Klimov VK-1
| VK-1 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | Turbojet |
| Manufacturer | Klimov |
| First run | 1947 |
| Major applications | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 Ilyushin Il-28 |
| Developed from | Rolls-Royce Nene |
TheKlimov VK-1was the firstSovietjet engineto see significant production. It was developed byVladimir Yakovlevich Klimovand first produced by the GAZ 116 works. Derived from theRolls-Royce Nene,the engine was also built under licence inChinaas theWopen WP-5.
Design and development
[edit]Immediately afterWorld War II,the Soviet Union manufactured copies of first generation GermanJunkers 004andBMW 003engines, which were advanced designs with poor durability, limited by Germany's shortage of rare metals in wartime. However, in 1946, before theCold Warhad really begun, the new BritishLabour governmentunder theprime minister,Clement Attlee,keen to improve diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, authorisedRolls-Royceto export 40Rolls-Royce Nenecentrifugalflowturbojetengines. In 1958 it was discovered during a visit toBeijingbyWhitney Straight,then deputy chairman of Rolls-Royce, that this engine had been copied without license[1]to power theMiG-15 'Fagot',first as theRD-45,and after initial problems of metallurgy forced the Soviet engineers to develop a slightly redesigned (and metallurgically closer) copy, the engine had then entered production as the Klimov VK-1 (Rolls-Royce later attempted to claim £207m in license fees, without success).[citation needed]
The RD-45 was improved to produce the VK-1, which differed from the Nene in having largercombustion chambers,a largerturbine,and revised induction giving greater airflow through the engine, raised from 41 kg/s for the Nene, to 45 kg/s.[2]TheVK-1Fmodel added the afterburner.
The engine featured acentrifugal compressor,requiring a larger-diameter fuselage than aircraft featuringaxial compressordesigns that had already appeared during World War II in Germany and Britain.
Applications
[edit]The VK-1 was used to power theMiG-15 'Fagot'andMiG-17 'Fresco'fighters and theIl-28 'Beagle'bomber. Some of these engines are in use today in Russia mounted ontrucksandrailroad carsassnow blowers and ice melters.[3]
Specifications (VK-1)
[edit]
General characteristics
- Type:Turbojet
- Length:2,600 mm (102 in)
- Diameter:1,300 mm (51 in)
- Dry weight:872 kg (1,922 lb)
Components
- Compressor:Centrifugal compressor
- Combustors:Nine can combustion chambers
- Turbine:single stage axial
Performance
- Maximumthrust:26.5 kN (5,955 lbf)
- Specific fuel consumption:109.1 kg/(kN·h) (1.07 lb/(lbf·h))
- Thrust-to-weight ratio:3.1
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Gunston 1989, p.90.
- ^"World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines - 5th edition" byBill Gunston,Sutton Publishing, 2006, p. 118
- ^Diaz, Jesus (7 August 2009)."In Russia, Snowblowers Use Mig-15 Jets".gizmodo.Retrieved2015-07-26.
Bibliography
[edit]- Gunston, Bill.World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines.Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989.ISBN1-85260-163-9
- Kay, Anthony L. (2007).Turbojet History and Development 1930-1960.Vol. 2 (1st ed.). Ramsbury: The Crowood Press.ISBN978-1861269393.
External links
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