The Westinghouse J34, company designation Westinghouse 24C, was a turbojet engine developed by Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division in the late 1940s. Essentially an enlarged version of the earlier Westinghouse J30, the J34 produced 3,000 pounds of thrust, twice as much as the J30. Later models produced as much as 4,900 lb with the addition of an afterburner. It first flew in 1947. The J46 engine was developed as a larger, more powerful version of Westinghouse's J34 engine, about 50% larger.
| J34 | |
|---|---|
| |
| J34 on display at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Museum | |
| Type | Turbojet |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division |
| First run | 11 January 1947 |
| Major applications | F2H Banshee F3D Skyknight P-2 Neptune |
| Developed from | Westinghouse J30 |
| Developed into | Westinghouse J46 |
Development
editBuilt in an era of rapidly advancing gas turbine engine technology, the J34 was largely obsolete before it saw service, and often served as an interim engine.[1] For instance, the Douglas X-3 Stiletto was equipped with two J34 engines when the intended Westinghouse J46 engine proved to be unsuitable. The Stiletto was developed to investigate the design of an aircraft at sustained supersonic speeds. However, equipped with the J34 instead of its intended engines, it was seriously underpowered and could not exceed Mach 1 in level flight.[2]
Developed during the transition from piston-engined aircraft to jets, the J34 was sometimes fitted to aircraft as a supplement to other powerplants, as with the Lockheed P-2 Neptune and Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket (fitted with radial piston engines and a rocket engine, respectively).
The afterburner was developed by Solar Aircraft, the first U.S. company to produce a practical afterburner.[3]
Variants
edit- J34-WE-2
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
- XJ34-WE-4
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust; originally designated J45[4]
- XJ34-WE-7
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-11
- Similar to -42 with short afterburner
- J34-WE-13
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-15
- Similar to -42 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust, with short afterburner
- J34-WE-15
- 4,100 lbf (18 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-17
- Similar to -42 3,370 lbf (15.0 kN) thrust ( 4,850 lbf (21.6 kN) thrust with long afterburner)
- J34-WE-19
- 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-22
- (24C-4B) 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-30
- (24C-4C) 3,150 lbf (14.0 kN) thrust ( 4,200 lbf (19 kN) thrust with afterburner)[5]
- J34-WE-30A
- 3,150 lbf (14.01 kN) thrust (4,200 lbf (18.68 kN) thrust with afterburner)[5]
- J43-WE-32
- Similar to -42 3,370 lbf (15.0 kN) thrust ( 4,900 lbf (22 kN) thrust with long afterburner)[5]
- J34-WE-34
- (24C-4D) 3,250 lbf (14.5 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-34A
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-36
- (24C-4E) 3,400 lbf (15 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-36A
- 3,400 lbf (15 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-38
- 3,800 lbf (17 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-40
- 3,000 lbf (13 kN) thrust
- J34-WE-42
- 3,400 lbf (15 kN) thrust ( 4,200 lbf (19 kN) thrust with afterburner)[5]
- J34-WE-46
- 3,400 lbf (15 kN) thrust[5]
- J34-WE-48
- Single stage turbine. Contract awarded 1959
- W-340
- Commercial version of the WE-36
- 24C-4B
- company designation for WE-22.[6]
- 24C-4C
- company designation for WE-30.[6]
- 24C-4D
- company designation for WE-34.[6]
- 24C-8
- company designation for WE-32.[6]
Applications
editAircraft
edit- Convair F2Y Sea Dart
- Curtiss-Wright XF-87 Blackhawk
- Douglas D-558-2 Skyrocket
- Douglas F3D Skyknight
- Douglas X-3 Stiletto
- Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (civilian variant modification)
- Grumman OV-1A - Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics
- Lockheed P-2E/G/H Neptune
- Lockheed XF-90
- McDonnell 119/220 (prototype only)
- McDonnell F2H Banshee
- McDonnell XF-85 Goblin
- McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo
- North American T-2A Buckeye
- Ryan XFR-4 Fireball
- Vought F6U Pirate
- Vought F7U Cutlass
Others
edit- Shockwave jet truck
- Snowzilla snow remover
- Spirit of Australia jet boat
Engines on display
edit- A Westinghouse J34 is on public display at the Aerospace Museum of California.
Specifications (J34-WE-36)
editData from [7]
General characteristics
- Type: Turbojet
- Length: 112 in (2.84 m)
- Diameter: 27 in (0.69 m)
- Dry weight: 1207 lb (547.5 kg)
Components
- Compressor: Single-Spool, 11-stage Axial
- Combustors: Annular
- Turbine: 2-stage turbine
Performance
- Maximum thrust: 3400 lbf (15.12 kN)
- Overall pressure ratio: 4.35:1
- Air mass flow: 50-55 lb/s
- Specific fuel consumption: 1.04 lb/(lbf⋅h) (29 g/(kN⋅s))
- Thrust-to-weight ratio: 2.82
See also
editRelated development
Comparable engines
Related lists
References
editNotes
edit- ^ "F6U Pirate." globalsecurity.org. Retrieved: 29 May 2015.
- ^ "Douglas X-3 Stiletto," shanaberger.com. Retrieved: 29 May 2015.
- ^ Leyes & Fleming 1999, p. 78.
- ^ "Designations of U.S. Military Aero Engines".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Roux 2007, pp. 217–220.
- ^ a b c d Wilkinson, Paul H. (1950). Aircraft engines of the World 1950 (11th ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons Ltd. pp. 62–63.
- ^ Westinghouse Turbojets (1953). Flight. 13 Nov 1953, p. 642.
Bibliography
edit- Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines, 5th Edition. Phoenix Mill, Gloucestershire, England, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited, 2006. pp. 240–241. ISBN 0-7509-4479-X.
- Kay, Anthony L. Turbojet History and Development 1930-1960 Volume 2: USSR, USA, Japan, France, Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy and Hungary (1st ed.). Ramsbury, UK: The Crowood Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1861269393.
- Leyes, Richard A., II and William A. Fleming. The History of North American Small Gas Turbine Aircraft Engines (Library of Flight). Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc, 1999. ISBN 978-1-56347-332-6.
- Roux, Élodie. Turbofan and Turbojet Engines: Database Handbook. Raleigh, North Carolina: Éditions Élodie Roux, 2007. ISBN 978-2-9529380-1-3.
External links
edit