Hispano-Suiza 12N
1920s French aircraft engine
The Hispano-Suiza 12N was one of two new V-12 engine designs first run in 1928 and was manufactured by Hispano-Suiza's French subsidiary for the Armée de l’Air. It produced about 485 kW (650 hp), was the first to use gas nitride hardening and introduced wet cylinder liners into Hispano-Suiza's aircraft engine range. It powered the first non-stop flight from Europe to the United States.
Design and development
Up to 1927, Hispano-Suiza's many engine types, of various layouts and cylinder numbers, were all recognisable developments of the World War I V-8 Hispano-Suiza 8. 1927-8 saw the introduction of four completely new engines, two V-12s and two with six cylinders inline. The Hispano-Suiza 12N, known by the manufacturers as the Type 61, was the larger of the V-12s, with a displacement of 36 L (2,200 cu in), the other being the 27 L (1,600 cu in) 12M. Apart from capacity and power, these two engines had much in common. The 12M first ran in 1927 and the 12N a year later.
Both 12M and 12N were 60° V engines with carburettors, inlets and exhausts on the outer faces. There were three carburettors per bank, each charging a pair of cylinders. Much of the new technology was in the cylinder design: these types introduced wet liners, an Hispano automobile engine innovation which brought the cooling water into direct contact with the steel cylinder barrel rather than through a screwed-in aluminium water jacket.
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