The Salmson water-cooled aero-engines, produced in France by Société des Moteurs Salmson from 1908 until 1920, were a series of pioneering aero-engines: unusually combining water-cooling with the radial arrangement of their cylinders.

History Henri Salmson, a manufacturer of water pumps, was engaged by Georges Marius Henri-Georges Canton and Pierre Unné, a pair of Swiss engineers, to produce engines to their design. Their initial efforts were on barrel engines, but these failed to meet expectations due to low reliability and high fuel consumption caused by internal friction.

A new 7-cylinder water-cooled radial design was then developed by Canton and Unné. The range was expanded to produce 9-cylinder models, and also two-row 14-cylinder and 18-cylinder engines. By 1912 the Salmson A9 was producing around 120 brake horsepower; while competitive with rival designs from French companies, Salmson, Canton and Unné decided to develop more powerful engines as their rivals were concentrating on engines of lower power.

The engines were produced at Salmson's factory at Billancourt, which was expanded during the First World War, and a second factory was opened at Villeurbanne. The Salmson-(Canton-Unne) series of water-cooled engines were also built by licensees in Russia and in Great Britain at the Dudbridge Iron Works Limited at Stroud in Gloucestershire between 1914 and 1918.Lumsden 2003, p. 225.

Applications

Data from:LA SOCIETE DES MOTEURS SALMSON Aircraft powered by Salmson water-cooled engines included: Salmson 9A Salmson-Moineau S.M.1 Salmson-Moineau S.M.2 Salmson 9B Short S.74 Short type 135 Short type 830 Salmson 9C Farman 60 Salmson 9M Blackburn type L Bréguet U2 Breguet 14 prototype Voisin LA 3 Salmson 9P Farman HF.27 Voisin LA 5 Salmson 9R Anatra DS Lebed 12 Salmson 9Z Besson H-5 Caudron C.23 Farman HF.30 Farman 60 Hanriot HD.3 Hanriot H.26 Latécoère 3 Salmson 2 Berline Salmson 2A2 Vickers Vimy prototype Voisin Triplane Salmson 2M7 Kennedy Giant Sopwith type C Sopwith Bat Boat II Short type 166 Sopwith type 860 Wight Navyplane Salmson 18Cm Hanriot H.25

Variants and specifications Some sources named the radial versions as Salmson (Canton-Unne) which refers to the Swiss engineers which engaged Salmson to build engines to their designs.

+Salmson water-cooled aero-engines produced up to 1918 Name Cylinders Year Bore Stroke Capacity Power Remarks Salmson A 2 x 7-cyl barrel 1908 at 800rpm Barrel engine 1 built bench tests only Salmson B 2 x 7-cyl barrel 1910 at 800rpm 1 built bench tests only. Salmson C 2 x 7-cyl barrel 1910 at 1100rpm 1 built with rotary inlet valves. Salmson D 2 x 7-cyl barrel 1910 at 1100rpm 1 built with rotary inlet valves. Salmson E 2 x 9-cyl barrel 1911 1 built – timed valves. Salmson F 2 x 9-cyl barrel 1911 at 1200 rpm 1 built – timed valves. Salmson K 2 x 7-cyl barrel 1912 at 1200 rpm 1 built – automatic inlet valves. Salmson A7 7-cyl radial 1911 – 5 built for bench testing. Salmson A9 9-cyl radial 1912 – 30 built – certified to 47 hours running by 1914 Salmson C9 9-cyl radial 1912 1 built for testing Salmson M7 7-cyl radial 1913 – 50 built for bench testing. Salmson 2M7 14-cyl 2-row radial 1913 at 1300rpm15 built in France 300 built in Great Britain. Powered the Kennedy Giant, Short Type 166, Sopwith Bat Boat II, Sopwith Type C, Sopwith Type 860 and Wight Navyplane.Lumsden, Alec. British Piston Engines and their Aircraft. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. Salmson 2A9 18 cyl 2-row radial 1913 at 1500rpm 1 built for bench testing. Salmson B9 9-cyl radial 1913 106 built in Great Britain, 300 built in France. Powered the Short Type 135, Short S.74 et Short Type 830 and Voisin LA 5 Salmson M9 9-cyl radial 1914 – 500 built in France. Powered the Voisin LA 3, Breguet U2, Blackburn Type L, Breguet 14 prototype. Salmson P9 9-cyl radial 1915 300 built in France, 300 built in Russia. Powered the Voisin type LA 5 and Farman HF.27 Salmson R9 9-cyl radial 1915 – at 1300rpm50 built in France, 300 built in Russia. Powered the Lebed 12, Anatra DS, and Salmson-Moineau (1917) prototype Salmson 9Z 9-cyl radial 1917 at 1400rpm a.k.a. Z9 Water-cooled or Z9 – 3000 built in France, 56 built in Great Britain. Powered the Salmson 2A2, Latécoère 3, Farman 60, Voisin Triplane, Caudron C.23 and Vickers Vimy prototype Salmson 9Za Variant of the 9Z, powered the Hanriot HD.3 Salmson 9Zm Variant of the 9Z Salmson 9Zc Variant of the 9Z Salmson CM.9 9 powered the Salmson 2 Berline Salmson 18Z 18-cyl 2-row radial at 1,600 rpm Salmson 18Cm 18 1934 at 1,700 rpm2-row In-line radial water-cooled version of the 18Z / 18AB

Specifications (Salmson 9Z)

See also Salmson air-cooled aero-engines List of aircraft engines

Notes

References and further reading

La société des moteurs Salmson at Hydro-Retro.Net Salmson Z-9 at the Aircraft Engine Historical Society