The Mercedes D.IVa was a German six-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 n ...

, inline engine developed in 1917 for use in aircraft and built by ''

Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (abbreviated as DMG, also known as ''Daimler Motors Corporation'') was a German engineering company and later automobile manufacturer, in operation from 1890 until 1926. Founded by Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900) and ...

'' (DMG).Gunston 1989, p.101.

Design and development

The D.IVa replaced the failed

Mercedes D.IV The Mercedes D.IV was an eight-cylinder, liquid-cooled inline aircraft engine built by '' Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft'' (DMG) and used on a small number of German aircraft during World War I. Design and development The design was based around ...

inline eight-cylinder engine. The D.IVa was primarily used to power

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

s and large reconnaissance aircraft. Unlike most German designs, the D.IVa was relatively advanced, including four valves per cylinder powered by a SOHC valvetrain, the same "single-camshaft" arrangement that had also been used on the earlier two-valve per cylinder D.I through D.IIIa powerplants. Designed specifically to be installed in the fuselage, the engine featured a number of design elements intended to reduce its width. For instance, the

carburetor A carburetor (also spelled carburettor) is a device used by an internal combustion engine to control and mix air and fuel entering the engine. The primary method of adding fuel to the intake air is through the venturi tube in the main meteri ...

was placed behind the engine, feeding fuel to the cylinders via a long tubular

intake manifold In automotive engineering, an inlet manifold or intake manifold (in American English) is the part of an engine that supplies the fuel/ air mixture to the cylinders. The word ''manifold'' comes from the Old English word ''manigfeald'' (from the ...

. This had the disadvantage of poor fuel distribution. Two versions of the engine were produced in mirror copies, running in opposite directions.

Applications

AEG G.IV The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft used in World War I by Germany. It was developed from the AEG G.III, with refinements to power, bomb-load and dimensions. Coming into service in late 1916, it featured a bomb capacity twice as large as ...

AEG G.V The AEG G.V was a biplane bomber aircraft of World War I, a further refinement of the AEG G.IV. The type saw limited production before the Armistice, and never entered operational service. It featured a 600 kg (1,320 lb) bombload. Aft ...

AEG R.I The AEG R.I or Riesenflugzeug 1 (meaning "giant aircraft") was a four-engined biplane bomber aircraft of World War I manufactured by AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founde ...

* AGO C.VIII * Albatros C.X * Albatros C.XII * Albatros C.XV *

Friedrichshafen G.III The Friedrichshafen G.III (factory designation FF.45) was a heavy bomber designed and manufactured by ''Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen''. They were used by the German Imperial Air Service during World War I for tactical and limited strategic bomb ...

Friedrichshafen G.IV The Friedrichshafen G.IV and G.V (factory designations FF.61 and FF.55) respectively were heavy bombers that were designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. The G.IV saw limited use by the ''Luftstre ...

* Friedrichshafen N.I *

Gotha G.III The Gotha G.III was a twin-engine pusher biplane heavy bomber used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. It succeeded the G.II in production and differed primarily in powerplant and in armament details ...

Gotha G.IV The Gotha G.IV was a heavy bomber used by the (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. It was the first mass-produced large airplane. Development Experience with the earlier G.III showed that the rear gunner could not efficientl ...

* Gotha G.V *

Gotha G.VI The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber aircraft designed and built in Germany during World War I. Development The Gotha G.VI was an experimental bomber developed from the Gotha G.V. Using the standard wing cellule from the Gotha G.V the G.V ...

* Gotha G.VII * Linke-Hofmann R.I * Linke-Hofmann R.II * Rumpler C.IV * Zeppelin Staaken R.VI

Engines on display

*A Mercedes D.IVa recently restored by the Museum's Friends ASSN. is on public display at the Museo Nacional de Aeronautica (MORON-Argentina).

Specifications (D.IVa)

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Gunston, Bill. ''World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. *''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I''. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1993.

External links

Tests of the Daimler D-IVa engine at a high altitude test bench (October 1, 1920)
{{Mercedes aeroengines Mercedes aircraft engines 1910s aircraft piston engines