Allison V-3420

The Allison V-3420 was a large experimental piston aircraft engine, designed in 1937 by the American Allison Engine Company.

V-3420
Allison V-3420 Engine
Type Liquid-cooled W-24 piston engine
National origin United States
Manufacturer Allison Engine Company
First run 1937
Major applications Fisher P-75 Eagle
Developed from Allison V-1710

Design and development

In 1937, at the behest of the United States Army Air Corps, the Allison Engine Company agreed to design and build a large-displacement high-power aircraft engine. The resulting V-3420 was essentially a pair of 12-cylinder Allison V-1710 engines mated to a common crankcase with a 30° angle between the inner cylinder banks. The crankshafts of the two V-1710 engines were geared together to drive a common propeller shaft. Most V-3420 parts were interchangeable with those for V-1710-E and -F engines.

The V-3420 had a power-to-weight ratio of 1.6 kW/kg or 1 hp/lb, excellent for its time. It was envisioned as a powerful yet compact engine for several advanced USAAF projects of the day, including the Douglas XB-19, the Boeing XB-39 Superfortress, the Lockheed XP-58 Chain Lightning, and the Fisher P-75 Eagle. As none of these designs saw more than limited production, only about 150 V-3420s were built.

Variants
V-3420-A16R (-11)
V-3420-A16L (-13)
left-hand rotation of propeller, single-stage supercharger with single-stage turbocharger and intercooler
V-3420-A18R (-17)
V-3420-A24
Supercharger ratio 7.2:1
V-3420-B (-23)
Similar to the -A but with mechanically driven supercharger in two variable-speed stages

Applications

Engines on Display

Specifications (V-3420-A18R (-17))

Data from Aircraft Engines of the World 1946

General characteristics

  • Type: 24-cylinder turbosupercharged double-"Vee" liquid-cooled piston engine
  • Bore: 5.5 in (139.7 mm)
  • Stroke: 6 in (152.4 mm)
  • Displacement: 3,420 in3 (56 L)
  • Length: 97.7 in (2,482 mm)
  • Width: 60.0 in (1,421 mm)
  • Height: 38.7 in (863 mm)
  • Dry weight: 2,655 lb (1,204 kg)

Components

  • Valvetrain: Single overhead camshaft per 6-cylinder block, two intake and two exhaust valves per cylinder, sodium-cooled exhaust valves.
  • Supercharger: Single-speed one-stage gear-driven supercharger
  • Turbocharger: General Electric turbocharger with intercooler
  • Fuel system: Bendix-Stromberg PR-58B3 three-barrel injection-type downdraught with automatic mixture control.
  • Fuel type: 100/130 Octane
  • Oil system: Pressure fed at 60-70 psi (4.2 - 4.9 kg/m2)
  • Cooling system: Liquid-cooled with a mixture of 70% water and 30% ethylene glycol, pressurized.

Performance

  • Power output:
Take-off
2,600 hp (1,940 kW) at 3,000 rpm at 46.0 inHg / +8.0 Lb boost for 15 minutes
Military
2,600 hp (1,940 kW) at 3,000 rpm at 25,000 ft (7,625 m) for 15 minutes
Normal
2,100 hp (1,565 kW) at 2,600 rpm at 25,000 ft (7,625 m) maximum continuous power
Max. Cruising
1,575 hp (1,175 kW) at 2,300 rpm at 25,000 ft (7,625 m)
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See also

Related development

Comparable engines

Related lists

References

Notes

    Bibliography
    • Bridgman, Leonard. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1945-46. Hammersmith, London: HarperCollinsPublishers (1994 reprint). ISBN 0-00470831-8
    • Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines: From the Pioneers to the Present Day. 5th edition, Stroud, UK: Sutton, 2006. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X
    • White, Graham. Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the United States During World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, 1995. ISBN 1-56091-655-9
    • Wilkinson, Paul H. (1946). Aircraft Engines of the World. London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons.
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