The Shoda-Hikoki Company, a minor contributor to the Japanese World War II effort, began developing a scaled-down, air-cooled version of the liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601 aircraft engine in 1940. It was the Shoda Company’s only foray into aircraft engines. The Shoda-Ken was an experimental engine project, not intended for production, and never fitted to an airframe. The engine features two-stage supercharging and a viscous coupling supercharger drive.
The Shoda-Ken includes a unique technical development where the cylinder head cooling fins were “hot-fused” into the cylinder head during the forging process, a technique investigated by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in the late 1930s. The “hot-fused” fin process involves preassembly of sheet aluminum fins, placing them in a jig in the desired pitch and then forcing them into the partially molten cylinder head blank during the forging process. This type of head fin was produced by Shoda as a subcontractor to Nakajima for Homare cylinder heads during World War II.
Extensive testing engine began at the Yokosuka Naval Air Arsenal in 1943. Only two engines, plus spare parts sufficient for a third, were built with this one being the sole survivor.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
Circa 1945
Country of Origin
Japan
Type
PROPULSION-Reciprocating & Rotary
Manufacturer
Shoda-Hikoki Company
Physical Description
Type: Reciprocating, Inverted V-12, 12 cylinders, Air-cooled, Fluid-coupled supercharger; Fuel injection
Power rating: 895 kW (1,200 hp) at 3,200 rpm
Displacement: 24 L (1,464 cu in)
Bore and Stroke: 120 mm (4.72 in) x 177 mm (6.97 in)
Weight: 650 kg (1,433 lb)
Dual, fluid-coupled supercharger; fuel injection; missing spark plugs, exhaust manifold, data plate; on stand.
Manufactured circa 1945
Dimensions
Length 208 cm (81.88 in.), Width 89.5 cm (35.25 in.)
Materials
Steel, Aluminum, Paint, Textile, Stainless Steel, Rubber
Inventory Number
A19771008000
Credit Line
Gift of the Antique Airplane Association and Air Power Museum
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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