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RAF 4

RAF 4

FieldValue
nameRAF 4
imageRAF4engine.JPG
captionPreserved RAF 4a engine at the Science Museum (London)
engine_typePiston inline aero engine
manufacturerRoyal Aircraft Factory
designerA.J. Rowledge
first_runDecember 1914
major_applicationsRoyal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
number_built3,600
developed_fromRAF 1

The RAF 4 is a British air-cooled, V12 engine developed for aircraft use during World War I. Based on the eight–cylinder RAF 1 it was designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory but produced by the two British companies of Daimler and Siddeley-Deasy. The RAF 5 was a pusher version of the same engine.

Turbocharger

A turbocharged experimental version of the RAF 4, the RAF 4d, was developed using a Rateau exhaust-driven turbocharger. The engine was test-flown in a R.E.8, but the turbocharging experiments were abandoned after the turbine failed on 4 May 1918.

Variants

;RAF 4 :1914 - Prototype engine, 140 horsepower (104 kW). ;RAF 4a :1917 - Main production variant, 150 horsepower (112 kW). 3,608 built. ;RAF 4d :1916 - 180 horsepower (134 kW), experimental supercharger installation. 16 built. ;RAF 4e :1917 - 240 horsepower (180 kW), strengthened cylinders and enlarged valves. ;RAF 5 :1915 - 150 horsepower (112 kW), pusher version with fan-cooling. ;RAF 5b :170 horsepower (127 kW), increased bore version of RAF 5.

Applications

RAF 4

The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
  • Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8
  • Bristol F.2 Fighter
  • Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12
  • Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
  • Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
  • Siddeley-Deasy R.T.1
  • Vickers F.B.14

RAF 5

  • Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
  • Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.4

Engines on display

A preserved RAF 4a engine is on public display at the Science Museum (London).

Specifications (RAF 4a)

and start a new, fully-formatted line with -- |power/weight=0.24 hp/lb (0.4 kW/kg)

References

Notes

Bibliography

  • Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.
  • Hare, Paul R. The Royal Aircraft Factory. London: Putnam, 1990.
  • Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .

References

  1. Gunston, 1989, p. 156.
  2. Hare 1990, p. 265
  3. Lumsden 2003, p. 224.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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