| Austro-Daimler | |
|---|---|
| |
| A 1912 Austro-Daimler 6 on display at the Porsche Museum | |
| Type | 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line piston engine |
| National origin | Austria |
| Manufacturer | Austro-Daimler |
| First run | 1910 |
| Variants | Beardmore 120 hp |
The Austro-Daimler 6 was a series of Austrian six-cylinder water-cooled inline aero engines first produced in 1910 by the Austro-Daimler company.
The first Austro-Daimler six-cylinder engine was designed by Dr-Ing Ferdinand Porsche to be an aircraft engine from the outset. Of high quality manufacture, the Austro-Daimler was modestly rated at relatively low rpm, which gave the engine family a reputation for robustness and reliability.[1]
Features of the Austro-Daimler included welded steel water jackets (originally copper), seven main bearings and large diameter inclined inlet and exhaust valves opened by dual action push-pull rods and closed by spring pressure.[1]
The single-overhead cam (SOHC) valvetrain of later engines was driven from the crankshaft through the usual vertically-oriented shaft as the contemporary Mercedes D.III was, but the Austro-Daimler had its vertical camshaft drive system mounted at the front of the engine instead, and not the usual aft-end placement of other Central Powers straight-six SOHC liquid-cooled aircraft powerplants, like the Mercedes and BMW designs.
The Austro-Daimler inspired many imitators such as the Mercedes D.II, Benz Bz.IV and Hiero 6. Limited availability of the Austro-Daimler engines forced some aircraft manufacturers to substitute Mercedes (the German Daimler company) engines in their aircraft, due to greater availability.[1] From 1913, the 90 and 120 hp models were produced under license in Scotland by William Beardmore and Company. The Beardmore 120 hp went on to power many British military aircraft during WW1.[2]
Data from:[1]
Comparable engines
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