Gnome-Rhône 14N
1937 14-cylinder radial piston engine family by Gnome et Rhône
The Gnome-Rhône 14N was a 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engine designed and manufactured by Gnome-Rhône just before the start of World War II. A development of the Gnome-Rhône 14K, the 14N was used on several French and even one German aircraft.
Design and development
The 14K's reliability was poor, so Gnome-Rhône carried out major redesign, using different materials for the pistons and valves, and enlarging the cooling fins to increase surface area by 39%.
The 14N was introduced in 1937 and was quickly installed on several aircraft models. In 1939, minor improvements allowed Gnome-Rhône to increase the compression ratio from 6.1:1 to 6.8:1, which increased power.
The 14N was further developed into the Gnome-Rhône 14R featuring a 2-stage supercharger, but this type was not widely used until after World War II as production of improved engines was restricted by the armistice with Germany.
Variants
Data from:Aircraft engines of the World 1945, Aircraft engines of the World 1946
14N-2: Left hand (LH) rotation, 780 kW (1,050 hp)
14N-3: Right hand (RH) rotation version of N-2
14N-10: LH rotation, 680 kW (910 hp)
14N-11: RH rotation version of N-10
14N-16: LH rotation, 697 kW (935 hp)
14N-17: RH rotation version of N-16
14N-20: LH rotation, 846 kW (1,135 hp)
14N-21: RH rotation version of N-20
14N-44: LH rotation, 780 kW (1,050 hp)
14N-45: RH rotation version of N-44
14N-48: LH rotation, 880 kW (1,180 hp)
14N-49: RH rotation version of N-48
14N-50: LH rotation, 1,000 kW (1,400 hp)
14N-54: LH rotation, 930 kW (1,250 hp)
14N-55: RH rotation version of N-54
14N-58: LH rotation, 880 kW (1,180 hp)
14N-59: RH rotation version of N-58
Applications
Specifications (14N-48)
Data from Aircraft engines of the World 1945
General characteristics
Type: Fourteen-cylinder two-row air-cooled piston engine
Bore: 146 mm (5.75 in)
Stroke: 165 mm (6.50 in)
Displacement: 38.67 L (2,360 cu in)
Length: 1,480 mm (58.27 in)
Diameter: 1,290 mm (50.79 in)
Dry weight: 620 kg (1,370 lb)
Components
Valvetrain: Two inlet and two exhaust overhead valves per cylinder
Supercharger: Single-stage single-speed centrifugal type supercharger
Fuel system: Stromberg carburetor
Fuel type: 87 octane rating gasoline
Oil system: Pressure fed at 480 kPa (70 psi)
Cooling system: Air-cooled
Reduction gear: 0.5:1 planetary reduction gearing
Performance
Power output:
Take-off: 880 kW (1,180 hp) at 2,650 rpm
Military: 790 kW (1,060 hp) at 2,400 rpm at 3,900 m (12,800 ft)
Cruise: 630 kW (850 hp) at 2,100 rpm at 3,900 m (12,800 ft)
Specific power: 22.45 kW/L (0.49 hp/in3)
Compression ratio: 6.8:1
Power-to-weight ratio: 1.4 kW/kg (0.85 hp/lb)
See also
Pratt & Whitney R-1830 a comparable engine sometimes fitted as an alternative to the 14N on French designs
BMW 801
Bristol Hercules
Bristol Taurus
Fiat A.74
Mitsubishi Kinsei
Nakajima Sakae
Piaggio P.XIX
Shvetsov ASh-82
Tumansky M-88
Wright R-2600
References
Citations
Bibliography
Danel, Raymond and Cuny, Jean.
“Gnome-Rhône 14N” enters the record as 1937 14-cylinder radial piston engine family by Gnome et Rhône. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Gnome-Rhône, 14-cylinder and radial can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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