The ABC Wasp was an experimental 170 hp (127 kW) seven-cylinder

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...

designed by the noted British engineer Granville Bradshaw, and primarily built by ABC Motors Limited. An order for twelve experimental ABC Wasp engines was placed with

Guy Motors Guy Motors was a Wolverhampton-based vehicle manufacturer that produced cars, lorries, buses and trolleybuses. The company was founded by Sydney S. Guy (1885–1971) who was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham. Guy Motors operated out of its Falling ...

on 19 April 1918. Eight ABC Wasp engines were made by Crossley Motors Ltd of Manchester, England.

Design and development

The ABC Wasp was one of the first large non-rotary air-cooled radials. At a weight of 290 pounds (131 kg), it had a reasonable

power-to-weight ratio Power-to-weight ratio (PWR, also called specific power, or power-to-mass ratio) is a calculation commonly applied to engines and mobile power sources to enable the comparison of one unit or design to another. Power-to-weight ratio is a measuremen ...

at 0.6 horsepower per pound. This

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

–era engine is noteworthy because it was one of the first in which the cylinders were coated with

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

in an attempt to dissipate heat. The ABC Wasp never evolved beyond the experimental stage, but it was the predecessor of the unsuccessful

Dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

engine.

Variants

;Wasp I :1918, 160 hp (119 kW) ;Wasp II :1919, 200 hp (149 kW)

Applications

;Wasp I * Avro 504K * BAT Bantam *

BAT Baboon The BAT F.K.24 Baboon was a British two-seat training biplane produced by British Aerial Transport Company Limited of London during World War I. Design and development Using experience gained designing the Bantam, aircraft designer Frederick ...

* Sopwith Snail * Westland Wagtail ;Wasp II * Avro 504K * BAT Bantam *

Saunders Kittiwake The Saunders Kittiwake was a British amphibian flying-boat built by S. E. Saunders at East Cowes, Isle of Wight. Only one was built, and it was scrapped after less than a year of testing. Design and development It was designed to compete for th ...

* Sopwith Snail * Westland Wagtail

Specifications (Wasp I)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Abc Wasp 1910s aircraft piston engines

Wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...

Aircraft air-cooled radial piston engines