Shortround6
Major General
The Russian engines may have been better than we give them credit for. However there is another aspect of engine durability/reliability that comes into play.
Quality of construction/quality control.
There has been a lot of ink and internet band width used up trying to claim that Rolls (or Ford of England or???) made better engines than Packard or vise versa.
This a totally different subject than faulty ( or perhaps underdeveloped?) design. faulty design can be parts (Con-rods, Crankshafts, crankcases, etc) to small/weak to handle the expected loads. It can be other things like inadequate cooling in spots, like one bearing running hotter than others because of a difference in oil flow.
Quality of construction/quality control can be the fit and finish of parts. How well do pistons match each other in weight, How well are they matched to the bores. How well do the bearings fit. How good is the finish on the bearing surfaces. How well are things like con-rods polished. A polished con-rod will often last much longer than one with a few surface imperfections because fatigue cracks often start at the surface imperfections.
The quality of the work force and inspectors plays a big part here as does the provision of test/inspection equipment. Quality control changed for some nations more than others as the war went on, some got better, some got worse. Raw material shortages can also come into play. Japanese may have plagued by this. If you are short of certain elements/alloys that go into a design substitutes are often tried, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Or they work but not as long. Material shortages may come and go.
Peace time built engines should be more reliable even if of the same design. material shortages should no longer be a consideration. The push for maximum production is no longer there. In some countries during the war too many engine failures could get the plant managers shot or sent to the front as infantrymen. However failing to meet assigned production quotas could result in the same fate. A fine line between keeping up quality or quantity.
High power aircraft engines were on the very cutting edge of technology of the time. Time and again they introduced new alloys, new heat or surface treatments, new manufacturing techniques. Sometimes it took a while for some of this new technology to get passed around. Post war engines benefited from much of the development done during the war.
Quality of construction/quality control.
There has been a lot of ink and internet band width used up trying to claim that Rolls (or Ford of England or???) made better engines than Packard or vise versa.
This a totally different subject than faulty ( or perhaps underdeveloped?) design. faulty design can be parts (Con-rods, Crankshafts, crankcases, etc) to small/weak to handle the expected loads. It can be other things like inadequate cooling in spots, like one bearing running hotter than others because of a difference in oil flow.
Quality of construction/quality control can be the fit and finish of parts. How well do pistons match each other in weight, How well are they matched to the bores. How well do the bearings fit. How good is the finish on the bearing surfaces. How well are things like con-rods polished. A polished con-rod will often last much longer than one with a few surface imperfections because fatigue cracks often start at the surface imperfections.
The quality of the work force and inspectors plays a big part here as does the provision of test/inspection equipment. Quality control changed for some nations more than others as the war went on, some got better, some got worse. Raw material shortages can also come into play. Japanese may have plagued by this. If you are short of certain elements/alloys that go into a design substitutes are often tried, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Or they work but not as long. Material shortages may come and go.
Peace time built engines should be more reliable even if of the same design. material shortages should no longer be a consideration. The push for maximum production is no longer there. In some countries during the war too many engine failures could get the plant managers shot or sent to the front as infantrymen. However failing to meet assigned production quotas could result in the same fate. A fine line between keeping up quality or quantity.
High power aircraft engines were on the very cutting edge of technology of the time. Time and again they introduced new alloys, new heat or surface treatments, new manufacturing techniques. Sometimes it took a while for some of this new technology to get passed around. Post war engines benefited from much of the development done during the war.
