Salmson air-cooled aero-engines
engine family
Between 1920 and 1951 the Société des Moteurs Salmson in France developed and built a series of widely used air-cooled aircraft engines.
Design and development
After their successful water-cooled radial engines, developed from 1908 to 1918, Salmson changed their focus to air-cooling to reduce weight and increase specific power (power per unit weight). The majority of the engines produced by Salmson were of radial type with a few other arrangements such as the Salmson T6.E. In common with other engines produced by this manufacturer, the air-cooled radial engines featured the unorthodox Canton-Unné internal arrangement that dispensed with a master rod in favour of a cage of epicyclic gears driving the crankpin. Production ended in 1951 with the liquidation of the manufacturing company.
British Salmson
The 3,7 and 9 cylinder Salmsons were license-built in Great Britain, during the 1920s and 1930s, by the British Salmson engine company as the British Salmson AD.3, British Salmson AC.7, British Salmson AC.9, and British Salmson AD.9.
Salmson post-WWI engines
In common with several other French aero-engine manufacturers Salmson named their engines with the number of cylinders then a series letter in capitals followed by variant letters in lower-case. Engines not included in the 1932 table which follows are listed here:
Salmson air-cooled engines available in 1932 are listed here
Applications
Nine cylinder engines
Seven cylinder engines
7AC
Albert A-61
Caudron C.191&2
Caudron C.220
Caudron C.270
Dewoitine D.480
Farman F.234
Farman F.280
Farman F.352
Hanriot H.411
Kellner-Béchereau 23
Morane-Saulnier MS.132
Morane-Saulnier MS.148
Potez 36/5
Five cylinder engines
5Ap
Jodel D.123
5Aq
Caudron C.109.2
CFA D.7 Cricri Major
5AC
Caudron C.110
Caudron C.161
Jodel D.124
Potez 36/3
Specifications (9 Ab)
Data from Tsygulev
General characteristics
Type: Nine-cylinder single-row supercharged air-cooled radial engine
Bore: 125 mm (4.92 in)
Stroke: 170 mm (6.69 in)
Displacement: 18.765 L (1,145 in³)
Length: 1,000 mm (39.37 in)
Diameter: 1,180 mm (46.46 in)
Dry weight: 265 kg (584 lb)
Components
Valvetrain: Two overhead valves per cylinder
Supercharger: Single-speed centrifugal type supercharger
Fuel system: Zenith 42D carburetor
Cooling system: Air-cooled
Performance
Power output: 191 kW (256 hp) at 1,780 rpm for takeoff
Specific power: 10.18 kW/L (0.22 hp/in³)
Compression ratio: 5:1
Specific fuel consumption: 328 g/(kW•h) (0.54 lb/(hp•h))
Oil consumption: 19 g/(kW•h) (0.49 oz/(hp•h))
Power-to-weight ratio: 0.72 kW/kg (0.44 hp/lb)
See also
Salmson water-cooled aero-engines
List of aircraft engines
Notes
References
Gunston, Bill (1986). World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Wellingborough: Patrick Stephens. p.
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