
The entire cost of the development of the sleeve valve engine (at least for aircraft, there were a few luxury automobiles that used them) was borne by the British and basically two companies. The Development of the poppet valve engine was spread out over a number of countries and many companies.
Still the total amount of money and effort spent on perfecting the poppet valve train far exceeded the amounts spent on sleeve valves. Yet, I am 100% convinced that the sleeve valve is the better system. An exellent indication of the sleeve valve superiority is to compare the maximum allowable cylinder head temperatures of air cooled radials. E.g. the Centaurus 18 allowed 300 deg C as the maximum continuous (weak and rich mixture) CHT while e.g. a R-1820-56 (which has the famous W cooling fins) the weak mixture limit was 218 deg C with the 5 minute limit being 248 deg C.
But being better may not do, as was with the case of VHS vs. Beta.
Build me the ultimate engine for the widest range of applications possible.
I see what you're saying.
Rather than run too far off topic, i was simply taking notice that placement of the radiator intake would effect overall performance, and that leading edge vents would not present the best drag profile.
Whether its intended to be a ground attack/support fighter or not, having the radiator on the chin or near the engine would not make it more vulnerable, something that i'm sure was a consideration for war-time engineers.
Its also represented by the placement of the radiator on the P-40-XP to the first production model P-40B. Though that change was first implemented on the P-40(would've been A) and was said to have lowered performance. Obviously, there was more that went into the B that also accounted for its increase in speed from the XP model.
Bill
In any case the 60° V12 is close to perfectly balanced
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Yes, and a triple ( Laveda Jota) and V8's too.
Compared to??Were the planes with leading-edge radiators slow birds?
Configurations might also have something to do with the size of the engine and the radiator to cool it.In other words, Camm decided it would've been good to have draggier plane, rather than a 'clean' one?
With the computer design and simulation technology, and alloys that are available now to create a sleeve valve engine; would this engine type offer any advantages for light aircraft and automobiles that would be economically feasible?
So, in large bombers/transports wouldn't it been perhaps wiser to use e.g. 8 2000 hp engines engines instead of 4 4000 hp engines? Or e.g. in the case of the B-29, 6 x V-1710-89/111 instead of 4 x R-3350?
How would the P-51 have performed (and appeared) with a DB601/DB605?
For that matter, how would any Merlin powered craft have performed appeared with Teutonic power?
Am i mistaken in thinking that large displacement/more cylinders is also more capable of running on leaner mixtures compared to less cylinders/smaller displacement?
It would also be interesting to have seen further development of Chrysler's first hemi, first applied to the P-60 and P-47H. It may have had limited applications but could make a good duel prop engine. The V16 would be slender and thinner than a bulky X design and output was a considerable 2400+ hp.
The best out of the box V engine of that era, IMO, would be the DB-600s engines.
They had decent power to weight and could be applied to a variety of applications.
They also tried or attempted various duel V designs, and turbo/supercharged arrangements. Its no wonder they appeared on fighters and light bombers.
How would the P-51 have performed (and appeared) with a DB601/DB605?
For that matter, how would any Merlin powered craft have performed appeared with Teutonic power?