Westinghouse J46

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J46
Westinghouse J46 on display at Wings Over Rockies Museum.JPG
J46-WE-8 cutaway
Type Afterburning Turbojet
National origin United States
Manufacturer Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division
Major applications F2Y Sea Dart
F7U Cutlass
Developed from Westinghouse J34

The Westinghouse J46 was an afterburning turbojet engine that was developed to power several United States Navy aircraft in the 1950s. It was intended to power the improved, swept wing, F3D-3 Skyknight (swept-wing version[1] ultimately canceled). It also powered the F2Y Sea Dart and the F7U Cutlass jets, and Walt Arfon's Wingfoot Express[2][3] land speed-record car.

Development and Design

The J46 engine was developed as a larger, more powerful version of Westinghouse's J34 engine, about 50% larger. The Westinghouse model number was a continuation of the "X24C" series of the J34. The model number assigned was X24C10, even though the J46 differed in many design features from the smaller J34. It was seen as a lower development risk than the J40 which was in parallel development at the same time. The development program ran into many problems with this engine, including combustion instability and control issues at altitude.[4]

The engine featured an 12-stage compressor that was driven by two turbine stages on a single spool. Early development engines also featured an afterburner, which was a simple "eyelid" design that was actuated by a long control rod that ran the length of the engine. By the time the engine reached production, the nozzle design had been changed to an iris type "petal" design activated by the long control rods attached to a ring that ran on rollers. Pulling or pushing on the rods moved the ring back and forth with the iris opening or closing.

Variants

Maintenance on the J46s of a F7U Cutlass aboard USS Hancock (CVA-19), 1957.
  • J46-WE-3: 4,080 lbf (18.15 kN) thrust[5]
  • J46-WE-4: 4,500 lbf (20.02 kN) thrust[5]
  • J46-WE-8: This variant powered the F7U Cutlass and produced 4800 lbf (21.4 kN) of dry thrust. The F7U-3 was re-engined with two J46-WE-8B turbojets giving a 680 mph (1,095 km/h) max speed.[6] This variant also powered the Harvey Hustler, a speed boat designed to go faster than 275 mph.[7]
  • J46-WE-8A: 4,600 lbf (20.46 kN) (6,100 lbf (27.13 kN) thrust with afterburner)[5]
  • J46-WE-12:This variant powered the F2Y Sea Dart hydroski aircraft. Basically identical to the -8/-8B, it was equipped with a fresh water spray system that flushed salt deposits out of the engine before takeoff.[8]
  • J46-WE-18:This variant would have produced an increased 6100 lbf (27.1 kN) of dry thrust for the proposed A2U attack aircraft, an attack variant of the F7U. This variant was canceled with the aircraft program.[8]

Specifications (J46-WE-8)

Data from [4][9]

General characteristics

  • Type: Afterburning Turbojet
  • Length: 198 in (5.0 m)
  • Diameter: 34 in (0.86 m)
  • Dry weight: 2100 lb (952.5 kg)

Components

Performance

Survivors

See also

Related development
Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Vectorsite.net: F3D Skynight
  2. ↑ Air & Space Magazine,March 01, 2009, Oldies and Oddities: The Bonneville Jet Wars
  3. ↑ Air & Space Magazine,March 01, 2009, Oldies and Oddities: The Bonneville Jet Wars Photos
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Aero Engines 1954 (1954). Flight. 9 Apr 1954. pg 461
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Roux 2007, pp. 237–238.
  6. ↑ History Wars Weapons: F7U Cutlass
  7. ↑ Cady, Steve (1965). Californians Seek Water Speed Mark. The New York Times, 28 Nov 1965. pg. S11.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Aero Engines 1956 (1956). Flight. 11 May 1956, p. 596
  9. ↑ Westinghouse Turbojets (1953). Flight. 13 Nov 1953. pg 642

Bibliography

  • Roux, Élodie. Turbofan and Turbojet Engines: Database Handbook. Raleigh, North Carolina: Éditions Élodie Roux, 2007. ISBN 978-2-9529380-1-3.
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