Beardmore 160 hp

The Beardmore 160 hp is a British six-cylinder, water-cooled aero engine that first ran in 1916. It was built by Arrol-Johnston and Crossley Motors for William Beardmore and Company as a development of the Beardmore 120 hp, itself a licensed-built version of the Austro-Daimler 6.^[1]

160 hp
Beardmore 160 hp at the Imperial War Museum Duxford
Type	Piston aero engine
Manufacturer	William Beardmore and Company
First run	c.1916
Major applications	Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
Number built	2,556
Developed from	Beardmore 120 hp
Developed into	Galloway Adriatic

Development

The engine featured cast iron cylinders and mild steel concave pistons. Produced between March 1916 and December 1918, the design powered many World War I aircraft types. It was noted that the engine was not as reliable as its smaller capacity predecessor.^[2]

Applications

• Airco DH.3
• Armstrong Whitworth F.K.7
• Austin Kestrel
• Beardmore W.B.II
• Beardmore W.B.X
• Central Centaur IIA
• Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.6
• Martinsyde G.102
• Norman Thompson N.T.2B
• Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
• Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.7
• Short Sporting Type
• Sikorsky Ilya Muromets (No. 182)
• Supermarine Channel
• Supermarine Sea King
• Vickers F.B.14

Survivors

A Beardmore 160 hp has been restored to airworthy condition by The Vintage Aviator Ltd, an aircraft restoration company based in Wellington, New Zealand. The engine was found complete and in a preserved condition in a farm shed in Uruguay, after a complete overhaul and ground test runs the engine powered the company's F.E.2b replica on its maiden flight.^[3]

Engines on display

Beardmore at duxford

• A partially sectioned Beardmore 160 hp is on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.
• The Beardmore 160 hp engine installed in the recently restored F.E.2 can be viewed at the Royal Air Force Museum London.

Specifications (160 hp)

Data from Lumsden^[4]and Jane's^[5]

General characteristics

• Type: 6-cylinder, inline, upright piston engine
• Bore: 5.59 in (142 mm)
• Stroke: 6.93 in (176 mm)
• Displacement: 1,020 cu in (16.635 L)
• Length: 57 in (1,148 mm)
• Width: 19.9 in (505 mm)
• Height: 31.9 in (810 mm)
• Dry weight: 615 lb (279 kg)

Components

• Valvetrain: Overhead valve
• Fuel system: Twin Zenith carburettors
• Fuel type: Petrol
• Oil system: Gear pump
• Cooling system: Water-cooled
• Reduction gear: Direct drive, right-hand tractor

Performance

• Power output: 186 hp (139 kW) at 1,450 rpm (maximum power)
• Specific power: 0.18 hp/cu in (8.74 kw/L)
• Compression ratio: 4.56:1
• Specific fuel consumption: 0.57 pints per hp/hr
• Oil consumption: 0.3 pints per hp/hr
• Power-to-weight ratio: 0.30 hp/lb (0.5 kW/kg)

See also

Related development

• Austro-Daimler 6
• Beardmore 120 hp

Comparable engines

• Benz Bz.IV
• Hiero 6
• Mercedes D.III

Related lists

• List of aircraft engines