Argus As I
| Industry | Aircraft engine manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1911 |
| Headquarters | Germany |
| Products | Aircraft engines |
The Argus As I was a water-cooled, four-cylinder piston engine designed for aircraft, manufactured in Germany by Argus Motoren between approximately 1911 and 1913.
This engine was widely utilized in German aviation before World War I and was initially marketed under the 'Aviatik' brand, associated with the Automobil und Aviatik AG.[1] Additionally, it was produced under license in France by Automobiles Rossel and distributed there using the trade names 'Aviatik' and 'Aviatic-Rossel' through Louis Clément, who represented the Automobil und Aviatik AG locally.[2][3]
Design and development
The Argus As I, delivering 100 hp, first appeared in a 1911 brochure published by Automobil und Aviatik AG.[1] Its cylinder bore and stroke measured 140 mm (5.5 in), achieving an output of 100 hp (75 kW) at 1,250 rpm.[4] The engine’s architecture closely mirrored that of the smaller four-cylinder Argus 70 hp model.
Constructed from cast iron, the cylinders were arranged in pairs with integrated cooling jackets formed within the casting. Each cylinder featured two overhead valves actuated by pushrods and rocker arms connected to a camshaft positioned on the engine’s left side. Intake valves faced inward toward each cylinder pair, with their intake passages combined inside the casting into a single external port oriented to the left side. The intake manifold was crafted from cast aluminum and paired with a single Cudell-G.A. carburettor.
The crankcase consisted of aluminum, split into upper and lower halves; the lower section included four mounting arms as part of its casting. Each pair of cylinders was secured to the crankcase using six bolts. Supporting the crankshaft were two outer ball bearings along with one central plain bearing.
The camshaft received power via spur gears driven from the crankshaft at the control end. Ignition involved one or two spark plugs per cylinder supplied by a single Bosch magneto mounted on the control side, driven through an intermediate spur gear connected to the crankshaft.[1] Coolant circulation was maintained by a centrifugal water pump located on the carburettor side, which was driven off the camshaft gear.
Applications
- Aviatik P 13
- Euler Taube
- Jeannin Stahltaube 1912/13
- LVG B.I
- Rumpler Taube
- Sikorsky Russky Vityaz
- Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
Specifications
See also
References
Bibliography
- Angle, Glenn Dale. Airplane Engine Encyclopedia: An Alphabetically Arranged Compilation Of All Available Data On The World's Airplane Engines. Otterbein Press, 1921, p. 49.
- Huth, Fritz. Motoren für Flugzeuge und Luftschiffe. R. C. Schmidt & co., Berlin, 1914, pp. 73, 188.
- Aviatik-Flugzeuge. Automobil und Aviatik AG, 1911, pp. 18–20.
- Krzyzan, Marian; Steinle, Holger. Die Jeannin-Stahltaube A.180/14. Mittler, Herford; Bonn, 1989.
- Die Flugmotore auf dem III. Pariser Salon. Flugsport, vol. IV, no. 1, Oskar Ursinus, Frankfurt am Main, 1912, pp. 14–15.
- Der Sieg des deutschen Motors. Österreichische Flug-Zeitschrift, Österreichischer Flugtechnischer Verein, Wien, 1914, p. 99.
- Grosz, P M. Aviatik B-Types, Windsock Datafile No.102. Albatros Productions, Berkhamsted, 2003.
- Grosz, P M. The Taube at War, Windsock Datafile No.104. Albatros Productions, Berkhamsted, 2004.
- Grosz, P M. LVG B.I, Windsock Datafile No.98. Albatros Productions, Berkhamsted, 2003.
- Smithsonian Institution NASM. Milestones of Aviation. Beaux Arts Editions; Greenwood, John T., Editor; Second Edition, 1995.