Wright R-1820

The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 was an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright and widely used on 1930s through 1950s aircraft.

History

The R-1820 Cyclone 9 represented a further development of the Wright P-2 engine dating back to 1925. Featuring a greater displacement and a host of improvements, the R-1820 entered production in 1931. The engine remained in production well into the 1950s.

The R-1820 was built under license by Lycoming, Pratt & Whitney Canada and also, during World War II, by the Studebaker Corporation. The Soviet Union had purchased a license for the design, designated M-25, and the Shvetsov OKB was formed to further develop the engine.

The R-1820 was at the heart of many famous aircraft including the early Douglas airliners (prototype DC-1, the DC-2, earliest civilian versions of the DC-3, and the limited-production DC-5), B-17 Flying Fortress and SBD Dauntless bombers, the early versions of the Polikarpov I-16 fighter (as M-25), and the Piasecki H-21 helicopter.

The R-1820 also found limited use in armored vehicles in two forms. The G-200 was a 9-cylinder gas-burning radial that developed 900 hp @ 2,300 rpm and powered the M6 Heavy Tank. The Wright RD-1820 was converted to a diesel by Caterpillar Inc. as the D-200 and produced 450 hp @ 2,000 rpm in the M4A6 Sherman.

Models/Variants

Unit numbers ending in/with 'W' indicate engines fitted with water-methanol emergency power boost system.

* R-1820-1 - 575 hp (429 kW)
* R-1820-80 - 700 hp (522 kW)
* R-1820-78 - 700 hp (522 kW)
* R-1820-4 - 770 hp (574 kW)
* R-1820-F53 -770 hp (574 kW)
* R-1820-33 - 775 hp (578 kW)
* R-1820-G102 - 775 hp (578 kW) , 1,200 hp (895 kW)
* R-1820-F56 - 790 hp (589 kW)
* XR-1820-32 - 800 hp (596 kW)
* R-1820-G3 - 840 hp (626 kW)
* R-1820-50 - 850 hp (634 kW)
* R-1820-45 - 930 hp (694 kW)
* R-1820-22 - 950 hp (708 kW)
* R-1820-34 - 950 hp (708 kW)
* R-1820-53 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
* GR-1820-G2 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
* R-1820-G5 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
* R-1820-G103 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
* R-1820-G105 - 1,000 hp (750 kW)
* R-1820-G101 - 1,100 hp (820 kW)
* GR-1820-G102A - 1,100 hp (895 kW)
* R-1820-40 - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
* R-1820-60 - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
* R-1820-97 - 1,200 hp (895 kW), Fitted with turbosupercharger
* R-1820-G205A - 1,200 hp (895 kW)
* R-1820-62 - 1,350 hp (1,007 kW)
* R-1820-72W - 1,350 hp (1,007 kW) , 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
* R-1820-86 - 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
* R-1820-103 - 1,425 hp (1,063 kW)
* R-1820-74W - 1,500 hp (1,118 kW)
* R-1820-82WA - 1,525 hp (1,137 kW)

pecifications (GR-1820-G2)

pistonspecs

ref=cite book|last=Tsygulev|title=Aviacionnye motory voennykh vozdushnykh sil inostrannykh gosudarstv ( _ru. Авиационные моторы военных воздушных сил иностранных государств)|publisher=Gosudarstvennoe voennoe izdatelstvo Narkomata Oborony Soyuza SSR|location=Moscow|year=1939|url=http://base13.glasnet.ru/text/aviamotory/t.htm]
type=Nine-cylinder single-row supercharged air-cooled radial engine
bore=6.125 in (155.6 mm)
stroke=6.875 in (174 mm)
displacement=1,823 in³ (29.88 L)
length=47.76 in (1,213 mm)
diameter=54.25 in (1,378 mm)
width=
height=
weight=1,184 lb (537 kg)
valvetrain=Two overhead valves per cylinder with sodium-filled exhaust valve
supercharger=Single-speed General Electric centrifugal type supercharger, blower ratio 7.134:1
turbocharger=
fuelsystem=Stromberg PD12K10 downdraft carburetor with automatic mixture control
fueltype=87 octane rating gasoline
oilsystem=Dry sump with one pressure and one scavenging pump
coolingsystem=Air-cooled
power=1,000 hp (746 kW) at 2,200 rpm for takeoff
specpower=0.46 hp/in³ (20.88 kW/l)
compression=6.45:1
fuelcon=
specfuelcon=0.6 lb/(hp•h) (362 g/(kW•h))
oilcon=0.35-0.39 oz/(hp•h) (13-15 g/(kW•h))
power/weight=0.84 hp/lb (1.39 kW/kg)

Applications

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
* Boeing C-75
* Brewster F2A
* Curtiss SBC Helldiver
* Curtiss SC Seahawk
* Curtiss-Wright CW-21
* Douglas A-33
* Douglas B-18
* Douglas DC-2
* Douglas DC-3 (DST, G-102 and G-202)
* Douglas DC-5
* Douglas SBD Dauntless
* Grumman AF Guardian
* General Motors FM-2 Wildcat
* Grumman HU-16 Albatross
* Grumman J2F Duck
* Grumman S-2 Tracker
* Lockheed Lodestar
* Lockheed Hudson
* Martin B-10
* North American O-47
* North American P-64
* North American T-28 Trojan
* Piasecki H-21
* Ryan FR Fireball
* Sikorsky H-34 Chocktaw

Vehicles

* M6 Heavy Tank

ee also

Related developments
* Wright Cyclone family
* Wright R-1300 Cyclone 7
* Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14
* Wright R-3350 Cyclone 18 (Duplex Cyclone)
* Shvetsov M-25
* Shvetsov ASh-62

Comparable engines
* Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Wasp
* Pratt & Whitney R-2000

References

* Bridgman, L, (ed.) (1998) "Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II." Crescent. ISBN 0-517-67964-7
* Eden, Paul & Soph Moeng, "The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft." Amber Books Ltd. Bradley's Close, 74-77 White Lion Street, London, NI 9PF, 2002, ISBN 0-7607-3432-1), 1152 pp.
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