Alfa Romeo 115
I-6 air cooled piston aircraft engine
The Alfa Romeo 115 is an Italian six-cylinder air-cooled inverted inline engine for aircraft use, mainly for training and light planes, based on the de Havilland Gipsy Six engine. Production totalled approximately 1,600 units. Derivatives of the 115 include the -1, bis, ter and Alfa Romeo 116.
Description
The Alfa Romeo 115 series of engines closely follows the original de Havilland Gipsy Six engines in having one-piece Elektron casting crankcases with cover plates, steel cylinders, finned for cooling, and detachable aluminium alloy cylinder heads. The six-throw one-piece counterbalanced crankshaft is carried in seven plain journal bearings and the propeller is driven directly by the crankshaft.
Variants
110ter
4-cylinder version of the 115ter
115-1 (115-I)
115bis (115-2 / 115-II)
115ter (115-3 / 115-III)
116-1 (116-I)
The 115 bored out to 120 mm (4.72 in) developing 160 kW (220 hp) at 2,360 rpm, otherwise similar.
Applications
Ambrosini SAI.2S (115-1)
Ambrosini SAI.3
Ambrosini S.7 (115ter)
Bestetti BN.1 (one prototype)
Breda Ba.79S
CANT Z.1012 (or 110)
Caproni Ca.164
Caproni Ca.309 Ghibli (115bis)
Fiat G.46-1B (115bis)
Fiat G.46-3B (115bis)
Fiat G.46-4B (115bis)
Fiat G.46-A (115ter)
Fiat G.46-3A (115ter)
Fiat G.46-4A (115ter)
Nardi FN.305
Nardi FN.315
Saiman 200
Specifications (115-1)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1938,
Italian Civil and Military aircraft 1930–1945,
and Aircraft Engines of the World 1945
General characteristics
Type: Six-cylinder inverted air-cooled inline engine
Bore: 118 mm (4.65 in)
Stroke: 140 mm (5.51 in)
Displacement: 9.187 L (560.6 cu in)
Length: 1,642 mm (64.65 in)
Width: 498 mm (19.6 in)
Height: 825 mm (32.5 in)
Dry weight: 210 kg (463.0 lb)
Frontal Area: 0.35 m2 (3.8 sq ft)
Components
Valvetrain: Two valves per cylinder, sodium-cooled exhaust valves
Fuel system: Two Mona-Hobson AI48D downdraught carburettors with mixture control
Fuel type: 73 octane
Oil system: 2.8–3.1 bar (40–45 psi), dry sump with one pressure and three scavenge pumps.
Oil consumption: 0.01095 kg/(kW h) (0.018 lb/(hp h))
Cooling system: Air-cooled
Reduction gear: Direct drive
Starter: Hand starter
Ignition: 2 x Marelli magnetos, 2 x spark plugs per cylinder.
Performance
Power output:
Maximum power: 153 kW (205 hp) at 2,350 rpm
Normal: 145 kW (195 hp) at 2,200 rpm
Cruising: 100 kW (140 hp) at 1,500 rpm
Compression ratio: 6.5:1
Specific fuel consumption: 0.322 kg/(kW h) (0.53 lb/(hp h)) (take-off)
Oil consumption: 0.011 kg/(kW h) (0.018 lb/(hp h))
Power-to-weight ratio: 0.727 kW/kg (0.4425 hp/lb)
See also
Comparable engines
de Havilland Gipsy Six
Hirth HM 506
Menasco Buccaneer
Ranger 6-440
Walter Minor 6
Related lists
List of aircraft engines
Notes
References
Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1953).
“Alfa Romeo 115” enters the record as i-6 air cooled piston aircraft engine. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Alfa, Romeo and cooled can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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