Gnome Lambda Explained

The Gnome 7 Lambda was a French designed, seven-cylinder, air-cooled rotary aero engine that was produced under license in Britain and Germany. Powering several World War I-era aircraft types it was claimed to produce 80hp from its capacity of 12L although recorded figures are lower.^[1]

Just under 1,000 units were produced in Britain, the majority (967) by the Daimler Company of Coventry. A 14-cylinder variant was known as the Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda.

In Germany Motorenfabrik Oberursel license-built the seven-cylinder engine as the Oberursel U.0 and later copied the 14-cylinder design and designated it as the Oberursel U.III.

Variants

Gnome 7 Lambda

Seven-cylinder, single-row rotary engine.

Gnome 7 Lambda (long stroke)

Increased stroke of to raise the compression ratio to 3.87:1, and total displacement to 12.26L.

Gnome 14 Double Lambda

14-cylinder, two-row rotary engine using Lambda cylinders. .

Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.0

German production of the Gnome 7 Lambda – had a cylinder bore and piston stroke for a total displacement of 11.52L, external diameter of 1.02m (03.35feet).^[2]

Motorenfabrik Oberursel U.III: :German production of the Gnome 14 Double Lambda

Applications

List from Lumsden

Gnome 7 Lambda

• Avro 504
• Blackburn Type I
• Borel hydro-monoplane^[3]
• Blériot Parasol
• Blériot XI
• Bristol Boxkite
• Bristol Gordon England G.E.3
• Bristol-Coanda Monoplanes
• Bristol Coanda T.B.8
• Bristol Coanda P.B.8
• Bristol Scout
• Caudron G.III
• Deperdussin Type B
• Dunne D.8
• Henry Farman F.20
• Grahame-White Type XV
• London & Provincial 4
• Lowe Marlburian
• Nieuport IVG
• Nieuport 10
• Nieuport-Macchi Parasol
• Radley-England Waterplane
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.3
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.4
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.8
• Royal Aircraft Factory B.S.1
• Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2
• Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2
• Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
• Short S.37
• Short S.38
• Short S.41
• Short S.60
• Short S.70
• Sikorsky S-7
• Sopwith Gordon Bennett Racer
• Sopwith Pup
• Sopwith Sociable
• Sopwith Tabloid
• Sopwith Three-Seater
• Vickers No.8 Monoplane

Gnome 14 Lambda-Lambda

• Avro 510
• Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
• Deperdussin Monocoque
• Fokker D.III
• Fokker E.IV
• Paul Schmitt P.S.3
• Short S.63
• Short S.64
• Short S.70
• Short S.74
• Short S.80
• Short S.81
• Short S.82

Survivors

An original Gnome 7 Lambda engine is installed in the Sopwith Tabloid replica aircraft on display in the Grahame-White hall of the Royal Air Force Museum London.^[4]

References

Bibliography

• Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. .

Notes and References

1. Lumsden 2003, p. 151.
2. Web site: Obsah fóra :: Zbraně a vybavení :: Výzbroj, zbraňové systémy, vybavení a příslušenství :: Motory :: Letecké motory :: Pístové :: Německo (DEU) :: Oberursel U.0 . . valka.cz . cs . July 19, 2013.
3. Flight. The Borel Hydro-Monoplane . 19 July 1913. 450.
4. https://web.archive.org/web/20101223040443/http://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/london/collections/aircraft/aircraft-history/83-A-526%20Tabloid%20168.pdf RAF Museum – Sopwith Tabloid replica history

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