The Mercedes D.IVa was a German six-cylinder,

water-cooled Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and no ...

, inline engine developed in 1917 for use in aircraft and built by ''

Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (abbreviated as DMG, also known as Daimler Motors Corporation) was a German engineering company and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900) and Wil ...

'' (DMG).Gunston 1989, p.101.

Design and development

The D.IVa replaced the failed Mercedes D.IV inline eight-cylinder engine. The D.IVa was primarily used to power

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft that utilizes air-to-ground weaponry to drop bombs, launch aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploy air-launched cruise missiles. There are two major classifications of bomber: strategic and tactical. Strateg ...

s and large reconnaissance aircraft. Unlike most German designs, the D.IVa was relatively advanced, including four valves per cylinder actuated by a SOHC valvetrain, the same "single-camshaft" arrangement that had also been used on the earlier two-valve per cylinder D.I through D.IIIa powerplants. Designed specifically to be installed in the fuselage, the engine featured a number of design elements intended to reduce its width. For instance, the

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor or carburetter) is a device used by a gasoline internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the Ventu ...

was placed behind the engine, feeding fuel to the cylinders via a long tubular

intake manifold An inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an internal combustion engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinder (engine), cylinders. The word ''manifold (engineering), manifold'' comes from the Old Eng ...

. This had the disadvantage of poor fuel distribution. Two versions of the engine were produced in mirror copies, running in opposite directions.

Applications

AEG G.IV The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer AEG (German company), Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft. It saw action during the First World War with the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German ...

* AEG G.V * AEG R.I * AGO C.VIII * Albatros C.X * Albatros C.XII * Albatros C.XV * Friedrichshafen G.III * Friedrichshafen G.IV * Friedrichshafen N.I * Gotha G.III * Gotha G.IV * Gotha G.V *

Gotha G.VI The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber aircraft designed and built in Germany during World War I. Development The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber developed from the Gotha G.V. Using the standard wing cellule from the Gotha G.V the G.VI ...

* Gotha G.VII * Linke-Hofmann R.I * Linke-Hofmann R.II * Rumpler C.IV * Zeppelin Staaken R.VI

Engines on display

*A Mercedes D.IVa recently restored by the Museum's Friends ASSN. is on public display at the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica (MORON-Argentina).

Specifications (D.IVa)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. *''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I''. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1993.

External links

Tests of the Daimler D-IVa engine at a high altitude test bench (October 1, 1920)
{{Mercedes aeroengines Mercedes aircraft engines 1910s aircraft piston engines