At 10:31 PM 12/7/98 -0500, you wrote:
>My point is that they didn't use nitrous in aircraft. One of the most common
>engines was the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp.
[...]
>Nitrous would have been a cool thing to use. Slight problem... Ever see an
>engine bust a mount? under n2o? It makes a real nasty mess under the hood
>provided it didn't go through the hood! Imagine this... You're tooling along
>in your P-47 Jug and spot a group of Me-109's just below you , and you punch
>your n2o. Before you can react to what is happening, your plane's wings are
>ripped off due to the vast amounts of torgue delivered by the engine, or you
>can barrel-roll,stall,spin,crash,and burn... Just my 2 cents...
>
Nitrous use was relatively rare, but it definitely was used during WWII,
by both sides.
Here's an excerpt from pages 4-5 of "Nitrous Oxide Injection", by David
Vizard
(ISBN 0-931472-16-4):
(any misspellings are mine...)
---------------------------------------------------
Although positive evidence is hard to find, it would appear that the use
of nitrous-oxide in combustion engines was first investigated after World
War I.
However, it wasn't until World War II that major research was undertaken to
determine whether nitrous could successfully augment engine power.
By 1942 it became evident to virtually all world air powers that the
primary qualities of a successful fighting airplane were high speed and the
ability to operate at high altitudes. Spurred on by a massive war effort,
British researchers worked frantically to develop a nitrous-oxide injection
system that would allow production war planes to fly high and fast without
seriously imparing engine reliability. Eventually, this development enabled
modified high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft to fly with near impunity over
Axis territory.
Engineers in the U.S. conducted similar explorations. Records indicate
that most of this research was performed with Rolls Royce or Packard built
Merlin V12 engines. Although very few of these nitrous-injected engines were
actually used in combat aircraft, they exhibited outstanding performance for
the day. Operational altitudes well in excess of 50,000 feet were accredited
to some of these planes.
This work was shrouded in heavy secrecy. Obviously the Allied powers
did not want the Axis scientists to discover the capabilities of nitrous
injection, and there is no indication that these experiments were
compromised. In fact, toward the end of the war Axis airmen were openly
puzzled by the high-altitude capabilities of certain Allied fighters.
Ironically, however, Axis researchers had independently developed a concept
for nitrous-oxide injection and believed they were pursuing a unique line
of thought.
During the middle and latter years of the war, German engine
manufacturers unveiled some very sophisticated aircraft engines.
Daimler-Benz performed extensive experiments with derivatives of their
DB600 inverted V12 engine. Nitrous injection was reportedly fitted to the
603E version of this impressive engine. The nitrous-oxide was injected
into a specially geared supercharger, and the engine supposedly developed
full rated horsepower at very high altitudes (in conjunction with other
modifications). The system delivered nitrous at the rate of about 12
pounds per minute, boosting the engine output by 350 horsepower. In
addition, this system made effective use of the nitrous-oxide, allowing
the injection to be used for extended periods--reportedly as long as
20-30 minutes.
Had it not been for the advent of jet engines, nitrous-oxide
might have remained a closely-held secret for many years. Although
the capability of piston engines had been dramatically increased
during the frenetic war years, jet propulsion far exceeded the
capabilities of piston-driven engines, especially at high altitudes.
---------------------------------------------------
There are a few pictures, with the following captions:
Often known as the "Wooden Wonder", the DeHavilland 98 Mosquito
was one of the most successful Allied fighter bombers of World War II.
Nitrous-oxide injection was used to boost the performance of certain
derivatives that were modified for high-alititude reconnaissance.
The Messerschmitt BF-109 (above) and Fock-Wulf FW190 (left) were
deadly mainstays of the German Air Force during the entire war.
Both aircraft made extensive use of the GM1 nitrous-oxide injection
system that typically boosted power output by 250 to 300hp.
---------------------------------------------------
Ahhh, I can feel the carpal tunnel syndrome setting in now... ;-)
-Jon-
.--- stei0302@cs.fredonia.edu ------------------------------------.
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