The Hispano-Suiza 8 is a water-cooled V8 SOHC aero engine introduced by Hispano-Suiza in 1914 that went on to become the most commonly used liquid-cooled engine in the aircraft of the Entente Powers during the First World War. The original Hispano-Suiza 8A was rated at 140 hp (100 kW) and the later, larger displacement Hispano-Suiza 8F reached 330 hp (250 kW).
19-595: The Wolseley Viper is a British-built, high-compression derivative of the Hispano Suiza HS-8 liquid-cooled V-8 engine, built under licence by Wolseley Motors during World War I . It powered later models of the S.E.5a , SPAD VII and other British or British-built aircraft designed for the Hispano-Suiza. A Wolseley Viper powered Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a is owned by, and on display at The Shuttleworth Collection , Old Warden Aerodrome in
38-465: A rotary engine of equivalent power. This empty weight does not include the radiator and coolant fluid. Generally, air-cooled engines are lighter than their equivalent horsepower water-cooled counterparts. For example, the Bentley BR.2 rotary put out 230 hp (170 kW) and weighed 220 kg (490 lb), Clerget 9B rotary 130 hp (97 kW), 173 kg (381 lb). The new engine
57-604: A clockwise (viewed from in front, otherwise known as a left hand tractor) rotation propeller. Related development Comparable engines Related lists Louis B%C3%A9chereau Louis Béchereau (July 25, 1880 in Plou, Cher – March 18, 1970 in Paris ) was a French aeronautical engineer and pioneer of French aviation . After having attended the École nationale professionnelle in Vierzon , Béchereau went to
76-743: A number of trial flights with the Ader Éole or Avion. In 1903 a nephew of Clément Ader in Levallois created the Société de Construction d'Appareils Aériens . In 1909 a client of the firm, Armand Deperdussin , had ordered the construction of an aeroplane that was exhibited in the windows of the Bon Marché store in Paris. In 1910 Deperdussin founded the Société de Production des Aéroplanes Deperdussin ( SPAD ) and appointed Béchereau as chief engineer. From
95-653: The Arts et Métiers in Angers in 1896, and finished his studies in 1901. Before joining the army he took part in a model-making competition organized by L'Auto , taking first prize for a model subsequently manufactured for sale in Parisian department stores. Demobilised in 1902, Béchereau joined a mechanical construction factory in Bezons where he took part in the development of a prototype car designed by Clément Ader . He took
114-718: The Société des Avions Bernard (also known as Société des trois B ) with Bernard and Marc Birkigt . He also collaborated with the Salmson motor company and, in 1931, joined the carriage-builder Georges Kellner to create the Kellner-Béchereau company. On the eve of the Second World War , he conceived a monoplane, the K.B.E 60 , for the French Navy ; its development was frustrated by events. The factory
133-528: The SPAD S.XIII . During the First World War , when Georges Guynemer received his first SPAD S.VII equipped with a Hispano-Suiza engine on 27 August 1916, he wrote to Louis Béchereau the next day praising the wonders of this new aeroplane. The air combat ace Guynemer thereafter had a long technical correspondence with Béchereau who he called the "ace of constructors" (" l’as des constructeurs "). It
152-464: The Hispano-Suiza 8A (HS-31), made its first appearance in February 1915. The first 8A kept the standard configuration of Birkigt's existing design: eight cylinders in 90° Vee configuration, a displacement of 11.76 litres (717.8 cu in) and a power output of 140 hp at 1,900 rpm. In spite of the similarities with the original design, the engine had been substantially refined. The crankshaft
171-505: The UK. Data from Gunston and Lumsden Related development Comparable engines Related lists Hispano-Suiza 8 Hispano-Suiza 8 engines and variants produced by Hispano-Suiza and other companies under licence were built in twenty-one factories in Spain, France, Britain, Italy, and the U.S. Derivatives of the engine were also used abroad to power numerous aircraft types and
190-529: The beginning, Béchereau conceived the idea of monocoque fuselages, which would allow hitherto unthinkable levels of performance. His direct collaborators, Louis Janoir , chief pilot, and André Herbemont , were also graduates of the Arts et Métiers. Béchereau's revolutionary concept allowed the Deperdussin firm to win many prizes, including the famous Gordon Bennett Trophy in 1912 with Jules Védrines at
209-464: The controls (first flight to achieve 100 mph), and again in 1913 with Maurice Prevost at the controls. In 1911, one of his collaborators was Dutch aviation pioneer Frederick Koolhoven . Following a financial scandal involving the company's founder, Louis Blériot took over the company in 1914 and renamed it Société Pour l'Aviation et ses Dérivés , keeping the initials SPAD. Béchereau remained chief designer and developed numerous models, including
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#1732782513991228-562: The conventional system of Hispano-Suiza(engine manufacturer) 8(no of cylinders) A(engine series) b(variant) r(attribute), thus Hispano-Suiza 8Abr . The 8B , 8Ba and 8Bb were used (a) to power the earliest versions of the S.E.5a , (b) along with the 8Bd , the SPAD S.XIII , (c) front-line active versions of the Sopwith Dolphin , and (d) several other Allied aircraft types, with its gear reduction easily identifiable in vintage World War I photos, from its use of
247-717: The engine can be considered as the ancestor of another successful engine by the same designer, the Hispano-Suiza 12Y (and Soviet Klimov V12 derivative aero-engines) which was in service during the Second World War. At the beginning of World War I, the production lines of the Barcelona based Hispano-Suiza automobile and engine company were switched to the production of war materiel. Chief engineer Marc Birkigt led work on an aircraft engine based on his successful V8 automobile engine. The resulting engine, called
266-728: The new rotary engines under development did not appeal to aircraft designers. French officials ordered production of the 8A to be started as soon as possible and issued a requirement for a new single-seat high-performance fighter aircraft using the new engine. The Louis Béchereau -designed SPAD VII was the result of this requirement and allowed the Allies to regain air superiority over the Germans. Some data from: British Piston Engines and their Aircraft Note: Hispano-Suiza company type numbers were prefixed by HS- or written in full as Hispano-Suiza Type 31 , but military designations used
285-580: The rear end of each cylinder bank, with the final drive for each cylinder bank's camshaft accommodated within a semicircular bulge at the rear end of each valve cover. Aluminium parts were coated in vitreous enamel to reduce leakage. All parts subject to wear, and those critical for engine ignition were duplicated: spark plugs for dual ignition reliability, valve springs, magnetos , etc. Engine reliability and power to weight ratios were major problems in early aviation. The engine and its accessories weighed 185 kg (408 lb), making it 40% lighter than
304-705: Was Guynemer who later presented Béchereau with the medal of the Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur on 12 July 1917 in the SPAD works, in the presence of the Minister of War. (Citation: " Vous avez donné la suprématie aérienne à votre pays, et vous aurez une grande part dans la victoire. C'est un splendide titre de gloire. C'est avec le sentiment de l'admiration et de la grande reconnaissance que nous vous devons tous, que je vous donne l'accolade. ") Béchereau left SPAD to create
323-415: Was despite being the most common type, then in use, for most aircraft. Also, rotary engines were getting close to the limits of their development at this time. Rotary engines of increased power generally had increased weight, which in turn increased the already serious gyroscopic torque generated by the engine's rotation. A further increase in torque was considered unacceptable, and the power to weight ratio of
342-450: Was machined from a solid piece of steel. The cylinder blocks were cast aluminium and of monobloc type that is, in one piece with the SOHC cylinder heads. The inlet and exhaust ports were cast into the blocks, the valve seats were in the top face of the steel cylinder liners, which were screwed into the blocks. Using a rotating bevel gear -driven tower shaft coming up from the crankcase along
361-726: Was presented to the French Ministry of War in February 1915, and tested for 15 hours at full power. This was standard procedure for a new engine design to be admitted into military service. However, because of lobbying by French engine manufacturers, the Spanish-made engine was ordered to undergo a bench test that no French-made engine had yet passed: a 50-hour run at full speed. The HS-31 was therefore sent back to Chalais-Meudon on July 21, 1915, and tested for 50 hours, succeeding against all expectations. The design also promised far more development-potential than rotary engines. This
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