11/06/2024
In keeping with the D-Day anniversary, here is an archive photo of the valve-timing gears from the Bristol Hercules radial engine. This was a 14-cylinder two-row radial sleeve aero engine produced by the Bristol Engine Company starting in 1939. It powered the Bristol Beaufighter heavy fighter, and was commonly used on British bombers at the time.
This engine was designed on drawing boards, using manual drawing instruments and 2D orthogonal projections. No 3D solids, no CAD simulations to check for geometric interference.