Westinghouse J46
| J46 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| J46-WE-8 cutaway | |
| Type | Afterburning Turbojet |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division |
| Major applications |
F2Y Sea Dart F7U Cutlass |
| Developed from | Westinghouse J34 |
The Westinghouse J46 was an afterburning turbojet engine that was developed to power several United States Navy aircraft in the 1950s. It was intended to power the improved, swept wing, F3D-3 Skyknight (swept-wing version ultimately canceled). It also powered the F2Y Sea Dart and the F7U Cutlass jets, and Walt Arfon's Wingfoot Express land speed-record car.
The J46 engine was developed as a larger, more powerful version of Westinghouse's J34 engine, about 50% larger. The Westinghouse model number was a continuation of the "X24C" series of the J34. The model number assigned was X24C10, even though the J46 differed in many design features from the smaller J34. It was seen as a lower development risk than the J40 which was in parallel development at the same time. The development program ran into many problems with this engine, including the original electronic control system, compressor/turbine mismatches, combustion instability and control issues at altitude leading to compressor stalling The produced -8, -8A and -8B engines were all derated from the original design specification on both thrust and specific fuel consumption.
The engine featured a 12-stage compressor that was driven by two turbine stages on a single shaft. Early development engines also featured an afterburner which was a simple "eyelid" design that was actuated by long control rods that ran the length of the engine. By the time the engine reached production, the nozzle design had been changed to an iris type "petal" design activated by the same long control rods now attached to a ring that ran on rollers. Pulling or pushing on the rods moved the ring back and forth with the iris opening or closing. The original design using the electronic control system would have featured a fully controllable A/B thrust from minimum to maximum but this was abandoned when the electronic control could not be brought to acceptable levels of reliability. The final A/B was an "ON/OFF" unit.
Data from
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