Beardmore 160 hp

The Beardmore 160 hp is a British six-cylinder, water-cooled aero engine that first ran in 1916. It was built by Arrol-Johnston and Crossley Motors for William Beardmore and Company as a development of the Beardmore 120 hp, itself a licensed-built version of the Austro-Daimler 6.^[1]

Development

The engine featured cast iron cylinders and mild steel concave pistons. Produced between March 1916 and December 1918, the design powered many World War I aircraft types. It was noted that the engine was not as reliable as its smaller capacity predecessor.^[2]

Applications

• Airco DH.3
• Armstrong Whitworth F.K.7
• Austin Kestrel
• Beardmore W.B.II
• Beardmore W.B.X
• Central Centaur IIA
• Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.6
• Martinsyde G.102
• Norman Thompson N.T.2B
• Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
• Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
• Short Sporting Type
• Supermarine Channel
• Supermarine Sea King
• Vickers F.B.14

Survivors

A Beardmore 160 hp has been restored to airworthy condition by The Vintage Aviator Ltd, an aircraft restoration company based in Wellington, New Zealand. The engine was found complete and in a preserved condition in a farm shed in Uruguay, after a complete overhaul and ground test runs the engine powered the company's F.E.2b replica on its maiden flight.^[3]

Engines on display

Beardmore at duxford

• A partially sectioned Beardmore 160 hp is on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
• The Beardmore 160 hp engine installed in the recently restored F.E.2 can be viewed at the Royal Air Force Museum London.

Specifications (160 hp)

Data from Lumsden^[4]and Jane's^[5]

General characteristics

• Type: 6-cylinder, inline, upright piston engine
• Bore: 5.59 in (142 mm)
• Stroke: 6.93 in (176 mm)
• Displacement: 1,020 cu in (16.635 L)
• Length: 57 in (1,148 mm)
• Width: 19.9 in (505 mm)
• Height: 31.9 in (810 mm)
• Dry weight: 615 lb (279 kg)

Components

• Valvetrain: Overhead valve
• Fuel system: Twin Zenith carburettors
• Fuel type: Petrol
• Oil system: Gear pump
• Cooling system: Water-cooled
• Reduction gear: Direct drive, right-hand tractor

Performance

• Power output: 186 hp (139 kW) at 1,450 rpm (maximum power)
• Specific power: 0.18 hp/cu in (8.74 kw/L)
• Compression ratio: 4.56:1
• Specific fuel consumption: 0.57 pints per hp/hr
• Oil consumption: 0.3 pints per hp/hr
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.30 hp/lb (0.5 kW/kg)

See also

Related development

• Austro-Daimler 6
• Beardmore 120 hp

Comparable engines

• Benz Bz.IV
• Hiero 6
• Mercedes D.III

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines

References

Notes

1. Gunston 1989, p. 21.
2. Gunston 1989, p. 21.
3. Beardmore 160 hp restoration thevintageaviator.co.nz - Retrieved: 2 October 2009
4. Lumsden 2003, p. 84.
5. Jane's 1989, p. 269.

Bibliography

• Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9
• Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1993. ISBN 1-85170-347-0
• Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-85310-294-6.

External links

• thevintageaviator.co.nz - Video of ground running a restored Beardmore 160 hp