Argus 50 hp

1900s German piston aircraft engine
Argus 50 hp
Argus 50 hp side valve aircraft engine
Type Piston inline aero engine
National origin Germany
Manufacturer Argus Motoren
First run c.1909
Developed into Argus 70 hp

The Argus 50 hp aircraft engine, from 1909 was a four-cylinder, water cooled inline engine built by the German Argus Motoren company.

Design and development

The Argus 50 hp aircraft engine was developed by Argus Motoren around 1909 based upon their earlier balloon- and boat-engines.[1][2]

It had a bore of 124 mm (4.88 in) and a stroke of 130 mm (5.12 in) and produced about 45–55 hp (34–41 kW) at 1200–1300 rpm[3][4] and was produced in two variants, with the valves and camshaft on the right[3] or on the left side[5] respectively.

The engine cylinders were of cast iron, cast in pairs of two cylinders, with the cooling jackets integral in the casting. There were two side valves per cylinder, which were operated from the camshaft, which was located on one side of the engine block and driven from the crankshaft by spur gears. The intake valves were oriented to the middle of each cylinder pair, and their intake ducts were conjoined within the casting into a single external port. All four cylinders were fed by a single Cudell-G.A.-carburettor.[5]

The coolant was circulated by a centrifugal water pump which was installed on the carburettor side and driven from the camshaft gear. A single spark plug per cylinder was mounted above the inlet valve, with the magneto located at the control side of the engine, driven from the crankshaft via an intermediate spur gear. There was no oil pump installed and the lubrication was done solely by splash.[5]

Applications

Anthony Fokker in his first aircraft 'Spin', featuring an Argus 50 hp engine
  • Fokker Spin 1910 (first and second version)
  • Sikorsky S-5

Specifications

Data from Z.F.M.[3]

General characteristics

  • Type: four-cylinder, water-cooled in-line piston engine
  • Bore: 124 mm (4.88 in)
  • Stroke: 130 mm (5.12 in)
  • Dry weight: 129 kg (284 lb)

Components

  • Valvetrain: Cam-in-block, Sidevalves
  • Cooling system: Water-cooled

Performance

  • Power output: 55 hp (41 kW) at 1,300 rpm

See also

Related development

Related lists

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Argus 50 hp.

Notes

  1. ^ Haenig, 1910, pp. 72-77
  2. ^ Neuberg, 1910, pp. 127-128
  3. ^ a b c Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt, 1910, p. 133-134
  4. ^ Angle, 1921, pp. 49, listed as 'Type I with 50 hp'
  5. ^ a b c Seekatz, 1910, p. 766-767

Bibliography

  • Angle, Glenn Dale (1921). Airplane Engine Encyclopedia: An Alphabetically Arranged Compilation Of All Available Data On The World's Airplane Engines. Otterbein Press. pp. 49. OL 23525261M.
  • "Die Internationale Motorboot- und Motorenausstellung in Berlin". Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt (in German). 1 (11): 130–135. 1910. OCLC 1606129.
  • Seekatz, Fr. Wm. (Nov 20, 1910). "Der Argus-Flugmotor". Der Motorwagen (in German). XIII. Jahrgang 1910 (32). Berlin: Krayn: 766–767. OCLC 4551189.
  • Haenig, A. (1910). Ballon- und Flugmotoren (in German). Rostock: C. J. E. Volckmann Nachfolger (E. Wette). pp. 72–77. OCLC 3640084.
  • Neuberg, Ernst (1910). Jahrbuch der Automobil- und Motorbootindustrie (in German). Vol. 7. Berlin: Boll u. Pickardt. pp. 127–128. OCLC 2447871.
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