THE aircraft engine producer faces three unique conditions which make quantity production a complex problem: first, intensely rapid development; second, great pressure for perfection in reliability; and third, an unusually large number of variables in the product.
The author points out that these special conditions all tend to emphasize the importance of quality in the design engineering, with particular reference to simplicity.
The oil-circulating system of the aircraft engine is described as an example of one source of production and service troubles. Design improvements which have overcome these troubles are explained, including a new steel crankcase, the end-sealed master rod bearing, the “uniflow” piston, and a self-cleaning oil filter.
If production quantities are to be increased substantially, the author believes that further concentrated attention to improved and simplified design will be necessary, especially where the basic engine type is more complicated than the single-row air-cooled radial.