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I was talking about all R-4360's in general...PWR4360-59B said:So your talking about just B-36 installations?
I didn't know that...Because what you are saying has nothing in common with other R-4360 installations.
Almost everything you said in your first post was about R-4360 installations. Oil cooler, again all about the installation. Not much was related to the basic engine. To better compare just the engine or engines it would be better to be concerned about how they perform on a dynamometer or test stand.I was talking about all R-4360's in general...
I didn't know that...
Jet like fuel flows? 150 Gal / H ? vs a gallon a second or more.I think the above discussion was also true of the R3350. Both engines were the ultimate radial engines, pushing the technology and materials to the max. Initially, fire and failure was just part of the process. But, as noted, once the crews learned how to operate them, they would last a long time on wing and perform well.
The bigger problem was fuel. The 4360 really needed military grade/115/145 octane to run at peak efficiency. The 3350 ran okay on 108/130, but of course the best on 115. Both could be run on common 100 oct, but there were significant penalties for takeoff and METO power settings. Thus the success of the C/KC-97 and the very limited run of the civilian B377.
The 4360 also was a fuel guzzler and even super- leaning yielded almost jet-like fuel flows. NWA folks used to joke that the "break even load factor on their Strats was 110%".
Just my 2 cents, as I don't often post. But the later radial engines have always fascinated me and embody great ingenuity and manufacturing expertise.
My jet fuel flow was a per engine number, especially back in the day they where super inefficient, and why Eddy Rickenbacker wanted nothing to do with them. Recip overhauls where dirt cheap then, pay was low. So a total fuel flow for a 4 engine, R-4360 plane would be about, 600 gallons per hour, and a jet 14,400 gallons per hour for a 4 engine plane . So makes a nice R-4360 look like a huge fuel saver.