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X engines are piston engines with two V-type engines facing each other and sharing a single crankshaft, designed to save space in military aircraft. X-engine prototypes were abandoned due to mechanical unreliability and weight issues, and the development of turbofan aircraft engines. Rolls-Royce developed an X-24 engine package based on the V-12 Peregrine engine, but the creation of the Merlin V-12 ended its development. The invention of gas turbine engines ended the need for further refinement of piston engines.
An X engine is a piston engine design that places two V-type engines facing each other while sharing a single crankshaft. When viewed from the front, the two V-type engines become one X engine. Designed for and intended to save space in military aircraft, most X-engine prototype designs were abandoned in favor of V-type engine designs. or radial due to mechanical unreliability. The height of X-engine curiosity came during the World War II era and was primarily focused on converting existing V-12 engines to V-24 aircraft engines for use in both fighters and heavy bombers. Honda’s racing division is rumored to have been working on a V-32 racing engine in the 1960s that was slated for racing in the Formula 1 series, however the engine was never produced for racing.
The most common method of producing more power from a piston engine is to increase the displacement of the engine. In a V-type engine configuration, adding cylinders accomplishes this, however it also increases the size of the engine. By switching from a V-type engine design to an X engine design, the designers effectively doubled the displacement of the piston-powered engine without adding any length to the engine package. Weight was a negative factor with the X engine prototypes, and the development of the turbofan aircraft engine effectively ended the development of any X-type engine package.
Rolls-Royce developed an X-24 engine package that was loosely based on the V-12 Peregrine engine used in British World War II fighter aircraft. The V-12 was a problematic engine, and using it to create the X-24 only proved double the problems. The intent of the X engine was to increase the horsepower of the Peregrine V-12 from 750 to 1,500 by doubling the engine’s displacement. The creation of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12, which produced 1,100 horsepower, ended Rolls-Royce’s development of the X-24.
One of the side effects of war is often the increase in technology needed to build bigger and better weapons. The X engine was part of this technology, and almost every warring country in World War II attempted to develop an X-type engine. The invention of the gas turbine engine pretty much ended the need for further refinement of a piston engine. type X. Turbocharging and supercharging replaced the need to increase the displacement of a piston engine to create a higher number of horsepower.
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