Curtiss K-12
{{Short description|1916 liquid-cooled aircraft engine}}
{{no footnotes|date=May 2013}}
| {{Infobox Aircraft Begin
|name= K-12 |image =File:Curtiss K-12 NASM.jpg |caption = Curtiss K-12 at the National Air and Space Museum }} {{Infobox Aircraft Engine |type= V12 piston engine |national origin = |manufacturer= Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company |first run= 1916 |major applications= |number built = |program cost = |unit cost = |developed from = |developed into = |variants with their own articles = }} |
The Curtiss K-12 was a milestone in the development of liquid-cooled aircraft engines and was regarded as one of the most advanced in the world for its time.
Design and development
Designed by Charles B. Kirkham and first tested in 1916, the K-12 featured a cast aluminum upper crankcase and integral cylinder blocks, four valves per cylinder, and "wet sleeve" construction for improved cooling. It relied upon high rpm and reduction gearing to develop the same power as larger engines. Although technologically advanced, many of the K-12's innovations challenged the state-of-the-art and created serious reliability problems. Most problems were centered on producing reliable reduction gears.
The K-12 design led to the development of the very successful Curtiss D-12 (1922) engine used in fighters and racing planes. By 1926 the D-12 design had evolved into the more powerful Curtiss V-1570 "Conqueror," noted for its use in military aircraft. That evolution was continued in the powerful liquid-cooled, V-12 aircraft engines of World War II that owed so much to design concepts pioneered in the K-12 engine of 1916.
Specifications (Curtiss K-12)
{{pistonspecs
|
|type=12-cylinder liquid-cooled V
|bore=4.5 in (114.3 mm)
|stroke=6.0 in (152.4 mm)
|displacement=1,145.1 cu in (18.77 L)
|length=
|diameter=
|width=
|height=
|weight=
|valvetrain=
|supercharger=
|turbocharger=
|fuelsystem=
|fueltype=
|oilsystem=
|coolingsystem=liquid
|power=375 hp at 2,250 RPM
|specpower=
|compression=
|fuelcon=
|specfuelcon=
|oilcon=
|power/weight=
}}
References
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20130330023932/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=822 Curtiss K-12] – National Museum of the United States Air Force
- {{cite magazine|title= The Curtiss Model K 12 Cylinder Airplane Engine|magazine=Aviation| date=January 1, 1919|volume=V|number=11| pages=685–689|url=http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19190101#!&pid=684|url-access=registration }}
- {{cite book |last= Gunston |first= Bill |title=World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines |year=1986 |publisher=Patrick Stephens |location= Wellingborough |pages=49–50}}
External links
{{commons category}}
{{Curtiss aeroengines}}
This article incorporates text from [https://web.archive.org/web/20130330023932/http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=822 a public domain work of the United States Government].