The Wright Vertical 4 was an American aircraft engine built by the Wright brothers in the very early years of powered flight. It was a liquid-cooled piston engine with four inline cylinders, mounted vertically. (Earlier Wright engines were mounted horizontally.) It generated about 30–40 horsepower (22–30 kW) from a displacement of 240 cubic inches (3.9 liters) and weighed about 160–180 pounds (73–82 kg). Developed by Orville Wright in 1906, the Vertical 4 was produced by the Wright Company until 1912 and was the most numerous engine they manufactured.[3][4] Around a hundred Vertical 4 engines were built, according to a Wright test foreman.[1][2]
| Wright Vertical 4 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Wright Vertical 4 aircraft engine on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. This particular engine was used on the Wright B-1 seaplane that crashed in 1912. A patch was bolted to the side of the crankcase in an attempt to repair the engine. | |
| Type | Liquid-cooled inline-4 piston aero engine |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Wright Company |
| Designer | Orville Wright |
| Major applications | Wright Model A Wright Model B |
| Number built | around 100[1][2] |
The Vertical 4 powered most Wright aircraft during this period, including the Model A and Model B and variants built for the U.S. Army and Navy.
This engine was also built under license by Bariquand et Marre in France and by Neue Automobil-Gesellschaft in Germany.[5][2]
Applications
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Engines on display
editWright Vertical 4 engines can be seen on display in the following museums, among others:
- National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C.
- Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia
- Wright Brothers Aviation Center in Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio
- Hiller Aviation Museum, San Carlos, California
- New England Air Museum, Windsor Locks, Connecticut
- Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, Illinois
- National Museum of Flight, East Fortune, Scotland
Specifications
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Data from "Wright Vertical 4, In-line 4 Engine (inventory A19620037000)". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
General characteristics
- Type: 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline piston aircraft engine
- Bore: 4.375 in (111 mm)
- Stroke: 4 in (102 mm)
- Displacement: 240 in3 (3.9 L)
- Length: 40.75 in (1,035 mm)
- Width: 18 in (457 mm)
- Height: 27 in (686 mm)
- Dry weight: 160–180 lb (70–80 kg)[6][4]
- Designer: Orville Wright
Components
- Valvetrain: overhead valve, two valves per cylinder, "automatic" intake valve (driven by suction), exhaust valve actuated by camshaft and pushrod
- Cooling system: liquid-cooled
Performance
References
edit- This article contains material that originally came from the placard at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Bibliography
editHobbs, Leonard S. (1971). Smithsonian Annals of Flight, No. 5: The Wright Brothers' Engines and Their Design (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Lippincott, Harvey H. (1987). "Propulsion Systems of the Wright Brothers". In Wolko, Howard S. (ed.). The Wright Flyer: An Engineering Perspective. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0-87474-979-4.
McFarland, Marvin W., ed. (1953). The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, Including the Chanute-Wright Letters and Other Papers of Octave Chanute. Vol. Two: 1906–1948. New York: McGraw-Hill. pp. 1215–1216.
External links
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- "Wright Vertical 4, In-line 4 Engine". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2018. (Former keepsake of Orville Wright, inventory A19620037000.)
- "Wright Vertical 4, In-line 4 Engine". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 8 June 2018. (U.S. Navy Wright Model B engine, inventory A19520108000.)
- "1906-1912 Wright 4-40 Engine". www.wright-brothers.org. Retrieved 9 June 2018. Further detail on the engine's construction and history, and pointers to references.