Hello!

That is a Curtiss Wright RC-2-60 (2 rotor, 60 cu inch per rotor). With a
displacement of 2 liters, it is quite a bit larger than a 13B. I don't recall
the power, believe it was about 175 hp in standard trim, some units up to
about 200+ hp. The RC-60 series was Curtiss Wright's workhorse engine. It was
sized to be a replacement for automotive V-8s of the day (although CW only
intended to sell technology licenses, not to produce themselves). Examples of
the engine were used in a Ford Mustang, a Bertram 20 powerboat, the Lockheed
Q-Star, and other applications. It was also the test bed used to develop the
early stratified charge concept which was later scaled up to the 350 cu in
per rotor SCORE 580 series engines. The basic geometry is more similar to the
12A than the 13B -- narrow rotor -- but the rotors were widened for the RC-75
prototype aviation engine and the air cooled RC-90 prototype helicopter
engine. 

Interesting features of the engine include: All aluminum construction
(except rotor and crank), flame sprayed Molybdenum side housing coating,
D-gun tungsten carbide - cobalt trochoid coating, most engines had a center
main bearing (which is a manufacturing and assembly headache), single spark
plug per rotor, special "bottom seating" spark plugs designed for improved
heat transfer, coolant entry/exit through intermediate housing to have equal
coolant temperature in both banks, complete absence of any attention to
decent manifolding (intake or exhaust), two barrel carburetors standard
equipment, dry sump, no metering device -- oil mixed with the fuel (C-W never
arrived at a satisfactory oil metering method, had a program called "oil out
of fuel," or ooof to try and eliminate premixing which was perceived as a
product acceptance impediment). Side intake, peripheral exhaust, just like
the Mazda.

The story goes that Mazda engineers visited CW in the early 1960's, saw the
RC-60, and actually photographed a single engineering drawing showing much
but not all of the engine details. There are many design facets of the Mazda
engine that are similar to the RC-60. Coincidence?

I have one in my garage :-)

Jon Lauter
Rotary Power Marine Corporation
www.rotarymarine.com

 
The AirCraft Rotary Engine NewsLetter.              Powered by Linux.

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