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Le Rhône

December 18, 2023

For other uses, see Rhone (disambiguation).

Le Rhône was the name given to a series of rotary aircraft engines built between 1910 and 1920. Le Rhône series engines were originally sold by the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône and, following a 1914 corporate buyout, by its successor company, Gnome et Rhône. During World War I, more than 22,000 nine cylinder Le Rhône engines were built, with the type far outselling Gnome et Rhône's other main wartime engine series, the Gnome Monosoupape.

Le Rhône
80 hp Le Rhône Model 9C, showing forward-mounted induction piping
Type Rotary engine series
National origin France
Manufacturer Gnome et Rhône
First run 1910

Licenses for production of Le Rhône series engines were negotiated with companies in Great Britain, Austria, Italy, Russia, Sweden and Germany. Le Rhône-designed engines powered many of the most famous WW1 aircraft, including the Sopwith Pup, the Sopwith Camel, the Nieuport 11 "Bebe" and the Fokker Dr.1 "Triplane".[1][2]

Operation edit

As with all rotary engines, the crankshaft of the Rhône remained stationary in operation, with the entire crankcase and its attached cylinders rotating around it as a unit.

When compared with the Gnome Monosoupape, the Rhône engines were of a more conventional design[2] with a carburetor mounted on the shaft and intake and exhaust valves mounted on the cylinder heads. Fuel was piped from the hollow shaft to the cylinder heads by copper tubes (mounted at the front of the 80 Horsepower 9C model and at the back on the 110 horsepower 9J).[3] The use of a carburetor allowed the Rhône series engines to be throttled during flight, which greatly reduced fuel and lube oil consumption. The ability to throttle the engine was cited as the reason for the Aéronautique Militaire’s preference for the Rhône series over the 'Monosoupape.[2]

Le Rhône engines featured cylinders with grey iron liners which could be bored out and replaced when worn allowing the cylinders to be reused. Sealing was done with piston rings only and without the use of the bronze obturator rings used on Gnome and Clerget engines.[3]

A complicated slipper bearing system was used in the Rhône series engines. The master rod was of a split type, which employed three concentric grooves, designed to accept slipper bearings from the other cylinders. The other connecting rods used inner-end bronze shoes, which were shaped to fit in the grooves.[3][4] Using this design each rod took its own thrust which removed the strain that would otherwise have been put onto the master rod.[4]

The Rhône series engine's defining feature was an unconventional valve actuation system, with a single centrally-pivoting rocker arm moving the exhaust valve and the intake valve. When the arm moved down it opened the intake valve and when it moved up it opened the exhaust valve. To make this system work a two-way push-pull rod was fitted, instead of the more conventional one-way pushrod. This feature required the cam followers to incorporate a positive action, a function designed in by using a combination of links and levers. The patented valve actuation design reduced engine vibration [1] but it prevented valve overlap and so limited power output.[4]

Production edit

The first of what would become the Rhône series was a seven-cylinder rotary engine designed by the engineer Louis Verdet while he was employed by Rossel Peugeot.  In 1910, Louis Verdet founded the Société des Moteurs d’ Aviation Verdet with Pierre Berthet, however the partnership was short-lived.  In 1911, Verdet joined Edouard Martin, an engineer and racing driver, and other partners to form the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône in Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis, Paris.[1]

From 1911 to 1913 the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône produced a series of seven rotary engines which won many endurance trophies.  In 1912 the company's first nine-cylinder engine the 80 horsepower 9C went into production followed, in 1913, by the 110 horsepower 9J model. The 9C and the 9J models would become by far the most successful of the Rhône series.[1][2]

In July 1914 the Société des Moteurs Le Rhône was acquired, on very generous terms, by its main rival the Société des Moteurs Gnome forming Gnome et Rhône.[1][2]

French wartime production of the Le Rhône series was undertaken by Gnome et Rhône at the company's Paris facilities located in Kellermann and Gennevilliers. 9,560 of the Le Rhône 9J and 8,700 of the 9C engines were produced in France during WW1, with a high proportion being exported. In 1915 around 45% of all Le Rhône engines manufactured in France were exported to Great Britain, Italy and Russia. Le Rhône series engines proved to be far more popular with aircraft manufacturers than Gnome et Rhône's other major engine series, the Gnome Monosoupape mainly due to the Rhône’s lower fuel and lube oil consumption.[2]

The last of the Rhône series engines to go into production was the 9Z (or Z9), a small 60 horsepower rotary design that first ran in 1920. About fifty 9Zs were built. After the 9Z's production run was completed no more of Gnome et Rhône's engines used the Le Rhône badge.[1]

Production outside of France edit

The British licensee for the Rhône engines was the Peter Hooker company.[2] During WW1 thousands of 9Cs and 9Js were built by British firms including W.H Allen, F.W Berwick and Daimler.[1]

Prewar production of the 9C was undertaken in Austria by Steyr Werke and by Mercedes-Benz and Siemens in Germany. In 1916 the German firm Motorenfabrik Oberursel started producing the 9J model as the UR.II.[1]

In Sweden, 9C and 11F Le Rhône series engines were manufactured by AB Thulinverken as the Thulin A and Thulin G respectively.[1]

In the United States, the Le Rhône 9C was manufactured by Union Switch and Signal Company of Pennsylvania. 1,057 American-built 9C engines were completed by the end of WW1.[2]

Le Rhône engines were also produced in Gnome et Rhône's own factory in Italy until 1915, when the business was acquired by a Turin based consortium, after which licensed production continued.[2]

Le Rhône engines were also assembled at Gnome et Rhône's factory in Moscow until 1917, when the entire facility was seized by its workers during the revolution.[2]

Variants edit

Data from :[1]

Le Rhône used just two different cylinder sizes in the majority of their production engines. The earlier motors starting from 1910, of which the 9C was the most numerous, had a bore & stroke of 105 x 140 mm; this size was used in 7, 9, 11, 14 and 18 cylinder engines. The later 9J series produced from 1913 (all with nine cylinders) used 112 x 170 mm. The 9R and 18R were slightly bored out to 115 x 170mm.

Production engines edit

Le Rhône 7A
(1910) 50 hp (37 kW), seven-cylinder rotary engine — twenty built for use on Borel Monoplanes and Sommer Biplanes.
Le Rhône 7B
(1911) 50 hp (37 kW), seven-cylinder rotary engine of 8.48 litres — Thirty-five prototype engines built.
Le Rhône 7B2
(1912) 60 hp (45 kW), seven-cylinder rotary engine — 350 built at Societe Moteurs le Rhône.
Le Rhône Type 9C
Main article: Le Rhône 9C
(1912) 80 hp (60 kW), nine-cylinder rotary engine, 10.9 litres. Also known as the Rhône 80 Horsepower, the 9C was widely used in both French and foreign aircraft with more than 10,000 engines produced by Gnome et Rhône and a variety of licensed manufacturers.
Le Rhône 11F
(1913) A 100 hp (75 kW) 11-cylinder rotary. 50 built.
Le Rhône 14D
(1913) A 120 hp (89 kW) two-row rotary of 19.96 litres, consisting of two seven-cylinder rows rotating around a single two-throw crankshaft. Not accepted by French military aviation authorities.
Le Rhône 18E
(1913) 160 hp (120 kW) two-row rotary displacing 21.8 litres, consisting of two nine-cylinder rows rotating around a single two-throw crankshaft. Not homologated by French authorities until 1917. Not to be confused with the prototype 18E engine made in 1917.
Le Rhône Type 9J
Main article: Le Rhône 9J
(1913) 110 hp (82 kW), nine-cylinder rotary engine. Also known as the Rhône 110 Horsepower, the 9J was widely used in both French and foreign aircraft with approx 12,000 engines produced by Gnome et Rhône and a variety of foreign manufacturers.
 
The 170hp 9R
Le Rhône 9R
(1916) 170 hp (127 kW) / 180 hp (134 kW) 9-cylinder rotary with two spark plugs per cylinder. 250 built under license in Great Britain.
Le Rhône M
(1917) A 9-cylinder rotary engine produced in small quantities.
 
Le Rhône 9Z developing 60 hp
Le Rhône 9Z
(1920) A 60 hp (45 kW) 9-cylinder rotary with two spark plugs per cylinder. Bore & stroke 84 x 106 mm.[5] 50 built

Prototypes edit

Le Rhône K
(1916) A 9-cylinder rotary prototype engine.
Le Rhône L
(1916) A 9-cylinder rotary prototype engine.
Le Rhône P
(1917) A 9-cylinder rotary prototype engine with 3 valves per cylinder, 2 inlet and 1 exhaust.
Le Rhône 18E
(1917) A 340 hp (250 kW) two-row rotary, consisting of two 9R rows rotating round a single two-throw crankshaft. Prototype only.
Le Rhône 28E
(1918) A 320 hp (240 kW) four-row rotary, consisting of four seven-cylinder rows (bore & stroke 115 x 140 mm) rotating around a single four-throw crankshaft.

Foreign copies edit

 
Oberursel UR.II, a clone of the Le Rhône 9J
Thulin A
A licensed copy of the Le Rhône 9C built in Sweden by AB Thulinverken
Thulin G
A licensed copy of the Le Rhône 11F built in Sweden by AB Thulinverken
Oberursel UR.II
A licensed copy of the Le Rhône 9J built in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel
Oberursel UR.III
A licensed copy of the Le Rhône 11F built in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel

Le Rhônes flying today edit

Several enthusiasts are using original Le Rhône engines for World War I replica aircraft today. A flying example can be seen at the Pioneer Flight Museum, Kingsbury Texas in a replica Fokker Dr 1. pioneerflightmuseum.org The engine had previously been flown in an original Thomas Morse Scout, which is now under restoration with another Le Rhône 80 hp engine planned for that flying aircraft. There are other reproductions of Dr 1's flying original Le Rhône engines, as well as the restored Thomas Morse Scouts in the United States.

Applications edit

 
Le Rhône 9J mounted in the front of a Cierva C.6 autogyro replica, displayed in "Museo del Aire", Cuatro Vientos, Madrid, Spain
 
A Le Rhône radial engine on display at the Frontiers of Flight Museum

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hartmann, Gerard (2004). "Moteurs de légende : Le Rhône" [Legendary Engines: The Rhone] (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Laux, James M (March 1980). "Gnome et Rhône - An Aviation Engine Firm in the First World War: Le Rhône". Aerospace Historian. Vol. 27, no. 1. Air Force Historical Foundation. p. 19-26.
  3. ^ a b c "Chapter II - The 80 and 110 Horsepower LeRhone Motor". Rotary Engines. United States: The War Department. 1919.
  4. ^ a b c Le Rhone Rotary Engine Retrieved on 18 February 2009.
  5. ^ Hirschauer, L.; Dollfus, Ch. (1921). L'année aeronautique. Paris: Dunod, Editeur. p. 119. Retrieved 10 November 2023.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Rhône aircraft engines.
  • Oberursel UR-II Rotary Engine.

December 18, 2023
rhône, other, uses, rhone, disambiguation, name, given, series, rotary, aircraft, engines, built, between, 1910, 1920, series, engines, were, originally, sold, société, moteurs, following, 1914, corporate, buyout, successor, company, gnome, rhône, during, worl. For other uses see Rhone disambiguation Le Rhone was the name given to a series of rotary aircraft engines built between 1910 and 1920 Le Rhone series engines were originally sold by the Societe des Moteurs Le Rhone and following a 1914 corporate buyout by its successor company Gnome et Rhone During World War I more than 22 000 nine cylinder Le Rhone engines were built with the type far outselling Gnome et Rhone s other main wartime engine series the Gnome Monosoupape Le Rhone80 hp Le Rhone Model 9C showing forward mounted induction pipingType Rotary engine seriesNational origin FranceManufacturer Gnome et RhoneFirst run 1910Licenses for production of Le Rhone series engines were negotiated with companies in Great Britain Austria Italy Russia Sweden and Germany Le Rhone designed engines powered many of the most famous WW1 aircraft including the Sopwith Pup the Sopwith Camel the Nieuport 11 Bebe and the Fokker Dr 1 Triplane 1 2 Contents 1 Operation 2 Production 2 1 Production outside of France 3 Variants 3 1 Production engines 3 2 Prototypes 3 3 Foreign copies 3 4 Le Rhones flying today 4 Applications 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksOperation editAs with all rotary engines the crankshaft of the Rhone remained stationary in operation with the entire crankcase and its attached cylinders rotating around it as a unit When compared with the Gnome Monosoupape the Rhone engines were of a more conventional design 2 with a carburetor mounted on the shaft and intake and exhaust valves mounted on the cylinder heads Fuel was piped from the hollow shaft to the cylinder heads by copper tubes mounted at the front of the 80 Horsepower 9C model and at the back on the 110 horsepower 9J 3 The use of a carburetor allowed the Rhone series engines to be throttled during flight which greatly reduced fuel and lube oil consumption The ability to throttle the engine was cited as the reason for the Aeronautique Militaire s preference for the Rhone series over the Monosoupape 2 Le Rhone engines featured cylinders with grey iron liners which could be bored out and replaced when worn allowing the cylinders to be reused Sealing was done with piston rings only and without the use of the bronze obturator rings used on Gnome and Clerget engines 3 A complicated slipper bearing system was used in the Rhone series engines The master rod was of a split type which employed three concentric grooves designed to accept slipper bearings from the other cylinders The other connecting rods used inner end bronze shoes which were shaped to fit in the grooves 3 4 Using this design each rod took its own thrust which removed the strain that would otherwise have been put onto the master rod 4 The Rhone series engine s defining feature was an unconventional valve actuation system with a single centrally pivoting rocker arm moving the exhaust valve and the intake valve When the arm moved down it opened the intake valve and when it moved up it opened the exhaust valve To make this system work a two way push pull rod was fitted instead of the more conventional one way pushrod This feature required the cam followers to incorporate a positive action a function designed in by using a combination of links and levers The patented valve actuation design reduced engine vibration 1 but it prevented valve overlap and so limited power output 4 Production editThe first of what would become the Rhone series was a seven cylinder rotary engine designed by the engineer Louis Verdet while he was employed by Rossel Peugeot In 1910 Louis Verdet founded the Societe des Moteurs d Aviation Verdet with Pierre Berthet however the partnership was short lived In 1911 Verdet joined Edouard Martin an engineer and racing driver and other partners to form the Societe des Moteurs Le Rhone in Montreuil Seine Saint Denis Paris 1 From 1911 to 1913 the Societe des Moteurs Le Rhone produced a series of seven rotary engines which won many endurance trophies In 1912 the company s first nine cylinder engine the 80 horsepower 9C went into production followed in 1913 by the 110 horsepower 9J model The 9C and the 9J models would become by far the most successful of the Rhone series 1 2 In July 1914 the Societe des Moteurs Le Rhone was acquired on very generous terms by its main rival the Societe des Moteurs Gnome forming Gnome et Rhone 1 2 French wartime production of the Le Rhone series was undertaken by Gnome et Rhone at the company s Paris facilities located in Kellermann and Gennevilliers 9 560 of the Le Rhone 9J and 8 700 of the 9C engines were produced in France during WW1 with a high proportion being exported In 1915 around 45 of all Le Rhone engines manufactured in France were exported to Great Britain Italy and Russia Le Rhone series engines proved to be far more popular with aircraft manufacturers than Gnome et Rhone s other major engine series the Gnome Monosoupape mainly due to the Rhone s lower fuel and lube oil consumption 2 The last of the Rhone series engines to go into production was the 9Z or Z9 a small 60 horsepower rotary design that first ran in 1920 About fifty 9Zs were built After the 9Z s production run was completed no more of Gnome et Rhone s engines used the Le Rhone badge 1 Production outside of France edit The British licensee for the Rhone engines was the Peter Hooker company 2 During WW1 thousands of 9Cs and 9Js were built by British firms including W H Allen F W Berwick and Daimler 1 Prewar production of the 9C was undertaken in Austria by Steyr Werke and by Mercedes Benz and Siemens in Germany In 1916 the German firm Motorenfabrik Oberursel started producing the 9J model as the UR II 1 In Sweden 9C and 11F Le Rhone series engines were manufactured by AB Thulinverken as the Thulin A and Thulin G respectively 1 In the United States the Le Rhone 9C was manufactured by Union Switch and Signal Company of Pennsylvania 1 057 American built 9C engines were completed by the end of WW1 2 Le Rhone engines were also produced in Gnome et Rhone s own factory in Italy until 1915 when the business was acquired by a Turin based consortium after which licensed production continued 2 Le Rhone engines were also assembled at Gnome et Rhone s factory in Moscow until 1917 when the entire facility was seized by its workers during the revolution 2 Variants editData from 1 Le Rhone used just two different cylinder sizes in the majority of their production engines The earlier motors starting from 1910 of which the 9C was the most numerous had a bore amp stroke of 105 x 140 mm this size was used in 7 9 11 14 and 18 cylinder engines The later 9J series produced from 1913 all with nine cylinders used 112 x 170 mm The 9R and 18R were slightly bored out to 115 x 170mm Production engines edit Le Rhone 7A 1910 50 hp 37 kW seven cylinder rotary engine twenty built for use on Borel Monoplanes and Sommer Biplanes Le Rhone 7B 1911 50 hp 37 kW seven cylinder rotary engine of 8 48 litres Thirty five prototype engines built Le Rhone 7B2 1912 60 hp 45 kW seven cylinder rotary engine 350 built at Societe Moteurs le Rhone Le Rhone Type 9CMain article Le Rhone 9C 1912 80 hp 60 kW nine cylinder rotary engine 10 9 litres Also known as the Rhone 80 Horsepower the 9C was widely used in both French and foreign aircraft with more than 10 000 engines produced by Gnome et Rhone and a variety of licensed manufacturers Le Rhone 11F 1913 A 100 hp 75 kW 11 cylinder rotary 50 built Le Rhone 14D 1913 A 120 hp 89 kW two row rotary of 19 96 litres consisting of two seven cylinder rows rotating around a single two throw crankshaft Not accepted by French military aviation authorities Le Rhone 18E 1913 160 hp 120 kW two row rotary displacing 21 8 litres consisting of two nine cylinder rows rotating around a single two throw crankshaft Not homologated by French authorities until 1917 Not to be confused with the prototype 18E engine made in 1917 Le Rhone Type 9JMain article Le Rhone 9J 1913 110 hp 82 kW nine cylinder rotary engine Also known as the Rhone 110 Horsepower the 9J was widely used in both French and foreign aircraft with approx 12 000 engines produced by Gnome et Rhone and a variety of foreign manufacturers nbsp The 170hp 9RLe Rhone 9R 1916 170 hp 127 kW 180 hp 134 kW 9 cylinder rotary with two spark plugs per cylinder 250 built under license in Great Britain Le Rhone M 1917 A 9 cylinder rotary engine produced in small quantities nbsp Le Rhone 9Z developing 60 hpLe Rhone 9Z 1920 A 60 hp 45 kW 9 cylinder rotary with two spark plugs per cylinder Bore amp stroke 84 x 106 mm 5 50 builtPrototypes edit Le Rhone K 1916 A 9 cylinder rotary prototype engine Le Rhone L 1916 A 9 cylinder rotary prototype engine Le Rhone P 1917 A 9 cylinder rotary prototype engine with 3 valves per cylinder 2 inlet and 1 exhaust Le Rhone 18E 1917 A 340 hp 250 kW two row rotary consisting of two 9R rows rotating round a single two throw crankshaft Prototype only Le Rhone 28E 1918 A 320 hp 240 kW four row rotary consisting of four seven cylinder rows bore amp stroke 115 x 140 mm rotating around a single four throw crankshaft Foreign copies edit nbsp Oberursel UR II a clone of the Le Rhone 9JThulin A A licensed copy of the Le Rhone 9C built in Sweden by AB Thulinverken Thulin G A licensed copy of the Le Rhone 11F built in Sweden by AB Thulinverken Oberursel UR II A licensed copy of the Le Rhone 9J built in Germany by Motorenfabrik Oberursel Oberursel UR III A licensed copy of the Le Rhone 11F built in Germany by Motorenfabrik OberurselLe Rhones flying today edit Several enthusiasts are using original Le Rhone engines for World War I replica aircraft today A flying example can be seen at the Pioneer Flight Museum Kingsbury Texas in a replica Fokker Dr 1 pioneerflightmuseum org The engine had previously been flown in an original Thomas Morse Scout which is now under restoration with another Le Rhone 80 hp engine planned for that flying aircraft There are other reproductions of Dr 1 s flying original Le Rhone engines as well as the restored Thomas Morse Scouts in the United States Applications edit nbsp Le Rhone 9J mounted in the front of a Cierva C 6 autogyro replica displayed in Museo del Aire Cuatro Vientos Madrid Spain nbsp A Le Rhone radial engine on display at the Frontiers of Flight MuseumAdamoli Cattani fighter Airco DH 5 Avro 504 Beardmore W B III Bristol M 1 Bristol Scout Caudron C 27 Caudron G 3 Caudron G 4 Cierva C 6 autogyro Fokker D VI Fokker D VIII Fokker Dr I Hanriot HD 1 Hanriot HD 14 Macchi M 14 Morane Saulnier N Morane Saulnier BB Morane Saulnier AI trainers Mosca MB 2 bis Nielsen amp Winther Type AA Nieuport 10 Nieuport 11 and 16 Nieuport 17 21 and 23 Nieuport 24 24bis and 27 Nieuport 31 Nieuport 80 81 and 83 Sikorsky S 16 Sopwith Camel Sopwith Pup SPAD S A 2 and 4 Spijker V 1 Spijker V 2 Standard E 1 Thomas Morse S 4C Thulin E TNCA Serie E Sonora Tololoche and MexicoSee also editClerget aircraft engines Gnome Monosoupape Gnome et Rhone Motorenfabrik OberurselReferences edit a b c d e f g h i j Hartmann Gerard 2004 Moteurs de legende Le Rhone Legendary Engines The Rhone PDF in French Retrieved 19 March 2023 a b c d e f g h i j Laux James M March 1980 Gnome et Rhone An Aviation Engine Firm in the First World War Le Rhone Aerospace Historian Vol 27 no 1 Air Force Historical Foundation p 19 26 a b c Chapter II The 80 and 110 Horsepower LeRhone Motor Rotary Engines United States The War Department 1919 a b c Le Rhone Rotary Engine Retrieved on 18 February 2009 Hirschauer L Dollfus Ch 1921 L annee aeronautique Paris Dunod Editeur p 119 Retrieved 10 November 2023 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Le Rhone aircraft engines Oberursel UR II Rotary Engine Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Le Rhone amp oldid 1187125874, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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