Created in 1917, the Liberty L-4 was a four-cylinder
water-cooled
Cooling tower and water discharge of a nuclear power plant
Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non ...
inline aircraft engine
An aircraft engine, often referred to as an aero engine, is the power component of an aircraft propulsion system. Most aircraft engines are either piston engines or gas turbines, although a few have been rocket powered and in recent years many ...
developed in the United States during
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 ...
. The Liberty L-4 was an experimental engine of , which was built by the
Hudson Motor Car Company
The Hudson Motor Car Company made Hudson and other branded automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., from 1909 until 1954. In 1954, Hudson merged with Nash-Kelvinator to form American Motors Corporation (AMC). The Hudson name was continued through ...
and primarily intended for use in training airplanes. Only two examples were produced, since other types of engines were available and already in production. While the engine was ground-tested, it is unknown if the L-4 was ever test-flown.
The L-4 was created as part of a US aircraft engine development effort which also created the six-cylinder
Liberty L-6
The Liberty L-6 was a six-cylinder water-cooled inline aircraft engine developed in the United States during World War I.
Design and development
The Liberty L-6, which developed 200–215 hp, was built by the Thomas-Morse Aircraft Corp. ...
, eight-cylinder
Liberty L-8
The Liberty L-8 (also known as the Packard 1A-1100) was a prototype of the Liberty L-12 engine designed by Jesse Vincent and Elbert Hall. Fifteen L-8 prototypes were manufactured by several companies including Buick, Ford, Lincoln, Marmon, an ...
and twelve-cylinder
Liberty L-12
The Liberty L-12 is an American water-cooled 45° V-12 aircraft engine displacing and making designed for a high power-to-weight ratio and ease of mass production. It saw wide use in aero applications, and, once marinized Marinisation (also m ...
.
Specifications
See also
References
This article incorporates text from
Liberty L-4
/span>, a public domain work of the United States Government.
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{{Aeroengine-specs
1910s aircraft piston engines
Abandoned military aircraft engine projects of the United States
Hudson Motor Car Company