Napier Sabre

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gabriel pagliarani
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Napier Sabre

#1

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 20 Feb 2003, 20:45

I am extremely interested to the distribution system (inlet&outlet valves) adopted on the powerful Napier Sabre series engines. (particularly to 1120A) Any info will be useful. Thanks in advance.

varjag
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#2

Post by varjag » 25 Feb 2003, 14:39

Can't help u there Gabriel, but everyone who's life depended on one seems to agree that they were 'lucky if it started' and 'delirious if they returned'. It was a complex and VERY unreliable engine, a neccessity because it was in production, more than desirable.


gabriel pagliarani
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Revolution..

#3

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 03 Mar 2003, 00:45

Varjag, I am looking for drawings about the valve system of the 24 cylinders H shaped Napier Sabre: its own valve system was completely revolutionary in both senses. Revolutionary because never seen before and revolutionary because it was made of rotating pipes instead of alternative "fungus-shaped" valves. Have you any drawing about?

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Aufklarung
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#4

Post by Aufklarung » 12 Mar 2003, 03:41

gabriel
All I can offer you is a picture from: "Typhoon and Tempest at War" by Reed and Beamont and published by PRC.
regards
A :)
Attachments
napiersabre1.jpg
napiersabre1.jpg (173.28 KiB) Viewed 6135 times

gabriel pagliarani
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#5

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 12 Mar 2003, 16:05

Thanks a lot. Heads of right bank are fully visible.

Mark V
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#6

Post by Mark V » 12 Mar 2003, 19:50

Hi Gabriel,

Napier Sabre was sleeve valve engine (contrary to typical poppet-valve designs, like R-R Merlin). Sir Harry Ricardo was pioneer behind the development of viable sleeve valve engine. The principle was quite common in British service, most notable were Sabre, Bristol Hercules and Centaurus. Below there is 2 pics of sleeve arrangements of Bristol Hercules sleeve-valve radial, sorry don't have pictures of Sabres sleeves, but maybe those help,

Image

napier sabre 1
Image

napier sabre 2
Image

hercules sleeve 1
Image

hercules sleeve 2
Image

Links for additional information;

http://www.cpmac.com/~cmcgarry/napier/napier.html
http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/125/achievements/ricardo/


(picture credits: http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/125/achievements/ricardo/ and http://www.enginehistory.org )


Mark V

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Aufklarung
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#7

Post by Aufklarung » 22 Mar 2003, 04:09

Mark V
Thanks for those great pictures. :) Big though!! :lol:
Gabriel
I wanted to send this a few times for you. A further development of the typhoon with a Centaurus engine. Cowling design led to Tempest.
Regards
A :)
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TornadoCentaurus.JPG
Tornado
TornadoCentaurus.JPG (233.49 KiB) Viewed 6086 times

gabriel pagliarani
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#8

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 24 Apr 2003, 22:11

What a surprise! I knew Sir Ricardo by mean of his own over-head pre-heating combustion chamber developed on common duty FIAT diesels and I never suppose he was also the father of the sleeve valves cylinder-side mounted 4 strokes aero-engines...a genius less known than Sir Wallis but not less effective against the Reich. A disciplined mind is always the best weapon. Thanks a lot.

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