Opposed Piston Engines : Evolution, Use, and Future Applications

This book explores the opposed piston (OP) engine, a model of power and simplicity, and provides the first comprehensive description of most opposed piston (OP) engines from 1887 to 2006. Design and performance details of the major types of OP engines in stationary, ground, marine, and aviation applications are explored and their evolution traced.

The OP engine has set enviable and leading-edge standards for power/weight refinement, fuel tolerance, fuel efficiency, package space, and manufacturing simplicity. For these reasons, the OP concept still remains of interest for outstanding power and package density, simplicity, and reliability; e.g., aviation and certain military transport requirements.

Using material from historic and unpublished internal research reports, the authors present the rationale for OP engines, their diverse architecture, detailed design aspects, performance data, manufacturing details, and leading engineers and applications. Comparisons to four-stroke and competitor engines are made, supporting the case for reconsidering OP engines for certain applications.

Topics include:

• The history of OP engines
• Aeronautical
• Automotive
• Military
• Marine
• Unusual OP engines
• Comparison between 2 and 4 stroke engines
• The future of OP engines
• and more

Contents
Forward
Acknowledgments
Accuracy and Representation

Chapter 1 : Introduction to Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 2 : History of Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 3 : Aeronautical Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 4 : Automotive Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 5 : Military Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 6 : Marine Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 7 : Auxiliary Power Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 8 : Unusual Opposed Piston Engines
Chapter 9 : Opposed Piston Research, Concepts, and Prototypes
Chapter 10 : Opposed Piston Applications and the Future

List of Abbreviations
Index
About the Authors