The Salmson water-cooled aero-engines, produced in France by Société des Moteurs Salmson from 1908 until 1920,[1] were a series of pioneering aero-engines: unusually combining water-cooling with the radial arrangement of their cylinders.
Henri Salmson, a manufacturer of water pumps, was engaged by Georges Marius Henri-Georges Canton and Pierre Unné, a pair of Swiss engineers, to produce engines to their design. Their initial efforts were on barrel engines, but these failed to meet expectations due to low reliability and high fuel consumption caused by internal friction.[1]
A new 7-cylinder water-cooled radial design was then developed by Canton and Unné. The range was expanded to produce 9-cylinder models, and also two-row 14-cylinder and 18-cylinder engines. By 1912 the Salmson A9 was producing around 120 brake horsepower; while competitive with rival designs from French companies, Salmson, Canton and Unné decided to develop more powerful engines as their rivals were concentrating on engines of lower power.[1]
The engines were produced at Salmson's factory at Billancourt, which was expanded during the First World War, and a second factory was opened at Villeurbanne. The Salmson-(Canton-Unne) series of water-cooled engines were also built by licensees in Russia and in Great Britain at the Dudbridge Iron Works Limited at Stroud in Gloucestershire between 1914 and 1918.[2]
Data from:LA SOCIETE DES MOTEURS SALMSON[1] Aircraft powered by Salmson water-cooled engines included:
Some sources named the radial versions as Salmson (Canton-Unne) which refers to the Swiss engineers which engaged Salmson to build engines to their designs.
| +Salmson water-cooled aero-engines produced up to 1918 | |||||||
| Name | Cylinders | Year | Bore | Stroke | Capacity | Power | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmson A | 2 x 7-cyl barrel | 1908 | 75abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 37.285abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 800rpm | Barrel engine 1 built bench tests only |
| Salmson B | 2 x 7-cyl barrel | 1910 | 75abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 7.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 37.285abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 800rpm | 1 built bench tests only. |
| Salmson C | 2 x 7-cyl barrel | 1910 | 85abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 95abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 44.74abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1100rpm | 1 built with rotary inlet valves. |
| Salmson D | 2 x 7-cyl barrel | 1910 | 85abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 95abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 8abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 44.74abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1100rpm | 1 built with rotary inlet valves. |
| Salmson E | 2 x 9-cyl barrel | 1911 | 110abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 130abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 22abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 55.93abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 built – timed valves. |
| Salmson F | 2 x 9-cyl barrel | 1911 | 110abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 130abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 22abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 55.93abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1200 rpm | 1 built – timed valves. |
| Salmson K | 2 x 7-cyl barrel | 1912 | 85abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 105abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 11abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 63.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1200 rpm | 1 built – automatic inlet valves. |
| Salmson A7 | 7-cyl radial | 1911 | 120abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 11abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 59.65abbr=onNaNabbr=on – 74.57abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 5 built for bench testing. |
| Salmson A9 | 9-cyl radial | 1912 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 14.73abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 82abbr=onNaNabbr=on – 96.94abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 30 built – certified to 47 hours running by 1914 |
| Salmson C9 | 9-cyl radial | 1912 | 150abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 180abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 28.63abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 223.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 1 built for testing |
| Salmson M7 | 7-cyl radial | 1913 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 11.5abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 74.57abbr=onNaNabbr=on – 85.75abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 50 built for bench testing. |
| Salmson 2M7 | 14-cyl 2-row radial | 1913 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 23abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 149.1abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1300rpm | 15 built in France 300 built in Great Britain. Powered the Kennedy Giant, Short Type 166,Sopwith Bat Boat II, Sopwith Type C, Sopwith Type 860 and Wight Navyplane.[3] |
| Salmson 2A9 | 18 cyl 2-row radial | 1913 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 29.46abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 233.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1500rpm | 1 built for bench testing. |
| Salmson B9 | 9-cyl radial | 1913 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 14.73abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 104.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 106 built in Great Britain, 300 built in France. Powered the Short Type 135, Short S.74 et Short Type 830 and Voisin LA 5 |
| Salmson M9 | 9-cyl radial | 1914 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 14.73abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 89.48abbr=onNaNabbr=on – 96.94abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 500 built in France. Powered the Voisin LA 3, Bréguet U2, Blackburn Type L, Breguet 14 prototype. |
| Salmson P9 | 9-cyl radial | 1915 | 122abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 14.73abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 111.85abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 300 built in France, 300 built in Russia. Powered the Voisin type LA 5 and Farman HF.27 |
| Salmson R9 | 9-cyl radial | 1915 | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 140abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 15.46abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 111.85abbr=onNaNabbr=on – 119.3abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1300rpm | |
| Salmson 9Z | 9-cyl radial | 1917 | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 170abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 18.7abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 186.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on at 1400rpm | a.k.a. Z9 Water-cooled or Z9 – 3000 built in France, 56 built in Great Britain. Powered the Salmson 2A2, Latécoère 3, Farman 60, Voisin Triplane, Caudron C.23 and Vickers Vimy prototype |
| Salmson 9Za | Variant of the 9Z, powered the Hanriot HD.3 | ||||||
| Salmson 9Zm | Variant of the 9Z | ||||||
| Salmson 9Zc | Variant of the 9Z | ||||||
| Salmson CM.9 | 9 | 194abbr=onNaNabbr=on | powered the Salmson 2 Berline | ||||
| Salmson 18Z | 18-cyl 2-row radial | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 170abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 37.4abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 500hp at 1,600 rpm | ||
| Salmson 18Cm | 18 | 1934 | 125abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 180abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 39.76abbr=onNaNabbr=on | 550hp at 1,700 rpm | 2-row In-line radial water-cooled version of the 18Z / 18AB |