https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlTHz7gf0ek
Interesting connecting rod design. I never knew they were like this.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Looks like a simplified version of the connecting rods used in radial engines. With a 9 cylinder bank, you would have 8 "baby" connecting rods attached to the master rod.
There is a seminal discussion around 1956 that discusses potentially massive horsepower increase from the then-Cooper-Bessemer engine architecture, since every big end is full-width, can be massively supported against distortion at relatively small marginal weight, and can be easily lubricated. That far outweighs the firing imbalance from the rod geometry.
I believe this is the same Peter Dent who found and put up the delightful P42 orientation video. Here is another in that series about operating the P42 prime mover.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gzwXHpgT7qY
GE were very proud of their lubricating oil distribution, explained in the video. The system used a lot of drilled holes in the castigs rather than pipes added on externally where they would be subject to damage.
I recall seeing an advertisement in "Diesel Raiway Traction" for 1961 (or so) that showed a cross section view of the oil flow passages in green on a plain white background, with no real indication of where the passage was located. It was fun working out which parts of the system were in the crankshaft, the connecting rods the main crankcase and in the power assemblies.
The GE FDL was overall much more strongly built than the Alco 251, although they never overcame the problem of cracking in the main crankcase.
Peter
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.