Monthly Archives: May 2021

Delage 12 GVis and 12 CDirs Aircraft Engines

By William Pearce

Louis Delâge was born in Cognac, France on 22 March 1874. He received an engineering degree in 1893 and started a career in the fledgling automobile industry in 1900. In 1903, Delâge joined the Société Renault Frères (Renault Brothers Company). By 1905, Delâge had a good sense of the incredible potential offered by the automotive industry and formed his own automobile company, la Société des Automobiles Delage (the Delage Automobile Company), in Levallois-Perret, just northwest of Paris.

The Delage 12 GVis seen with its Elektron crankcase side covers removed, revealing the magneto and generator. The engine is equipped with double helical propeller reduction gears. The lower engine support can be seen extending from the valve covers to the rear mount.

The Delage automobile was a success, and the company soon also began developing race cars. Delage racers won the 1908 Grand Prix de Dieppe, the 1911 Grand Prix de Boulogne-sur-Mer, the 1913 Grand Prix de France, and the 1914 Indianapolis 500. Racing and the production of passenger cars was halted during World War I, and Delage produced munitions and vehicles for the military. After World War I, Delage returned to the automotive business and began to produce luxury vehicles. In 1921, Albert Lory was hired as a designer, and he was put in charge of the competition department in 1923. That same year, Delage returned to racing. Lory designed the Delage 15S8 Grand Prix racer and its high-revving, straight-eight engine that won the Manufacturers’ Championship in 1927. The company withdrew from competition after this victory.

In 1930, Louis Delâge believed that the lessons learned through the development of the company’s compact and powerful automotive racing engines could be applied to aircraft engines. Lory was tasked with the development of two aircraft engines—the 12 GVis for fighter aircraft and the 12 CDirs for a Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe racer. The two engines had similar layouts overall and mainly differed in their size. While there were no real restrictions on the fighter engine, the engine for the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe race had to be under 488 cu in (8.0 L).

The 12 GVis crankcase as it would be installed with the crankshaft at top: A) gear reduction mounting flange, B) camshaft housing, C) crankshaft mount, D) one of the four bolts extending through the crankcase, E) magneto mount, F) generator mount, G) studs for mounting the cylinder head, H) barely visible hole to receive a cylinder barrel, and I) pass through holes for the valve train’s pushrods.

The 12 GVis and 12 CDirs were water-cooled, inverted V-12 engines equipped with twin superchargers. The engines and their accessories were designed as a compact package with minimal frontal area to encourage better streamlining. Each engine consisted of a cast aluminum crankcase that also formed the lower part of the two cylinder banks, which had an included angle of 60 degrees. As later described, the two engines did have different styles of crankcase designs. Nitrided steel cylinder barrels were bolted via flanges to the two cast aluminum cylinder heads, which were then secured via studs to the crankcase. The cylinder barrels for each bank passed through a large, open water jacket space in the crankcase and were received by openings near the crankshaft. The balanced, one-piece crankshaft spun in roller bearings and was secured to the crankcase by seven main bearings. The crankcase was closed by an Elektron (magnesium alloy) cover. Side-by-side connecting rods with roller bearings were mounted to the crankshaft.

Each cylinder had two spark plugs, two paired intake valves, and two paired exhaust valves. The paired valves for all cylinders were actuated via rockers and pushrods from the engine’s single camshaft located in the Vee between the cylinder banks. A valve spring did not surround each of the valve stems. The spring for each valve pair was mounted adjacent to the valves and applied pressure to the valve pair via a levered arm. As the pushrod acted on the rocker to open the valve pair, the tip of the lever moved down with the valve stems. The opposite end of the lever moved up, further compressing the spring in its mount. The spring exerted tension on the lever to return and hold the valves in the closed position. Delage believed this system reduced the amplitude of the spring’s oscillations, increased the spring’s damping, and allowed for higher engine rpm. A valve rig was reportedly tested to the equivalent of 10,000 engine rpm, which means each valve had 5,000 actuations per minute.

Left, front view of the 12 GVis illustrating the engine compact structure. The barometric valve can be seen on the intake manifold between the cylinder banks. Right, rear view of the 12 GVis displaying the engine’s twin Roots-type supercharger. Note how the rear of the engine bolts to the mount.

Two Roots-type superchargers were mounted to the rear of the engine. These were of a similar design to the superchargers used on Delage automobiles. The superchargers were driven without clutches and directly from the engine at 1.67 (1.5 in some sources) times crankshaft speed. Via twin two-lobe rotors, the superchargers supplied 17.66 cu ft (500 L) of air per second to the intake manifold positioned in the Vee of the engine. The superchargers provided 14.5 psi (1.00 bar) of boost and enabled the engine to maintain its rated power up to 16,404 ft (5,000 m), at which altitude a barometrically-controlled bypass valve was fully closed. This valve prevented over boosting at lower altitudes and sustained a constant intake manifold pressure. The engine’s single carburetor was installed at the Y junction where the two superchargers fed into the intake manifold.

Some sources indicate that the French government ordered a single prototype of the 12 GVis and a single prototype of the 12 CDirs. However, other sources state that no orders for the 12 GVis were ultimately placed, and only a single order for the 12 CDirs was received. Both engines were proposed to power aircraft manufactured by Avions Kellner-Béchereau.

The 12 GVis as displayed at the 1932 Salon de l’Aéronautique. The engine and cowling represented a complete installation package that could be quickly attached to an aircraft. The access panels covering the magento and generator are removed. Note the valve cover protruding from the cowling and the oil cooler mounted above the engine.

The designation of the Delage 12 GVis stood for 12 cylinders, Grand Vitesse (High Speed), inverse (inverted), and suralimenté (supercharged). The engine had a 4.33 in (110 mm) bore and a 4.13 in (105 mm) stroke. Each cylinder displaced 61 cu in (1.0 L), and the engine’s total displacement was 731 cu in (11.97 L). The 12 GVis had a compression ratio of 5.5 (5.8 in some sources) to 1 and initially produced 450 hp (336 kW) at 3,600 rpm. It was believed that the engine’s output could be increased to 550 hp (410 kW) or even 600 hp (447 kW) with further development. The engine weighed 1,014 lb (460 kg). Two propeller gear reductions were offered: a .472 reduction via double helical gears, which was installed on the prototype, and a .528 reduction via Farman-type planetary bevel gears. The propeller turned counterclockwise.

The crankcase of the 12 GVis was cast with compartments on its sides to mount various accessories. A magneto was mounted in the compartment on each side of the engine, and a generator was mounted in the left-side compartment. The compartments were sealed with Elektron covers. The basic form of the engine and its crankcase created an aerodynamic installation that did not need to be covered by a cowling. The back of the 12 GVis was mounted directly to the airframe, and a conventional engine mount was not used. Four long bolts passed through the entire length of the crankcase to secure the engine to its mount. An additional lower support ran from the engine’s Vee to the rear mount. This support bolted to special pads on the inner sides of the valve covers. The engine was further secured by other mounting pads on its rear side.

The Delage 12 CDirs was a direct development from the larger 12 GVis. The engine had a more conventional crankcase without compartments for accessories. The large pipe on the crankcase was the outlet for the cooling water, and another outlet was present on the opposite side.

The 12 GVis was proposed for the Kellner-Béchereau KB-29 fighter, which was based on the KB-28 racer (see below). The 12 GVis was displayed in November 1932 at the Paris Salon de l’Aéronautique. The engine had a cowling covering its lower half, but the upper sides were uncowled, and the crankcase accessory covers were removed. A surface oil cooler was incorporated in a cowing panel mounted above the engine. The 12 GVis may have suffered from reliability issues and failed to complete an acceptance test. Ultimately, the KB-29 fighter was never built, and there were no other known applications for the 12 GVis.

The designation of the Delage 12 CDirs stood for 12 cylinders, Coupe Deutsch, inverse (inverted), réducteur (gear reduction), and suralimenté (supercharged). The engine had a 3.94 in (100 mm) bore and a 3.32 in (84.4 mm) stroke (some sources state 84.5 or 84 mm stroke). Each cylinder displaced 40 cu in (.66 L), and the engine’s total displacement was 485 cu in (7.95 L). The 12 CDirs had a compression ratio of 5.5 (5.2 in some sources) to 1 and initially produced 370 hp (276 kW) at 3,800 rpm. Development of the engine had increased its output to 420 hp (313 kW) at 4,000 rpm, and it was hoped that 450 hp (336 kW) would ultimately be achieved. The engine weighed 816 lb (370 kg). A .487 propeller gear reduction was achieved via double helical gears, and the propeller turned counterclockwise. While still somewhat aerodynamic, the 12 CDirs possessed a conventional crankcase and did not have the compartments that were incorporated into the 12 GVis. Accessories, including two vertical magnetos, were mounted to the rear of the engine. Engine mounting pads were positioned along each side of the crankcase, and the lower support and rear mounts similar to those used on the 12 GVis were employed.

Rear view of the 12 CDirs displaying the two vertical magnetos, two Roots-type superchargers, and the Y intake pipe. The right water pump can be seen under the supercharger. Note the brace extending from the valve covers to the rear of the engine.

The 12 CDirs passed an acceptance test running 53 hours at 4,000 rpm with no reported issues. The engine was installed in the Kellner-Béchereau KB-28 (also known as 28VD) Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe racer. The aircraft incorporated a surface oil cooler in the front upper cowling, and surface radiators covered the wings. Flown by Maurice Vernhol, the 28VD made its first flight on 12 May 1933. The aircraft needed to qualify for the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe by 14 May, so there was little time for development of the airframe or engine. Based on previous tests, Vernhol felt that the ground-adjustable propeller was not utilizing the engine’s full power and requested that it be set to a finer pitch.

In the afternoon on 14 May 1933, Vernhol took off for a qualification flight. As he went to full throttle during his flight, the engine revved to an excess of 4,400 rpm—600 rpm over its intended limit. A coolant hose blew, and Vernhol was sprayed with steam and hot water. Partially blinded, Vernhol attempted an emergency landing, but misjudged the touchdown and hit the ground hard. The landing gear was sheared off, and the aircraft flipped upside down. The engine was torn free, and the fuselage broke behind the cockpit. Vernhol escaped with only minor injuries, but the 28VD was damaged beyond repair. No other aircraft are known to have flown with Delage engines.

Creating powerful and reliable aircraft engines that ran for long periods at high power proved to be more of a challenge than originally anticipated, and Delage abandoned its work on the type in 1934. The company was in a bad financial state and went into bankruptcy in April 1935. That same year, the Delage name and assets were purchased by the Delahaye automobile company.

The Kellner-Béchereau 28VD (KB-28) seen perhaps right before what may have been its last flight. The 28VD was the only aircraft to fly with a Delage engine. Capitaine Maurice Vernhol sits low in the cockpit, illustrating the aircraft’s limited forward visibility. Jacques Kellner is at left, standing next to Louis Delâge. Albert Lory can be seen on the other side of the cockpit. Kellner joined the French Resistance during World War II and was executed by the Nazis on 21 March 1942. Delâge’s automotive company was a victim of the Great Depression and was sold off in April 1935. He died nearly destitute in 1947. Lory went on to design the SNCM 130 and 137 aircraft engines and then worked for Renault after the war.

Sources:
– “Les Moteurs d’aviation francias en 1935” by Pierre Léglise, L’Aéronautique No 191 (April 1935)
– Aerosphere 1939 by Glenn D. Angle (1939)
– “Le Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe” by L. Hirschauer, L’Aérophile 14 Annee No 6 (June 1933)
– “The 1933 Contest for the Deutsch de la Meurthe Trophy” by Pierre Léglise, L. Hirschauer, and Raymond Saladin, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Technical Memorandum No. 724 (October 1933)
– Delage, France’s Finest Car by Daniel Cabart, Claude Rouxel, and David Burgess-Wise (2008)
– Les Moteurs a Pistons Aeronautiques Francais Tome I by Alfred Bodemer and Robert Laugier (1987)
– “Les moteurs d’aviation Delage” La Vie Automobile (25 November 1932)
– Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft 1933 by C. G. Grey (1933)
– “Le Kellner-Béchereau 28V.D.” by Michel Marrand, L’Album du Fanatique de L’Aviation 23 (June 1971)

Kellner-Béchereau 28VD Air Racer

2 Replies

By William Pearce

Société Kellner was a French luxury coachbuilder run by Georges Kellner. During World War I, the company turned to producing SPAD VII, S.XI, and S.XIII fighter aircraft under license. The SPAD (Société Pour L’Aviation et ses Dérivés / Company for Aviation and its Derivatives) aircraft were designed by French aeronautical engineer Louis Béchereau. After World War I, Société Kellner returned to coach making, and SPAD went out of business. Béchereau progressed through a number of companies until 1926, when he founded the Société pour la Réalisation d’Avions Prototypes (SRAP / Prototype Aircraft Company).

The Kellner-Béchereau 28VD under construction. The cowling attached to the very front of the aircraft contained the surface oil cooler. The top of the coolant tank is visible just behind the fairing atop the engine. Note the fuel tanks forward and aft of the cockpit.

Société Kellner was taken over by Jacques Kellner after his father’s passing. Jacques was an aviation enthusiast and wanted to steer the company back to being involved with aviation. In 1931, Jacques Kellner joined forces with Louis Béchereau to form Avions Kellner-Béchereau in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Kellner-Béchereau immediately began designing aircraft, and one of their first concepts was that of the 28VD (also known as KB-28), an air racer intended for the 1933 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe. The Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe was a race to cover 1,242 miles (2,000 km) with a mandatory 90-minute stop at 621 miles (1,000 km), and aircraft were limited to using a single engine with a displacement no greater than 488 cu in (8.0 L). Additional stops could be made but were not mandatory and would count against the total time to finish the course. Ten laps of the 124-mile (200-km) course would complete the race, and the rhombus-shaped course was laid out with towns of Chartres, Moisy, Orléans, and Étampes at its corners. The Étampes-Mondésir airfield was the start and finish point, and the prize in 1933 was four million Francs.

The Kellner-Béchereau 28VD was a low-wing taildragger made almost entirely of metal, and its design was tested in a wind tunnel. The aircraft’s slim monocoque fuselage was of all-aluminum construction with an open cockpit at its center. A sloped fairing led up to the cockpit, and an extended headrest trailed from it. This resulted in the pilot sitting rather low with little forward visibility, but side visibility was quite good. Fuel tanks were housed in front of and behind the cockpit. The aircraft’s vertical and horizontal stabilizers were made of aluminum, but the rudder and elevators were made of wood. The angle of the horizontal stabilizers was adjustable and could be altered to trim the aircraft while in flight. An aerodynamic fairing partially covered the tailskid.

The 28VD undergoing final touches. This image gives a good view of how the surface radiators wrapped around the wing’s leading edge. Note the large Ratier metal propeller. Intakes to the engine’s superchargers can just been seen on the cowling’s undersides.

The relatively-short, cantilever wings of the 28VD were attached to the fuselage by a main spar at its center and a rear spar. The wings were further supported by false front and rear spars. A large aileron ran almost the entire length of the wing’s trailing edge and was attached to the false rear spar. Wing construction kept its interior mostly open, and three fuel tanks were positioned in each wing. Each of the wing tanks was equipped with a quick-drain dump valve 3.94 in (10 cm) in diameter. For the valve, carbonic acid gas was fed into a space that blew out a lower seal, allowing an upper plug to fall free followed by the contents of the fuel tank. Although not specifically stated, it is presumed that the pilot would control the flow of the carbonic acid gas to initiate the fuel dump. It is not clear if the fuselage tanks were also equipped with a dump valve.

The upper surface of each wing was covered with radiators in five sections. Each surface radiator section consisted of a forward and rear part. The front radiator for each section curved around the front of the wing to form the leading edge. The inner three radiator sections terminated shortly after making the turn to the wing’s underside. The outer two sections continued around the leading edge to cover the front half of the underwing, and additional radiators covered the rear outer surface under the wing. Water from the coolant tank installed above the engine flowed through pipes in the wing’s leading and trailing edges and then into the surface radiators. After passing through the radiator, the cooled water was collected in a tube running along the center spar and returned to the engine. A large fairing connecting the wing’s trailing edge to the fuselage contained a number of louvers to allow heat, vapors, and moisture to escape from the wing.

The newly completed 28VD is rolled out of the hangar for testing. The aircraft’s streamlining and slim fuselage are apparent. This image provides a good view of the landing gear’s arched supports. For retraction, the top of the gear leg slid toward the wingtip, and the lower gear leg pivoted around the arched support.

Mounted under the inboard sections of the wings was the partially-retractable main landing gear, which had a 4 ft 10 in (1.48 m) track. When extended, a fixed ball at the top of each gear leg was locked into place, and the leg itself was supported by an arched member attached to the fuselage. The ball atop the gear leg was mounted in a channel in the wing. To retract the gear, a retraction lever released the downlock and bled pressure in a cylinder, which unlocked a drum and allowed a cable to unwind. As the gear leg pivoted around its arched support, an elastic cable pulled the top of the gear leg toward the wing tip until the gear leg rested against the underside of the wing. An uplock under the inner wing secured the gear leg in the retracted position, and the arched support provided a crude aerodynamic fairing. To extend the gear, an extension lever released the uplock and fed pressurized air into a cylinder. The piston in the cylinder rotated a drum which wound a cable. The cable was attached to the upper gear legs and pulled them inboard against the tension of the elastic cable. Once the cable had pulled the gear to its extended position, the ball atop the gear leg was secured by the downlock.

Housed in a streamlined, close-fitting cowling at the front of the 28VB was the Delage 12 CDirs engine. Built by la Société des Automobiles Delage (the Delage Automobile Company), the engine was specially made for the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe race. Its “12 CDirs” designation stood for 12 cylinders, Coupe Deutsch, inverse (inverted), réducteur (gear reduction), and suralimenté (supercharged). The 400 hp (298 kW) engine was a water-cooled V-12 with twin-Roots superchargers. The 12 CDirs had a 3.94 in (100 mm) bore, a 3.31 in (84 mm) stroke, and a displacement of 483 cu in (7.92 L). Intakes in each side of the lower cowling brought in air to the engine’s superchargers. Exhaust was expelled through individual stacks protruding from the cowling. A saddle water tank sat atop the rear part of the engine. A U-shaped oil tank was installed between the engine and the propeller. A surface oil cooler was positioned atop the engine and covered the area between the water tank and the spinner. The engine turned a two-blade, metal, ground-adjustable Ratier propeller that was approximately 7 ft 9 in (2.37 m) in diameter.

Elevated view of the 28VD illustrates the surface radiators covering the upper wings. Note the vents in the wing’s trailing edge fairing. The race number “5” has been applied to the fuselage. This image was most likely taken on 14 May 1933, the day of the accident, as the aircraft is prepared for its qualification flight.

The Kellner-Béchereau 28VD had a wingspan of 21 ft 10 in (6.65 m), a length of 23 ft 6 in (7.16 m), and a height of 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m). The aircraft weighed 2,176 lb (987 kg) empty and 3,527 lb (1,600 kg) fully loaded. The 28VD had an anticipated top speed of 249 mph (400 km/h) and a cruising speed of 214 mph (345 km/h). On 5 May 1933, the aircraft was moved to the Étampes-Mondésir airfield where it would be completed for the Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe, to be held on 28 May. Qualifying for the race was scheduled 8–14 May, which left very little time for flight testing. The 28VD was given race number 5 and made its first flight on 12 May. Armée de l’Air Capitaine Maurice Vernhol conducted the very brief flight tests, which did not reveal any issues, and would fly the 28VD for the race. Refining and preparing the aircraft used up most of the qualifying time. Based on previous tests, Vernhol felt that the engine’s full power was not being utilized and requested that the propeller be adjusted to a finer pitch.

During an afternoon qualification flight on 14 May 1933, Vernhol added full power, and the engine revved to an excess of 4,400 rpm—over 600 rpm more than its maximum limit. At that moment, a coolant hose blew free from its mount, and Vernhol was enveloped in a shower of steam and hot water. It is not clear if the increased coolant pressure from the engine overspeed caused the hose to blow free, or if it was just bad timing. Regardless, Vernhol was blinded by the spray and attempted an emergency landing near Ville Sauvage, north of the Étampes-Mondésir airfield. In his impaired condition, Vernhol misjudged the landing, and the 28VD hit the ground hard. The extended landing gear broke off, and the aircraft flipped upside down, tearing off the engine and breaking the fuselage behind the cockpit. Amazingly, Vernhol escaped with only minor injuries, but the 28VD was completely destroyed. A Potez 53 flown by Georges Détré went on to win the 1933 Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe at a speed of 200.58 mph (322.81 km/h).

Kellner-Béchereau also designed a fighter along the same lines as the 28VD / KB-28. Known as the KB-29, the fighter was powered by a 550 hp (410 kW), 731 cu in (11.97 L) Delage 12 GVis inverted V-12 engine. The engine was displayed at the 1932 Paris Salon de l’Aéronautique, but the KB-29 fighter never materialized.

The remains of the 28VD after its forced lading. The landing gear and engine have been ripped away, and the fuselage is broken at a right angle behind the wing. The surface radiators under the outer wing are visible. The circular openings seen in the wing’s underside are the dump valves for two of the three fuel tanks.

Sources:
– “Les avions de la Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe 1933” by Pierre Léglise, L’Aéronautique No 171 (August 1933)
– “L’éphémère Kellner-Bechereau KB 28” by Robert J. Roux, Le Fana de l’Aviation No 253 (December 1990)
– “Le Kellner-Béchereau 28V.D.” by Michel Marrand, L’Album du Fanatique de L’Aviation 23 (June 1971)
– “Le Coupe Deutsch de la Meurthe” by L. Hirschauer, L’Aérophile 14 Annee No 6 (June 1933)
– “The 1933 Contest for the Deutsch de la Meurthe Trophy” by Pierre Léglise, L. Hirschauer, and Raymond Saladin, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Technical Memorandum No. 724 (October 1933)
– https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/kellner-bechereau-project.32989/
– https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/louis-b%C3%A9chereau-designations.26384/
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kellner-B%C3%A9chereau_28VD
– https://www.aviafrance.com/kellner-bechereau-28vd-aviation-france-891.htm