1、Engine Revolutions: The Autobiography of Max Bentele -11. H 4 1. lwEngine Revolutions: TheAutobiography of Max Bentele SAE Historical Series Published by: Society ofAutomotive Engineers, Inc. 400 Commonwealth Drive Warrendale, PA 15096-0001Copyright 1991 Society ofAutomotive Engineers, Inc. All righ
2、ts reserved. Printed in theUnited States ofAmerica. This publication may notbe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form orby any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission ofSociety ofAutomot
3、ive Engineers, Inc.,400Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale,PA 15096-0001. Library ofCongress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bentele, Max, 1909- Engine revolutions: the autobiography of Dr. Max Bentele/byMax Bentele p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-56091-081-X 1. Bentele, Max, 1909- . 2. Mechanical engineers
4、-Germany-Biography. I. Title. TJ140.B43A3 1991 621.092-dc2O 90-23361 B CIPTo Magda and our children Rose-Marie, Ursula and BrigitteForeword Rarely does one experience the good fortune to read of major engineering achievements through theeyesofapersonwho notonly participated in them,but whose contrib
5、utions helped make them a success. Max Benteles career has encompassedalmostallformsoftheinterna combustion engine: reciprocatingand rotary, two- and four-stroke cycle aircraftandautomotive,and thegas turbine for both airandgroundapplications. Max isoneofthoseuniqueindividualswho tells his storyfrom
6、an insiders viewpointwithcandorandhumor. His witty insights of themanynotableengineersandentrepreneurswithwhomheworkedorwhocrossed his path are given without antagonism. Theprimary aim ofEngineRevolutions is not tofocuson thepersonalaccom- plishments ofthe author. Maxsown efforts are toldmore toshow
7、how heand his colleaguesworkedtosolveengineeringproblems,whethertodiscoverwhyaircraft turbochargers failedinflightorhowsealsontheWankelenginecouldbeimproved. The lessons he and his co-workers learned through their developmental trials and tribulations offer encouragement to engineers of later genera
8、tions who suffer the inevitable failures encountered in perfecting anynew design. Possibly of even greater value is the opportunity for engineering students to better understand what theirchosen profession is all about. Too often a technical paper or company publication has been “sanitized“ to avoid
9、 any mention of the strenuous effortsandoutrightfailureswhichsooftenoccurduringaproductsbirth and early years. In Maxs story one hears the setbacks along with the successes. There is as well the interplay between people ofdiffering ideas and philosophies. Although he uses terms and explanitions that
10、 may sometimes be beyond the experience of the reader, the essence of what is described and the lessons to be leamed are never left in doubt. His storys appeal is not limited to his peers! Fortunately,Maxcouldbepersuaded toincludemoreofhispersonal sidealong withprofessionalinvolvements. Muchofwhatma
11、kesthisbookcompellingreading ishow the world-shattering events through which he lived guided his career and affectedhis private life. However, whatfollows is,bychoice,moreareflectionon the accomplishments of striving engineers. Itwas apleasure forme to assistMax during the last stages ofhis writing
12、and an honor when he askedme to add these few words. As an elected Fellow ofthe lEnglneRevolutions Society ofAutomotiveEngineers,Max Bentele typifies anSAEmemberwho has enrichedhis Societys legacy. Heand IarebothindebtedtoSAEforpublishinghis story asapartofourHistoical series. Bymeansofthis series,S
13、AE preserves the heritage of its members and provides a way to relate how practicing engineers throughouttheworldcreatedthetechnologiesthatweacceptasessentialtoourdaily existence. LyleCummins SAE Historical Committee ii ulPreface Thisbookwas startedasaprojectoftheSAEHistoricalCommittee. Ihadgiven a
14、verbal, ad hoc interview describing my professional career at the 1987 SAE Congress. Ayearlater, theCommitteeChainnan, C.LyleCummins, Jr.,discussed withmeanexpansionofthisprogram. Hisplanwas todocumentthehistoryofthe modem automotive technology in books to be prepared by SAE members and Fellows. I f
15、ound that tobean excellent idea foranumber ofreasons. Politicians, public figures, writers, artists and entertainers customarily write autobiographies upon their retirement; scientists and engineers seldom do so. Books on technology are sporadic; they deal mostly with organization and man- agement r
16、ather than with engineering. The latter kind can be counted with the fingers ofone hand or two. Examples are: Sir Harry Ricardo (1885-1974) Memories and Machines: The Pattern ofMy LX, 1968;Theodorevon Kan(1881-1963) ,TeWind Beyod. 1967,mainly aerodynamics; Robert Bosch (1861-1942), written posthumou
17、sly by Theodor Heuss, 1946; The Memoirs of Ernest C. (Cliff Simpson (1917-1985), Aero propulsion pioneer, sponsoredby the Aero Propulsion Laboratory oftheWright- Patterson AFB, it was written posthumously in 1987; S.D. Heron (1891-1964) actively contributed toandwrote History ofthe AircraftPiston En
18、gine published by the Ethyl Corporation. Recently, other engine development histories were compiled and published; an excellent example is InemalFix (19th Century IC engines) by C. LyleCummins, Jr., 1976and 1988. In contrast, most books on significant developments reflect second-hand in- formation r
19、esulting in misconceptions and controversies. Daily, weekly and monthly publications report failures and catastrophes, while encyclopedias focus mostly on accomplishments. With this lack of documentation, concern about problems is restricted to specialists. Generalawareness onabroadbase, however, is
20、 necessary in order to addresspotentialdangersbeforetheyleadtocatastrophes.Acaseinpointisthefatal crashesofthe firstcommercialjetliner,theDeHavillandCometin 1953. Full-scale experiments traced the cause to fatigue failures in the fuselage skin. These catastrophes and expensive, comprehensive investi
21、gations were then reported too UlEngineRevolutons worldwide. TheComet is hailedbut its calamities are usually ignored in encyclo- pedias. No wonder that their reoccurrence after 30 years surprised all but those familia with the history ofaviation. Lyleand IagreedthattheSAEshouldpursuesuch vitalhisto
22、rydocumentation. Then he surprisedme with his invitation to write the first book of this series. I accepted, feeling highly privilegedand honored. I was blessed with the good fortune to have participated in the pioneering development oftwo new powerplants, the jet engine/gas turbine (1941) and the r
23、otaryWankel engine (1958). I conductedmy work in thee different countries, under five governments, and in six companies, by fate notby design. Toborrow Dean G. Achesons words, “Iwas present at the creation,“ in the trenches as well asintheheadquarters,experiencingboththeagoniesandecstasiesoftherealw
24、orld. Sincemycollegedays, Iwas active inprofessional societies,disseminatingmy workandparticipating indebatesonpertinentdevelopmentswithmypeersandthe general public. I also tried to elevate the engineers status in society. Never considering my work as routine, I always searched for and applied the b
25、asic principles for each engineering task. Two problems drew my special attention,vibrationsandgasleakages,eachaLeitmotifthroughoutmycareer. They wouldhardlybeknown tolaypeoplebutforrecentheadline-generating events:The metal fatigue cracks and failures ofairliners and the leaking 0-rings ofa booster
26、 rocketwhich caused the tragic disaster ofthe space shuttle Challenger in 1986. Itissaidthatthemostengngpowersofanauhoraretomakenew tiingsfamiliar, andfanmliar things new. Although I was probably unable to achieve that quality, I did the best I could. Itismywishtotakethisopportunitytothankallthefmep
27、eoplewhohavehelped and advisedme inmy career. Iam deeply grateful to them! Apartfrom those mentioned in the book, I first recognize mentors and friends whohavedepartedfrom this earth: Professor Dr.h.c. WilhelmBuschmann (1886- 1979),co-founderandpublisherofMotortechnischeZeitschrft(MTZ);Professors Dr
28、. Richard Grammel (1889-1964), Dr. Wunibald Kamm (1893-1966) and Dr. KarlWellinger(1904-1976)ofmyalmamaterinStuttgart; theSAEPastPresidents Milton J. Kittler, Andrew A. Kucher, LeonardRaymondandC. G. A. Rosen, and theSAEFellows PeterAltman,John Dolza, Sr.,Paul H. SchweitzerandArthurF. Underwood. The
29、nIexpressmysincerethankstoLyleforhisfaithinmeandhiscontinualhelp and inspiration,and to theSAE Publications Group for theirgood work. Finally, ivPreface I think of all my other colleagues and friends who are still with us; they are too numerous to list. I hope they will enjoy reading this book and a
30、cceptmy sincere gratitude for their support and contribution. Tobecomean author insteadofretiring putsa strainon family life. Iam happy toreportthatmy familywaswithme all theway. Thewritten accounts ofourlives in Germany, England and the United States revived many memories. My wife Magda,ourdaughter
31、sandtheirfamiliesprovidedvaluablesuggestionsandassisted in putting the manuscript together. From thebottom ofmy heart, I thankthem for their patience, encouragementand love. vTable ofContents Introduction. 1 Chapter 1. The Quest for Superior Specific Engine Power. 3 Single-Sleeve Valve Engines .3 Fl
32、at-Disk Valve Engines .7 Rotary Valve Engines .10 Chapter 2. The Last Hurrah of the High-Performance Aircraft Engine 13 Exhaust Turbochargers .13 Turbine Blade Failures .16 Full-Admission Turbines .23 Turbine Cooling .23 High-Performance Aircraft Engines .26 Supercharging and Turbocharging .26 Otto-
33、Diesel Engine .29 Chapter 3. TheDawn of the JetAge .33 From Turbochargers to Jet Engines .33 Pioneer Jet Engines, He S 1 to He S 8A .34 Axial-Flow Jet Engines .41 Wagner-Miiller-Heinkel, He S 30 .41 JunkersJumo 004 .44 BMW003 .47 From the He S 8 to the Second-Generation He S 011. 48 HeS 8 .48 He S 0
34、11 Development .50 Compressor .52 Combustor .57 Turbine .57 JetEngineHeS 011.61 Propulsion Systems forLong-Range Aircraft.61 ZTLDB 007 .63 PTLDB/HeS 021 .63 MLHeS50 .63 Early Jet Engine Development - Postscript .64 Appendix 3.1- Turbine RotorBlade Environment.73 Appendix 3.2- Jet Engine Firsts .75 v
35、iiEngineRevoludons Chapter 4. End ofWorldWar II 77 Inteffegnum 77 My Hiatus in theWestern Occupation Sectors . 80 Appendix 4.1-The Gas Turbine as a Vehicle Powerplant. 85 Chapter 5. The Automotive Gas Turbine 87 Journey toEngland . 87 TheTankGas Turbine . . 89 Thermal Shock Investigations 96 Control
36、 System . . 99 Industrial Gas Turbines and Other Events 99 Chapter 6. Stuttgart Again 105 TheNew HeinkelCompany 105 OEMEngines 106 Two- andThree-Wheeled Passenger Vehicles . 108 Gas Turbines, Aviation and Space 116 Heinkel JetEngineHe S 053 . 122 Curtiss-Wright Overture 123 Appendix 6.1 . 127 Append
37、ix 6.2-The Gas Turbine, Today andTomorrow . 129 Chapter 7. AircraftGas Turbines, Revisited 137 ProductImprovementPrograms . 137 Market Life Extension 141 Dieselization 141 Muffling 141 Propellertrain 142 Turbine Cooling . . 146 Convection Cooling . . 146 Transpiration Cooling 147 Study Engines 148 C
38、hapter 8. The Rotary EngineEra 151 TheWankel Engine 151 Multifuel Rotary Engines 165 Appendix 8.1-BookReview 169 Chapter 9. Lightweight AircraftGas Turbine Engines . 171 Lift/Cruise Engines . . 171 Supersonic TransportEngine 172 Demonstration Engines 174 Exotica 175 Liquid Metal Regenerator 175 Sing
39、le-Rotor LiftFan Engine . 176 viiiContents Toroidal Drive. 177 Miscellaneous. 177 Transition. 179 Appendix 9.1-MB Collection in Transportation History Foundation of the University ofWyoming 183 Appendix 9.2- Supersonic and Hypersonic Flight: Research and Flight Milestones . 185 Chapter 10. AVCO Lyco
40、ming . 187 A Rotary Engine. 187 Turboshaft Engines . 189 Compressor Disk Failures 189 Tank Gas Turbine - Revisited 191 Automotive Gas Turbine Engines . . 194 Low-PowerGas Turbine Engines . 195 Turbine Containment Failure 200 Retirement from Industry. 201 Chapter 11. Post-Retirement Pursuits . 205 Co
41、mmercial Ventures . 205 The Wankel Engine - Postscript . 209 Rotary Engine Potpourri . 211 Automotive Engines forEcology and FuelEconomy 215 Steam Engines. 218 The Stirling Engine . 219 The Gas Turbine Engine 220 AGT 1500 in Abrams Tank . 226 Garrett/ITI Gas TurbineGT601 . . 228 Electric and Hybrid
42、Vehicles . 229 Energy Storage. 231 Appendix 11.1-TheWankel Fever as Expressed on the Cover and in Headlines of Magazines . 233 Appendix 11.2-Comments on JPLs Study “Should We Have aNew Engine?“ . 237 Chapter 12. Engineering History, Collections, Rights . . 241 Appendix 12.1- Presentation of the“Max
43、Bentele Collection“ ofWankel, Rotary inNovember 1937wewereengaged to be married. My doctoral thesis, completed in 1937, specifically treated gas vibrations in pipelines. At that time, the fieldofnoiseabatementofferedfewjob opportunities. Consequently, I tried to expand my work from the intake and ex
44、haust system of internal combustion engines to the engine itself. In early 1938 this chance materializedwithapositionintheInstrumentationandMeasurementLaboratoryof the Brandenburgische Motorenwerke (Bramo), located in Berlin-Spandau, the town that ten years laterbecamefamous for its old prison. Bram
45、o,a subsidiary of theSiemensGroup,producedthethenwell-knownsmallSiemens it raisedmy enthusiasm for being active in the aircraftengine field. (ABramocolleague,onloantotheFockecompany,remarked tome, “a helicopter isnotaflyingbuta vibration machine.“ Atthattime I didnot imagine that 30 years later Iwou
46、ld actively pursue thedevelopment ofhelicopter gas turbine engines and still have to solve vibration problems.)1 The other happening confirmedeven more firmly that Imade the rightchoice. IattendedaJointMeetingoftheDeutscheAkademieandtheLilienthalGesellschaft fur Luftahrtforschung (the German Academy
47、 and the Lilienthal Society for AeronauticalResearch). Morethan3000participated, including400 visitorsfrom 24 nations. My story isessentiallypresentedinchronological sequence. Insomeinstances, to avoid confusion, I chose to deviate from this rule to preserve continuity ofthe subject. 1 Tothebestafmykowledge,flyingahelicopterinsideabuildingwasneverdoneagain. n 1970effonts were underway to fly one inside the new Houston Astrodome; however, the venture was finally abandoned. 2
