When talking about advanced weapons, they primarily mean the power of a weapon that can inflict a crushing defeat on the enemy. The legendary T-34 tank became the personification of the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II. But there are less significant components, for example, the V-2 tank engine, without which the legend could not exist.
Military equipment operates in the most difficult conditions. Motors are designed taking into account the use of low-quality fuel, minimal maintenance, but at the same time they must retain their original characteristics for many years. It was this approach that was embodied in the creation of the diesel engine of the T-34 tank.
Engine prototype
In 1931, the Soviet government headed for the improvement of military equipment. Then the Kharkov Locomotive Plant named. The Comintern was tasked with developing a new diesel engine for tanks and aircraft.
The novelty of the development was to consist in fundamentally new characteristics of the motor. The nominal speed of the diesel engine crankshaft of that time was 260 rpm. Then, as in the assignment, it was agreed that the new engine should produce 300 hp at a speed of 1600 rpm. And this already presented completely different requirements for the methods of developing units and assemblies. Technologies that would allow creating such an engine in the Soviet Union did not exist.
The design bureau was renamed to Diesel, and work began. After discussing possible design options, we settled on a V-shaped 12-cylinder engine, 6 cylinders in each row. He had to start from an electric starter. At that time there was no fuel equipment that could provide fuel for such an engine. Therefore, as a high-pressure fuel pump, it was decided to install a Bosch fuel injection pump, which was later planned to be replaced by a pump of its own production.
Two years passed before the creation of the first test sample. Since the engine was planned to be used not only in Soviet tank construction, but also in aircraft construction on heavy bombers, the light weight of the engine was specifically stipulated.
Finalization of the motor
They tried to create the engine from materials that were not previously used for the construction of diesel engines. For example, the cylinder block was made of aluminum, and it, unable to withstand tests at the stand, constantly cracked. High power made the light unbalanced motor vibrate violently.
The BT-5 tank, on which the diesel tests were carried out, never reached the landfill under its own power. Engine troubleshooting showed that the crankcase block and crankshaft bearings were destroyed. In order for the design embodied in paper to migrate into life, new materials were needed. The equipment on which the parts were made was also unsuitable. The manufacturing accuracy class was not enough.
In 1935, the Kharkov Locomotive Plant was replenished with experimental diesel engine workshops. Having eliminated a certain number of defects, the BD-2A engine was installed on the R-5 aircraft. The bomber took off, but the low reliability of the engine did not allow it to be used for its intended purpose. Moreover, by that time, more acceptable options for aircraft engines arrived.
It was difficult to prepare a diesel engine for installation on a tank. The selection committee was not happy with the high smokiness, which was a strong unmasking factor. In addition, high fuel and oil consumption was unacceptable for military equipment, which should have a large power reserve without refueling.
Main difficulties behind
In 1937, the design team was understaffed by military engineers. Then the diesel engine was given the name B-2, under which it went down in history. However, improvement work was not completed. Part of the technical tasks were delegated to the Ukrainian Institute of Aircraft Engine. The design team was supplemented by employees of the Central Institute of Aviation Motors.
In 1938, state tests of the second generation of V-2 diesel engines were carried out. Three motors were introduced. None have passed the tests. The piston stuck in the first, the cylinder block cracked in the second, and the crankcase flowed in the third. In addition, the high-pressure plunger pump did not create sufficient capacity. He lacked precision manufacturing.
In 1939, the engine was finalized and tested.
Subsequently, the T-34 tank was equipped with a V-2 engine in this form. The diesel department was reformed into a tank engine factory, the purpose of which was to produce 10,000 units per year.
Final version
At the beginning of World War II, the plant was urgently evacuated to Chelyabinsk. ChTZ already had a production base for the production of tank engines.
Some time before the evacuation, the diesel was tested on a KV heavy tank.
For a long time, the B-2 was subjected to modernization and improvement. The disadvantages also decreased. The advantages of the T-34 tank engine made it possible to judge it as an unsurpassed example of design thought. Even military experts believed that the replacement of V-2 with new diesel engines in the years 60-70 was caused by the fact that the engine was outdated only from a moral point of view. In many technical parameters, he excelled new items.
You can compare some of the characteristics of the B-2 with modern engines to understand how progressive it was for that time. The launch was provided in two ways: from a receiver with compressed air and electric starter, which provided increased survivability of the T-34 tank engine. Four valves per cylinder increased the efficiency of the gas distribution mechanism. The cylinder block and crankcase were made of aluminum alloy.
The ultralight motor was produced in three versions, differing in power: 375, 500, 600 hp, for equipment of various weights. The change in power was achieved by forcing - reducing the combustion chamber and increasing the degree of compression of the fuel mixture. An engine of 850 liters was even released. from. It was used turbocharging from an aircraft engine AM-38, after which the diesel was tested on a heavy tank KV-3.
Already at that time there was a tendency towards the development of military engines operating on any hydrocarbon fuel, which in the conditions of war simplifies the supply of equipment. The engine of the T-34 tank could work both on diesel fuel and on kerosene.
Unreliable diesel
Despite the demand of the People's Commissar V. A. Malyshev, the diesel engine did not become reliable. Most likely, the matter was not in design flaws, but in the fact that the production evacuated to Chelyabinsk Chelyabinsk Plant had to be deployed in a huge hurry. The materials required by the specifications were missing.
Two tanks with B-2 engines were sent to the United States to study the causes of premature failure. After conducting annual tests of the T-34 and KV-1, it was concluded that air filters do not trap dust particles at all, and they penetrate the engine, leading to wear of the piston group. Due to a lack of technology, the oil contained in the filter flowed out through the resistance welding in the housing. Dust, instead of settling in the oil, freely penetrated the combustion chamber.
Throughout the war, work on the reliability of the T-34 tank engine was ongoing. In 1941, 4th-generation engines could barely work 150 hours, while 300 was required. By 1945, engine life could be increased by 4 times, and the number of malfunctions was reduced from 26 to 9 for every thousand kilometers.
The production capacities of ChTZ Uraltrak were insufficient for the military industry. Therefore, it was decided to build factories for the production of engines in Barnaul and Sverdlovsk. They produced the same B-2 and its modifications for installation not only on tanks, but also on self-propelled vehicles.
Chelyabinsk Tractor Plant Uraltrac also produced engines for a variety of vehicles: heavy tanks of the KV series, light tanks BT-7, and heavy artillery tractors Voroshilovets.
Tank Engine in Peaceful Life
The career of the engine of the T-34 tank did not end with the end of the war. Finalization of the design continued. It formed the basis for many modifications of tank V-shaped diesel engines. B-45, B-46, B-54, B-55, etc. - all of them became direct descendants of B-2. They had the same V-shaped, 12-cylinder concept. Various hydrocarbon mixtures could serve as fuel for them. The case was made of aluminum alloys and was lightweight.
In addition, the B-2 served as a prototype for many other engines that were not related to military equipment.
The civilian vessels Moscow and Moskvich received the same engine as they stood on the T-34 tank, with minor modifications. This modification was called D12. In addition, diesels were produced for river transport, which were 6-cylinder V-2 halves.
Shunting locomotives TGK-2, TGM-1, TGM-23 were equipped with 1D6 diesel. In total, over 10 thousand units were produced.
MAZ mining dump trucks received 1D12 diesel. The engine power was 400 liters. from. at a speed of 1600 rpm
It is interesting that after improvements the engine potential has significantly increased. Now, the assigned motor resource before overhaul was 22 thousand hours.
Characteristics and design of the engine of the T-34 tank
The high-speed, non-compressor V-2 diesel engine had water cooling. The cylinder blocks were located relative to each other at an angle of 60 degrees.
The operation of the motor was carried out as follows:
- During the suction stroke, atmospheric air is supplied through the open intake valves.
- The valves close and a compression stroke occurs. The air pressure rises to 35 atm, and the temperature rises to 600 ° C.
- At the end of the compression stroke through the nozzle, the fuel pump delivers fuel at a pressure of 200 atm, which ignites from high temperature.
- Gases begin to expand sharply, increasing pressure up to 90 atm. The engine is running.
- Exhaust valves open and exhaust fumes are emitted into the exhaust system. The pressure inside the combustion chamber is reduced to 3-4 atm.
Then the cycle repeats.
Trigger mechanism
The method of starting a tank engine was different from the civilian one. In addition to an electric starter with a capacity of 15 liters. c, there was a pneumatic system consisting of cylinders of compressed air. During the operation of the tank, the diesel pumped a pressure of 150 atm. Then, when it was necessary to start, the air through the distributor entered directly into the combustion chambers, causing the crankshaft to rotate. Such a system provided a start even with a missing battery.
Lubrication system
The motor was lubricated with MK aviation oil. The lubrication system had 2 oil tanks. The diesel engine had a dry sump. This was done so that at the time of a strong roll of the tank on rough terrain, the engine would not go over to oil starvation. The working pressure in the system was 6 - 9 atm.
Cooling system
The power unit of the tank was cooled using two radiators, the temperature of which reached 105-107 ° C. The fan worked with a centrifugal pump, powered by a flywheel of the engine.
Fuel system features
The high-pressure fuel pump NK-1 initially had a 2-mode controller, which was subsequently replaced by an all-mode one. Injection pump created a fuel pressure of 200 atm. Coarse and fine filters provided removal of mechanical impurities contained in the fuel. The nozzles were closed.