The Wright brothers' engine
The engine was cooled by water from a narrow vertical water
reservoir mounted on a forward strut. The system was not a
radiator in the typical sense, for the water did not circulate.
The reservoir simply replenished the water jacket as the water
evaporated from it.
The aluminum crankcase: A first
The Wright engine, with its aluminum crankcase, marked the
first time this breakthrough material was used in aircraft
construction. Lightweight aluminum became essential in aircraft
design development and remains a primary construction material
for all types of aircraft.
The Wright brothers' engine (detail)
How the Wright engine worked
The Wright engine, with its aluminum crankcase, marked the
first time this breakthrough material was used in aircraft
construction. Lightweight aluminum became essential in aircraft
design development and remains a primary construction material
for all types of aircraft.
How the Wright engine worked
The engine had no fuel pump, carburetor, or
spark plugs. Nor did it have a throttle. Yet the simple motor
produced 12 horsepower, an acceptable margin above the Wrights’
minimum requirement of 8 horsepower. Gasoline was gravity
fed from a small quart-and-a-half tank mounted on a strut
below the upper wing. The gasoline entered a shallow chamber
next to the cylinders and mixed with the incoming air. Heat
from the crankcase vaporized the fuel-air mixture, causing
it to pass through the intake manifold into the cylinders.
Ignition was produced by opening and closing two contact breaker
points in the combustion chamber of each cylinder via a camshaft.
The initial spark for starting the engine was generated with
a coil and four dry-cell batteries, not carried on the airplane.
A low-tension magneto driven by a 20-pound flywheel supplied
electric current while the engine was running.
Go to Propellers and Transmission >> |