Panther with a radial engine

[Pasoleati]

According to Spielberger, the Panther was tested with a BMW 132 radial engine. Tests were promising, but the book has no details. Anyone with further information?

 

[Apophenia]

Not sure if this is a useful lead but, according to A Life Awheel: The ‘auto’ biography of W de Forte by Richard Skelton, one of the engineers behind the BMW 132D-powered Panther was Alex von Falkenhausen.

 

[Harry64]

Because of the inaccessibility of the lower cylinders, the experiments were discontinued. The stated continuous output of the motor of approx. 520 HP in addition to the 600 HP of the Maybach still appeared to be of little benefit.
Source: Panther - Meilenstein der Geschichte - F. Koehler

 

[riggerrob]

BMW 132 was almost "square" with a length of 1.411 meters (55.55 inches) and a diameter of 1.38 meters (54.33 inches). Mind you that includes the length of the propeller speed reduction unit, which would need to be changed for installation in an AFV. That large diameter would limit hull height. Does anyone have dimensions for a stock Panther engine compartment?

A hypothetical alternate installation would lay the engine nose-down (vertical crankshaft). Hopefully the new psru would reduce hull height enough to avoid a major redesign.

In comparison, engine diameter (45 inches/1.143 meters on Wright/Continental R-975 Whirlwind) as half the reason that the American M3 Lee/Grant and M4 Sherman series had such deep hulls. The other reason was a drive shaft that was suspended half the engine diameter above the hull floor.

 

[Pasoleati]

Riggerrob, the deep/high hulls of the M3/M4 was not caused by the "diameter" of the radial engine. It caused by the idiotic decision to use a powershaft mounted directly on the engine's nose case. The M18 had the same engine, but it used a gearing so that the power transfer shaft could run horizontally along the floor of the vehicle. A look at respective cutaway drawings easily reveal that. Had the M4 used the M18 setup, the tank would have been substantially lower and lighter (smaller hull=less weight).

The reasoning that the "inaccessibility of lower cylinders" was in practice of any significance is dubious; it defitinely wasn't in the M3/M4/M18. What is more, a BMW 132 rated at 520 or so hp in a tank installation means an engine running much below its capability, thus giving reliable and durable operation (in aircraft the same engine was used with powers exceeding 1000 hp and basically always operated at above 520 hp).

What is more, the Maybach suffered from serious issues like coolant leaks plus had to be considerably derated to keep its life reasonable. In Finnish Air Force maintenance experiences in WW2, air-cooled radials required far less daily maintenance than their liquid-cooled companions.

Honestly speaking, although fine engines in theory, Maybach's WW2 tank engines were in practice quite poor with highish specific fuel consumption, poor torque characteristics and lack of ruggedness (Finnish tank drivers driving the Stug III were warned that its engine does not tolerate rough handling like the previous tank engines (T-26/Vickers) they had operated). A bad feature for a wartime engine.

 

[Foo Fighter]

Difficult to say when and where the Maybach engines were unreliable due to the practice of using forced labour in construction. Where the engines badly designed or were the 'other' factors contributing more in this? I'm pretty sure they designers knew their onion. Perhaps our resident engine guru's can run a basic theorem together to rationalise all the different impacting elements, fuel standards and spares availability for example.

 

[riggerrob]

Difficult to say when and where the Maybach engines were unreliable due to the practice of using forced labour in construction. Where the engines badly designed or were the 'other' factors contributing more in this? I'm pretty sure they designers knew their onion. Perhaps our resident engine guru's can run a basic theorem together to rationalise all the different impacting elements, fuel standards and spares availability for example.

Also consider that the German war industry was hampered by shortages of key alloying metals like nickel.