The Lorraine 9N Algol was a French 9-cylinder radial aeroengine built and used in the 1930s. It was rated at up to , but more usually in the range.
Design and development The Algol was a conventionally laid out radial engine, with nine cylinders in a single row. The crankcase was a barrel-shaped aluminium alloy casting, with an internal integral diaphragm which held the front crankshaft bearing. Forward of the diaphragm there was an integrally cast cam-gear case for the double track cam-ring. The reduction gear was housed under a domed casing attached to the front of the crankcase.
Flange-mounted steel barrels were bolted to the crankcase and enclosed with cast aluminium alloy, screwed-on, cylinder head with integral cooling fins. The pistons were also made of aluminium alloy and had floating gudgeon pins. The nine pistons drove the single throw crankshaft via one channel-section master rod and eight circular section auxiliary rods. The master rod had an integral, split type big-end. The crankshaft was machined from a single forging, with bolt-on balance weights.
The Algol had a single pair of overhead inlet and exhaust valves per cylinder. The cam-ring drove roller tappets, mounted in the cam-case, which in turn operated rocker arms, fitted with ball bearings, via pushrods. The cam-ring was concentric with the crankshaft and driven via epicyclic gears.
Most Algols were conventionally aspirated via a single carburetter but at least one 1938 variant used a form of fuel injection, where fuel was blown into the induction system rather than the cylinder head.
Variants 9A 9Ab 9Ac 9Ad 9N Algol 9Na Algol 9N Algol-Junior 9N Algol-Major 9N Algol-Amelioré Type 120 500 hp A developed version with supercharger and reduction gear giving at
Applications ANF Les Mureaux 120 Bernard 161 Bloch 120 Bloch MB.500 Caudron C.180 FBA 290 Loire 11 Potez 33 Potez 40 PWS-24 Romano R.16 SAB-SEMA 12 Lorraine-Hanriot LH.70 Weymann 66
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