| Re: "How it's Made" coming to work (Lycoming) |
Subject: Re: "How it's Made" coming to work (Lycoming) by BrianCunningham on 2008/4/17 18:32:11 The race plane has the boost cranked up. It runs 50ft off the ground @ 386.9mph! Most of our production engines are "turbo normalized", in other words the turbo is there just to make up for the altitude. They run on 110 low lead, not for the power, but to keep it from detonating at altitude. The engine pictured is a 540ci flat six. On the street, you rev out you engine, and then get into high gear to cruise, dropping the rpm substantially. Aircraft engines get up to cruise speed, but only back the rpm down about 200rpm. It's left like that until you reach your destination. You look at them kinda like truck engines. If you put an F1 engine in a tractor trailer, you'd blow everything else off the road, but not for long. The props can only spin about 3,000rpm otherwise the tips of the props go sonic. If you build an engine that can run direct, w/o reduction gearing, you can eliminate it's weight. Also, reduction gears on airplanes have been tried. They work great on turbines, but a turbine doesn't have to deal with pistons firing. |
