Mikulin AM-34
Encyclopedia
The Mikulin AM-34 (M-34) was the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
’s first indigenous mass-produced, liquid-cooled, aircraft engine. Its initial development was troubled, but it eventually became one of the most successful Soviet aircraft engines of the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
. It was utilized on the Beriev MBR-2
Beriev MBR-2
-External links:* at aeroflight.co.uk* * at Russian Aviation Museum* at Russian Aviation Museum* at Russian Aviation Museum...
, Tupolev TB-3
Tupolev TB-3
The Tupolev TB-3 was a heavy bomber aircraft which was deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and during World War II. It was the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bomber. Despite obsolescence and being officially withdrawn from service in 1939, TB-3 performed bomber and...
, Tupolev TB-4, Tupolev ANT-20
Tupolev ANT-20
-See also:*Dornier Do X-External links:* * Russian: Babelfish rough English translation * * Babelfish rough English translation from Russian History of Aviation, Publ Young Guards...
, Petlyakov Pe-8
Petlyakov Pe-8
The Petlyakov Pe-8 was a Soviet heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber the USSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bomb Berlin in August 1941. It was also used for so-called "morale raids" designed to raise the spirit of the Soviet...
, Kalinin K-7
Kalinin K-7
|-References:* Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9-External links:*...
, Polikarpov I-17
Polikarpov I-17
-External links:*...
and Bolkhovitinov DB-A aircraft as well as the G-5
G-5 class motor torpedo boat
The G-5 was a Soviet motor torpedo boat built before and during World War II. Approximately 300 were built, of which 73 were lost during the war. Four were exported to the Spanish Republican Navy during the Spanish Civil War and others were transferred to North Korea after the war...
and various prototype motor torpedo boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
s. A version of the maritime model was adapted for use in several prototype heavy tanks in 1939, although none were placed into production.
Design and development
The M-34 began development in 1928 as a replacement for the Mikulin M-17Mikulin M-17
-See also:-External links:* http://avia.russian.ee/air/russia/index.html...
, a license-built copy of the BMW VI
BMW VI
|-See also:- External links :...
. It had similar dimensions and attachment points, but was otherwise an entirely new design. It was a direct-drive, block-type engine with the cylinder block connected by long internal studs with centrally-coupled connecting rods. The development process was prolonged with the engineering drawings not completed until April 1931. The first engine was delivered to TsIAM (Tsentralniy Institut Aviatsionnogo Motorostroeniya, Russian: Центральный Институт Авиационного Моторостроения) on 21 September 1931 for bench testing with imported carburetor
Carburetor
A carburetor , carburettor, or carburetter is a device that blends air and fuel for an internal combustion engine. It is sometimes shortened to carb in North America and the United Kingdom....
s and magneto
Magneto (electrical)
A magneto is an electrical generator that uses permanent magnets to produce alternating current.Magnetos adapted to produce pulses of high voltage are used in the ignition systems of some gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to provide power to the spark plugs...
s. It began State testing in November 1931, but failed. It was submitted again a year later with Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-designed K-34 carburetors, but was again rejected. It was resubmitted in January 1933, but again failed. It was flight-tested in a Tupolev TB-3
Tupolev TB-3
The Tupolev TB-3 was a heavy bomber aircraft which was deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and during World War II. It was the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bomber. Despite obsolescence and being officially withdrawn from service in 1939, TB-3 performed bomber and...
in October 1933.
Despite these failures it began production in 1932 at Factory No. 24 in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and 64 engines had been delivered by the end of the year. 790 were built the following year and it was exhibited in Paris as an achievement of the Soviet aviation industry. The M-34 was redesignated with Alexsander Mikulin's initials as the AM-34 on 9 August 1936 in honor of his achievement.
The M-34 was used in an unusual system, first tried by Imperial Germany in 1918 with a Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, that used an external supercharger
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
to supply pressurized air to the aircraft's M-34FRN engines. The first installation, designated ATsN-1 (Agregat tsentral'novo nadduva - central boosting unit), used an auxiliary M-34 fitted inside the fuselage to drive a central supercharger with ducts leading to the engines in the wings. This was flight-tested in a Tupolev TB-3 in 1935. It was adapted for use in a Petlyakov Pe-8 bomber prototype with a smaller Klimov M-100 engine substituted for the M-34 as the ATsN-2. It was flight-tested during 1938–39, but was not approved for production.
The AM-34FRN and subsequent models used articulated connecting rods which increased the stroke to 196.7 mm (7.7 in) and increased the displacement to 46.66 L (2,847 in³). Combined with a number of other changes power significantly increased in most models to 1200 hp.
Development of a version for motor torpedo boat
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
s began in 1932 as the GM-34, but it did not pass its State tests until December 1934, although it was put into production that same year. It was given a reversing gear, a free-wheel sleeve and its cooling and exhaust systems were modified. Production continued through 1943 with the GM-34s adapting features from the aviation models. With the exception of the GAM-34BP and the original GM-34 all maritime engines used a benzene
Benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
-alcohol fuel
Alcohol fuel
Although fossil fuels have become the dominant energy resource for the modern world, alcohol has been used as a fuel throughout history. The first four aliphatic alcohols are of interest as fuels because they can be synthesized chemically or biologically, and they have characteristics which allow...
mixture.
A version of the GM-34 was adapted for use in heavy tanks in 1939 as the GAM-34BT, although only small numbers were built. It was mounted in the prototypes of the T-100
T-100 tank
The T-100 was a twin-turreted Soviet heavy tank prototype, designed in 1938–39 as a possible replacement for the T-35.The T-100 was designed to by N. Barykov's OKMO design team at S.M. Kirov Factory No. 185 in Leningrad...
and SMK
SMK tank
SMK was an armored vehicle prototype developed by the Soviet Union prior to the Second World War...
heavy tanks and the SU-100y
SU-100Y Self-Propelled Gun
The SU-100Y was a Soviet prototype self-propelled gun, developed from the prototype T-100 tank. It was developed during the Winter War with Finland to include a 152 mm gun to destroy concrete defensive structures like bunkers and anti-tank obstacles...
self-propelled gun
Self-propelled gun
A self-propelled gun is form of self-propelled artillery, and in modern use is usually used to refer to artillery pieces such as howitzers....
, none of which were put into production. The cooling system was modified with an external fan and it was given new gearing. An electric starter was used rather than the original pneumatic one. It was rated at 850 hp.
Variants
M-34- First production version. Direct drive. Early engines used imported ZenithZenith CarburettersZenith Carburetters was a British company making carburettors. In 1955 they joined with their major pre-war rival Solex Carburettors and over time the Zenith brand name fell into disuse...
90R carburetors, although later ones used indigenous K-34 carburetors. In production until the end of 1939. Rated at 800 hp with a weight of 680 kg (1,499.1 lb).
Coupled M-34
- Two engines driving one propeller, project for the Kalinin K-7Kalinin K-7|-References:* Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9-External links:*...
, no production.
M-34F
- small batch built in 1933 with a rating at 830 hp.
M-34R
- R for Reduktor or reduction gear. Rated at 800 hp with a weight of 670 kg (1,477.1 lb). Passed its State trials in May 1933 and in production from the end of that year to the end of 1939.
M-34RD
- D for Dahl'niy or long-range. Ten engines built with special attention to quality, smaller tolerances and K-34RD carburetors to equip the Tupolev ANT-25Tupolev ANT-25The Tupolev ANT-25 was a Soviet long-range experimental aircraft which was also tried as a bomber. First constructed in 1933, it was used by the Soviet Union for a number of record-breaking flights.-History and records:...
record-breaking aircraft. RPMs were boosted to give a power of 830 hp. Later fifty more were built to power Tupolev TB-3Tupolev TB-3The Tupolev TB-3 was a heavy bomber aircraft which was deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and during World War II. It was the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bomber. Despite obsolescence and being officially withdrawn from service in 1939, TB-3 performed bomber and...
bombers converted to VIP transports.
M-34N
- N for Nagnetatel or supercharged. Development began in 1931 of this direct-drive model, but the first two-stage supercharger design proved to be quite unreliable. A single-speed replacement was developed at TsIAM and tested in November 1933 and production began in September 1934. The centrifugal type superchargerCentrifugal type superchargerThe centrifugal-type supercharger is an engine-driven compressor used to increase the power output of an internal-combustion engine by increasing the amount of available oxygen by compressing air that is entering the engine...
was designed as a removable module and could be installed on other versions of the M-34. Rated at 820 hp. A PTK steam-powered supercharger was developed and tested from 1938 to 1940, but was not accepted for production.
M-34RN
- This geared model used the same geared centrifugal supercharger (GCS) as the M-34N and had the same rating. It failed State testing in September 1934 when the pistons burned through.
M-34NA
- A version of the M-34N with minor changes to some components to extend service life. It had the same power as the original model.
M-34RA
- A version of the M-34R with the same changes and power as the M-34NA.
M-34RNA
- A version of the M-34RN with all the changes introduced on the NA and RA models. Same power as before, but weighed 748 kg (1,649.1 lb). Flight-tested on a TB-3 in May 1935 and production began at the end of the year.
M-34NB
- The NA fitted with a strengthened crankcaseCrankcaseIn an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...
, a lightened crankshaftCrankshaftThe crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
with a modified nose and a refined supercharger. The power remained the same, but the weight dropped to 638 kg (1,406.5 lb). A TK-1 turbochargerTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
was tested with the prototype on a Polikarpov R-ZPolikarpov R-Z|-See also:-External links:* * *...
in 1936.
M-34RNB
- A geared equivalent of the NB model with a lightened reduction gear. The power remained the same, but the weight dropped to 725 kg (1,598.4 lb). In production from October 1935 until the end of 1939.
M-34P
- P for Pushechnyy or cannon. A version of the M-34RN adapted to mount a autocannonAutocannonAn autocannon or automatic cannon is a rapid-fire projectile weapon firing a shell as opposed to the bullet fired by a machine gun. Autocannons often have a larger caliber than a machine gun . Usually, autocannons are smaller than a field gun or other artillery, and are mechanically loaded for a...
in the V between the cylinder banks that fired through a hollow gear shaft. The specification was issued in August 1934, but no further information is known.
M-34NV
- N for Neprosredsvenniy vprysk or fuel-injected. It passed its bench tests in 1935 and was flight-tested in 1937, but was not accepted for production. Rated at 985 hp
M-34RNV
- Geared version similar to the NV.
AM-34RNV-TK
- Prototype built in 1938, similar to the RNV with the addition of a TK-1 turbocharger. Rated at 850 hp and an estimated weight of 810 kg (1,785.7 lb).
AM-34RS
- Prototype built in 1938 with mixed cooling; air-cooled sleeves and ethylene glycolEthylene glycolEthylene glycol is an organic compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze and a precursor to polymers. In its pure form, it is an odorless, colorless, syrupy, sweet-tasting liquid...
-cooled cylinder headCylinder headIn an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket...
s. Rated at 1200 hp.
AM-34NF
- Prototype with a geared centrifugal supercharger and a TK-1 supercharger. Flight-tested in a TB-3. Compression ratio of 6.6:1 and rated at 985 hp.
M-34N2B
- A prototype with a supercharger, two turbochargers and four K-4 carburetors. Rated at 1030 hp.
AM-34FRN
- F for Forsirovanniy or boosted. Development began in 1934, but development was not completed until 1938. The crankshaft, crank case, gearing and the side joints of the connecting rods were reinforced. The lubrication system was modified, the supercharger improved and a new gas-distribution system was fitted. The carburetors were moved to behind the supercharger. Rated at 1200 hp and the weight dropped to 690 kg (1,521.2 lb). It was exhibited in the 1937 Paris Air ShowParis Air ShowThe Paris Air Show is the world's oldest and largest air show. Established in 1909, it is currently held every odd year at Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France...
.
AM-34FRNA
- First main production version of the FRN model. Equipped with four carburetors.
AM-34FRNB
- Next production model of the FRN. Equipped with six carburetors. A small batch was adapted for the ATsN-2 system with pressurized air provided by an external supercharger and flight-tested in a Pe-8 in 1938–39.
AM-34FRNV
- The last main production variant of the AM-34. Built during 1938–39. The crankcase was modified and bronze bushings were used for the main supports. It had a longer crankshaft nose, four K-4 carburetors, and a modified lubrication system. The valve castings were made of magnesium alloy. The power remained the same, but the weight increased to 763.5 kg (1,683.2 lb). Variants with fuel injection and two TK-1 turbochargers were tested, but not put into production.
AM-34RB
- Superchargers were removed from AM-34RNB engines during 1938–39 to create this model.
Maritime variants
GM-34- Intended for motor torpedo boats. Rated at 800 hp with a weight of 864 kg (1,904.8 lb).
GAM-34F
- A boosted version of the GM-34 it had bronze main bushings and used the crankshaftCrankshaftThe crankshaft, sometimes casually abbreviated to crank, is the part of an engine which translates reciprocating linear piston motion into rotation...
, block heads and some other components of the AM-34FRNV aircraft engine. Rated at 1000 hp with a weight of 1080 kg (2,381 lb) with a compression ratioCompression ratioThe 'compression ratio' of an internal-combustion engine or external combustion engine is a value that represents the ratio of the volume of its combustion chamber from its largest capacity to its smallest capacity...
of 7.3:1.
GAM-34FN
- A version of the GAM-34F with a FN-25 geared centrifugal supercharger and one K-4 carburetor. It used the oil system of the GAM-34BS and was in production from August 1939.
GAM-34BP
- Intended for armored river boats.
GAM-34BS
- An improved version of the GAM-34BP. Rated at 850 hp with a weight of 1045 kg (2,303.8 lb).
Aviation
- Beriev MBR-2Beriev MBR-2-External links:* at aeroflight.co.uk* * at Russian Aviation Museum* at Russian Aviation Museum* at Russian Aviation Museum...
- Bolkhovitinov DB-A
- Kalinin K-7Kalinin K-7|-References:* Gunston, Bill. “The Osprey Encyclopaedia of Russian Aircraft 1875 – 1995”. London, Osprey. 1995. ISBN 1-85532-405-9-External links:*...
- Petlyakov Pe-8Petlyakov Pe-8The Petlyakov Pe-8 was a Soviet heavy bomber designed before World War II, and the only four-engine bomber the USSR built during the war. Produced in limited numbers, it was used to bomb Berlin in August 1941. It was also used for so-called "morale raids" designed to raise the spirit of the Soviet...
- Polikarpov I-17Polikarpov I-17-External links:*...
- Tupolev ANT-20Tupolev ANT-20-See also:*Dornier Do X-External links:* * Russian: Babelfish rough English translation * * Babelfish rough English translation from Russian History of Aviation, Publ Young Guards...
- Tupolev TB-3Tupolev TB-3The Tupolev TB-3 was a heavy bomber aircraft which was deployed by the Soviet Air Force in the 1930s and during World War II. It was the world's first cantilever wing four-engine heavy bomber. Despite obsolescence and being officially withdrawn from service in 1939, TB-3 performed bomber and...
- Tupolev TB-4
Maritime
- G-5 motor torpedo boat
- G-6 motor torpedo boat
- G-8 motor torpedo boat
- SM-4 motor torpedo boat
- Project 1124 armored river boat
- Project 1125 armored river boat