Design and Development of Exhaust Valves From the Perspective of Modern Thinking: Part 3: Reverse Engineering of American and British Sodium-Cooled Valves (2016)
Starr, Fred (Author)
International Journal for the History of Engineering and Technology
Volume: 86
Issue: 1
Pages: 70-92
Reverse engineering is a procedure normally used for producing close copies of engineering equipment made by an industrial competitor or in an enemy country. But it can be used by industrial historians to explain why components which were apparently doing similar jobs had a rather different configuration. In this case, the reasons behind the distinct differences between exhaust valves used in two American air-cooled radials, the Pratt and Whitney Double Wasp, the Curtis Wright Twin Cyclone and the Rolls-Royce liquid-cooled Merlin are explored. Comments are also made on the sleeve valve engines made by Bristol, intended to avoid the supposed problems of the hot poppet exhaust valve. Sodium cooling of the valves in all engines was needed because of the high rates of heat transfer. The American engines incorporated a hemispherical cylinder head incorporating two valves. Because of the size of valves, these had to be of the hollow head type. The Merlin engine, to minimise frontal area, opted for a pan shaped head, which forced the use of four valves per cylinder. Stem cooling in these valves was adequate.
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