The ABC Wasp was an experimental 170 hp (127 kW) seven-cylinder
radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...
designed by the noted British engineer
Granville Bradshaw
Granville Eastwood Bradshaw Order of the British Empire, OBE, Royal Aeronautical Society, AFRAeS (1887–1969) was an English engineer and inventor who designed motorcycle, auto, and aero-engines.
History
Bradshaw was born in Preston, Lancashi ...
, and primarily built by
ABC Motors Limited. An order for twelve experimental ABC Wasp engines was placed with
Guy Motors
Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company was founded by Sydney S. Guy (1885–1971) who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Guy Motors operated out of its Falli ...
on 19 April 1918.
Eight ABC Wasp engines were made by Crossley Motors Ltd of Manchester, England.
Design and development
The ABC Wasp was one of the first large
non-rotary air-cooled radials. At a weight of 290 pounds (131 kg), it had a reasonable
power-to-weight ratio
Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measurement ...
at 0.6 horsepower per pound. This
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
–era engine is noteworthy because it was one of the first in which the cylinders were coated with
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
in an attempt to dissipate heat. The ABC Wasp never evolved beyond the experimental stage, but it was the predecessor of the unsuccessful
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threat ...
engine.
Variants
;Wasp I
:1918, 160 hp (119 kW)
;Wasp II
:1919, 200 hp (149 kW)
[
]
Applications
;Wasp I
*Avro 504K
The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during World War I totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that ...
*BAT Bantam
The BAT F.K.23 Bantam was a British single-seat fighter biplane produced by British Aerial Transport Company Limited of London during World War I.
Design and development
Frederick Koolhoven's first design for the British Aerial Transport Com ...
*BAT Baboon
The BAT F.K.24 Baboon was a British two-seat training biplane produced by British Aerial Transport Company Limited of London during World War I.
Design and development
Using experience gained designing the Bantam, aircraft designer Frederick ...
*Sopwith Snail
The Sopwith 8F.1 Snail was a prototype British Fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was unsuccessful, being abandoned due to an unreliable engine.
Development and design
The Sopwith 8F.1 Snail was designed by Herbert Smith of Sopwith Av ...
*Westland Wagtail
The Westland Wagtail was a prototype British fighter aircraft of the First World War. A single-engined tractor biplane, the Wagtail was a failure owing to the unreliability of its engine, only five being built.
Development and design
The Westl ...
;Wasp II
*Avro 504K
The Avro 504 is a single-engine biplane bomber made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during World War I totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind that ...
*BAT Bantam
The BAT F.K.23 Bantam was a British single-seat fighter biplane produced by British Aerial Transport Company Limited of London during World War I.
Design and development
Frederick Koolhoven's first design for the British Aerial Transport Com ...
*Saunders Kittiwake
The Saunders Kittiwake was a British amphibian flying-boat built by S. E. Saunders at East Cowes, Isle of Wight. Only one was built, and it was scrapped after less than a year of testing.
Design and development
It was designed to compete for t ...
*Sopwith Snail
The Sopwith 8F.1 Snail was a prototype British Fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was unsuccessful, being abandoned due to an unreliable engine.
Development and design
The Sopwith 8F.1 Snail was designed by Herbert Smith of Sopwith Av ...
*Westland Wagtail
The Westland Wagtail was a prototype British fighter aircraft of the First World War. A single-engined tractor biplane, the Wagtail was a failure owing to the unreliability of its engine, only five being built.
Development and design
The Westl ...
Specifications (Wasp I)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
* Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Wasp
1910s aircraft piston engines
Wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
Aircraft air-cooled radial piston engines