Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Whoa! Your time machine better have a truly massive transfer chamber because now you're talking about transporting a whole plethora of 21st century technologies back to the 1940s. More expertise and exotic materials than any one engineer could carry in his head.In no particular order?
Electronic engine management
Reduced reciprocating mass
Better oils
My now relatively old 2.0 liter is producing just over 2 HP per cubic inch or just over 125 HP per liter.
Whoa! Your time machine better have a truly massive transfer chamber because now you're talking about transporting a whole plethora of 21st century technologies back to the 1940s. More expertise and exotic materials than any one engineer could carry in his head.
Without semiconductors, hall effect devices, and miniaturization, how are you going to build a FADEC small enough and light enough for a single engine single seat fighter to get off the ground? A simple four channel two way radio was almost too much size and weight for the job back then. Are you going to recreate the entire solid state technology out of whole cloth once you get there? Same goes for advanced lubricants and light weight high strength reciprocating components. Are you going to single handedly leapfrog all those technologies through the intervening evolutionary steps? This I gotta see. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" all over again. You'll have ole Sam Clemens rolling over in his grave. More power to you!
Cheers,
Wes
Ah, things are not quite as simple as they appear.
granted they were not supercharged but did you know the First Porsche engine to exceed 1 hp per pound was the 4.5 liter 917 flat 12 engine of 1969? forged titanium connecting rods and other parts/materials not used in WW II.
If you can do it, more power to you. I'm still sceptical.I think it's doable
Please keep in mind, I'm not looking for modern levels of reliability, nor is this a constant output, but a peak WEP power. We're not trying to pull 5K + plus HP out of a Merlin for ten minutes. (3.3K HP, yes. Not 5K +)If you can do it, more power to you. I'm still sceptical.
Cheers
We
likewise any significant gains in structural weight reduction from accurate detailed vibration and resonance analysis.
Doesn't the weight of a recip engine planetary reduction gear assembly increase dramatically as the required speed reduction increases, offsetting some of your HP gain from higher crank speeds with more weight? Unlike turbines with their smooth power that don't pound the gears like a recip does.The main area for weight reduction is brought about by increase in crank speed, which enables engines half or a third of the size to produce the same power.
Doesn't the weight of a recip engine planetary reduction gear assembly increase dramatically as the required speed reduction increases, offsetting some of your HP gain from higher crank speeds with more weight? Wes
And thus wasting some of your added horsepower in propeller inefficiency. Unless, of course, you have the technology and materials to build blades of the scimitar fan variety seen on upgraded Hercs and Hawkeyes. Did they have Kevlar back in 1940? Don't think so.you keep the normal reduction gearing ratio and therefore end up with a smaller diameter prop to keep the tip speed below about 0.9 Mach or so, increasing the blade count may be necessary then to absorb the extra power
Electronic engine management
This seems to be assuming better piston and connecting rod materials and/or better manufacturing techniques. Titanium so far seems out of the question. It wasn't really available in large pieces until the 1950s, during WW II it seems to have been used as a trace (low percentage) alloying element. The engine makers of th etime were constanly pushing the materials envelope as it was, yes in the 75 years since WW II things have gone much further but it is a question of not just changing existing designs but coming up with new, for the time, industries for industrial processes.Reduced reciprocating mass
How much does your relativity old two liter engine weigh?My now relatively old 2.0 liter is producing just over 2 HP per cubic inch or just over 125 HP per liter.
Assuming the technology scaled up you'd have more HP from anything over 1500 cubic inches than the airframes could handle aerodynamically for the time.
Once you hit the HP/WT markers on the engines you can start designing larger offensive payloads or smaller, lighter, less expensive aircraft.
For example, an XP-77 with 1500 HP and same weight would have been an interesting proposition (Although still probably a dead end.)