- Hellmuth Walter
Hellmuth Walter (
26 August 1900 inWedel nearHamburg –16 December 1980 in UpperMontclair, New Jersey ) was a Germanengineer who pioneered research intorocket engine s andgas turbine s. His most noteworthy contributions were rocket motors for theMesserschmitt Me 163 andBachem Ba 349 interceptor aircraft ,JATO units used for a variety ofLuftwaffe aircraft duringWorld War II , and a revolutionary new propulsion system forsubmarine s known asair-independent propulsion (AIP).Early life
Walter began training as a
machinist in 1917 inHamburg and in 1921 commenced studies inmechanical engineering at theHamburg Technical Institute . He left before completing these studies, however, in order to take up a position at theStettiner Maschinenbau AG Vulcan , a majorshipyard . Walter’s experience withmarine engine s here led him to become interested in overcoming some of the limitations of theinternal combustion engine . He reasoned that anengine powered by afuel source already rich withoxygen would not require an external supply of oxygen (from the atmosphere or from tanks). This would have obvious advantages for powering submarines andtorpedo es.Research suggested that
hydrogen peroxide was a suitable fuel – in the presence of a suitablecatalyst it would break down into oxygen andsteam at hightemperature . Theheat of thereaction would cause the oxygen and steam to expand, and this could be used as a source ofpressure . Walter also realised that another fuel could be injected into this hot mixture ofgas es to providecombustion and therefore more power. Hepatent ed this idea in 1925.Entrepreneur
After working for some time at the
Germaniawerft shipyard inKiel , Walter branched out on his own in 1934 to form his own company,Hellmuth Walter Kommanditgesellschaft (HWK , orWalter-Werke ), to furtherresearch and development of his ideas. That same year, he made a proposal to the "Oberkommando derKriegsmarine " (OKM – Naval High Command) suggesting that a submarine powered by one of these engines would have considerable speed advantages over the conventionaldiesel-electric systems then in use. The proposal was met with much scepticism, but Walter persisted, and in 1937 showed his plans toKarl Dönitz , who was able to assist in obtaining a contract to produce a prototype. Construction started in 1939 on a small research submarine designated theV-80 . When it was launched in 1940, the submarine demonstrated a top speed of 23 knots submerged, twice that of any submarine in the world at the time. Despite these spectacular results, problems with the production, supply, and safe handling of hydrogen peroxide prevented wide-scale implementation of Walter’s revolutionary engine. In the end, only a handful of submarines were built using this engine, and none saw combat.Rocket engines
At the same time that Walter was developing submarine engines, he was also applying his ideas to rocketry. The high pressure gas mixture created by the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide could not only be used in a
turbine , but if simply directed out of anozzle , created considerablethrust .Wernher von Braun ’s rocketry team working atPeenemünde expressed interest in Walter's ideas, and in 1936 began a programme of installing Walter rockets intoaircraft . The experimental results obtained by von Braun created interest among Germany’s aircraft manufacturers, includingHeinkel andMesserschmitt , and in 1939, theHeinkel He 176 became the first aircraft to fly on liquid-fuelled rocket power alone. This type of engine went on to become the cornerstone of the Messerschmitt Me 163 rocket-powered fighter, when married toAlexander Lippisch 's revolutionaryairframe design. Throughout the course ofWorld War II , Walter’s aircraft engines became increasingly powerful and refined. The original design of simply decomposing hydrogen peroxide was soon changed to its use as an oxidizer, when combined with a hydrazine/methanol true rocket fuel designatedC-Stoff , into the hot, high-pressure gases, and in later, never-deployed developments, a second, 400 kg (880 lb) thrust "cruising" combustion chamber was added to allow for more precise control of the engine. Versions of this engine powered a variety of aircraft andmissile projects and was also licence-built inJapan (seeHWK 109-509 ).Another Walter engine was used to assist heavily-laden aircraft to take off (JATO or
RATO ). When the rockets’ fuel had run out, they would separate from the aircraft and return to the ground byparachute for refurbishment and re-use (seeHWK 109-500 ).In 1945, Walter was awarded the Knight's Cross for his wartime service.
Post-war career
The end of the war saw all of his research materials confiscated by the British military and Walter and his colleagues taken to the UK to work for the
Royal Navy . With Walter’s co-operation, one of the German submarines using his drive, the U-1407 was raised from where it had been scuttled and re-commissioned as HMS "Meteorite". The Royal Navy constructed two more submarines using AIP engines before abandoning research in this direction in favour ofnuclear power .Allowed to return to Germany in 1948, Walter formed the
Paul Seifert Engine Works . In 1950 he emigrated to theUnited States and joined theWorthington Corporation inHarrison, New Jersey , eventually becoming vice-president of research.See also
*
Walter-Antrieb Literature
* Karl G. Strecker: "Vom Walter-U-Boot zum Waffelautomaten", Köster Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89574-438-7
External links
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* [http://www.walter-rockets.i12.com/ "The Hellmuth Walter Website"]
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