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| J33 | |
|---|---|
_used_in_Lockheed_T-33_at_Flugausstellung_Hermeskeil%2c_pic1.jpg) | |
| Allison J33 turbojet engine on display atFlugausstellung Hermeskeil | |
| Type | Turbojet |
| Manufacturer | General Electric Allison Engine Company |
| First run | 1942 |
| Major applications | Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star Lockheed F-94A/B Starfire SSM-N-8 Regulus |
| Developed from | General Electric J31 |
TheGeneral Electric/Allison J33 is an Americancentrifugal-flowjet engine, a development of theGeneral Electric J31, enlarged to produce significantly greater thrust, starting at 4,000 lbf (18 kN) and ending at 4,600 lbf (20 kN) with an additional low-altitude boost to 5,400 lbf (24 kN) with water-alcohol injection.
The J33 was originally developed byGeneral Electric as a follow-on to their work with the designs ofFrank Whittle duringWorld War II. Their first engine was known as theGeneral Electric I-A, but after major changes to adapt it to US production and to increase thrust, it started limited production as the I-16 in 1942, the 16 referring to its 1,600 lbf (7.1 kN) thrust. Full production started as theJ31 when theUnited States Army Air Forces introduced common naming for all their engine projects.
Along with the I-16, GE also started work on an enlarged version, known as the I-40. As the name implied, the engine was designed to provide 4,000 lbf (18 kN). Apart from size, the main difference between I-16 and the I-40 was the combustion system: the I-16 had ten reverse-flow cans, whereas the I-40 had 14 straight-through combustors. The development cycle was remarkably rapid. Design work started in mid-1943 and the first prototype underwent static testing on 13 January 1944.
Lockheed was in the midst of theXP-80 project at the time, originally intending to power their design with a US-produced version of theHalford H-1 of about 3,000 lbf (13 kN). Production of the H-1 byAllis-Chalmers ran into delays, and since the I-40 would dramatically improve performance, plans were made to fit the prototypes with the I-40 instead.
The I-40 became important to the USAAF's plans when the I-16 poweredP-59 was skipped over in favor of the I-40 powered P-80 as the US's first production jet fighter. In 1945, the license to actually produce the engine was not given to General Electric, but to Allison instead. Allison, working largely from government-owned wartime factories, could produce the engine in quantity more quickly and cheaply.
By the time the production lines were shut down, Allison had built over 6,600 J33's and General Electric another 300 (mostly the early runs).
In 1958, surplus J33s were used in jet donkeys pushing dead loads at 200 knots to testaircraft carrierarresting gear cables andtailhooks atLakehurst.[1]
A model of the J33 intended for civil use, designated the Allison 400-C4, in 1948 became the first US gas turbine certificated for commercial transport use.[2]
Data from: Aircraft engines of the World 1953,[3] Aircraft engines of the World 1957,[4] Aircraft engines of the World 1953,[5]
Data fromJane's all the World's Aircraft 1955–56 and Aircraft engines of the World 1957.[8][4]
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