Argus 140/150 hp

Argus Motoren

Industry	Aircraft engine manufacturing
Founded	before 1913
Headquarters	Germany
Products	Aircraft engines

Template:Infobox aero engine

The Argus 140/150 hp six-cylinder aircraft engine was a water-cooled inline piston engine manufactured by the German firm Argus Motoren around 1913 to 1914.

This powerplant was an advancement from earlier Argus four- and six-cylinder models and came in two versions: one rated at 140/150 hp with cylinders measuring 140 mm × 140 mm (5.5 in × 5.5 in) bore and stroke, and another producing 120/130 hp featuring 130 mm × 140 mm (5.1 in × 5.5 in) dimensions. It found application in several German pre-World War I racing airplanes and notably served as the power source for certain Sikorsky Ilya Muromets aircraft.

Despite its use, this engine’s production span was brief, as it was replaced in 1914 by a new series of redesigned six-cylinder engines ranging from 120 to 200 hp, among which the 120 hp Argus As II gained the most recognition.

Design and development

The earliest record of the 150 hp six-cylinder Argus engine being installed in the Jeannin-Stahltaube dates back to early 1913. Sharing the same 140 mm (5.5 in) bore and stroke as the older 100 hp four-cylinder Argus, this engine reportedly delivered up to 150 hp (110 kW) at 1,400 rpm.

File:Argus aircraft engine, c.1914, exhaust side.png

Argus 150 hp six-cylinder aircraft engine, c.1914, exhaust side

In comparison to earlier six-cylinder Argus engines, this model featured a rearrangement of external components, although its overall design remained largely consistent with its predecessors.

The cylinders were cast iron units produced in pairs with integrated cooling jackets forming part of the casting. Each cylinder contained two overhead valves actuated by pushrods and rocker arms driven by a camshaft positioned on the engine’s left side. Intake valves faced inward toward the center of each cylinder pair; their intake passages merged within the casting into a single external port oriented to the left side of the engine.

Two centrally located Cudell-G.A.-carburettors were mounted closely together on the left flank of the engine. Both carburettors were enclosed within a heating jacket connected to the coolant circulation system and supplied fuel separately via two intake pipes feeding into an aluminum intake manifold. This manifold consisted of two individual intake pipes converging into a single distribution pipe that supplied all three cylinder pairs.

Pistons made from cast iron were equipped with two piston rings each. Each pair of cylinders was secured to the crankcase using six bolts. The cylinders were axially offset relative to the crankshaft, which itself was supported by two inner plain bearings along with two outer ball bearings.

Constructed from aluminum, the crankcase was cast in separate upper and lower halves; the upper half incorporated six mounting arms as part of its casting. Internally, partition walls divided the crankcase into three chambers at points corresponding to the inner crankshaft bearings, each chamber vented via an individual breather located on the right side. Compared to the earlier Argus six-cylinder producing 115 hp, this crankcase featured a modest redesign—most notably elongating pedestals to accommodate a taller assembly combining oil and water pumps.

The centrifugal water pump was relocated to the lower right side at the control end of the engine and mounted alongside the oil pump on a transverse shaft driven by helical gears connected to the crankshaft end. This water pump circulated coolant through both the water-cooled cylinders and the carburettor heating jacket situated on the left side.

Lubrication employed a hybrid system combining splash lubrication with forced oil feed directed at plain bearings via an oil pump.

Two magnetos were installed with their shafts aligned parallel to the engine’s axis; one magneto was positioned on each side at the control end. These magnetos received drive from spur gears connected respectively to the camshaft gear and indirectly from the crankshaft through an intermediate idler gear.

Variants

Argus 120/130 hp six-cylinder

(produced 1913-1914), delivering between 120 and 130 hp, featuring a bore and stroke of 130 mm × 140 mm (5.1 in × 5.5 in)

Argus 140/150 hp six-cylinder

(built during 1913-1914), with output ranging from 140 to 150 hp, and bore and stroke dimensions of 140 mm × 140 mm (5.5 in × 5.5 in)

Applications

• Aviatik P.14 (powered by Argus 120/130 hp engines; for example, the Aviatik biplane flown by Willy Trück in German South West Africa)
• Jeannin Stahltaube (equipped with Argus 120/130 hp engines, as seen in the Prinz-Heinrich-Flug 1914, aircraft No. 24 piloted by René Freindt)
• Sikorsky Ilya Muromets No 128 (utilizing two Argus 140 hp and two Argus 125 hp engines)

Specifications (Argus 140/150 hp)

File:Argus aircraft engine, c.1914, control side.png

Argus six-cylinder aircraft engine rated at 150 hp circa 1914, control side view