Rolls-Royce RB108 Information & Rolls-Royce RB108 Links at HealthHaven.com

RB.108
	Preserved RB.108 at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
Type	Turbojet
Manufacturer	Rolls-Royce Limited
First run	1955
Major applications	Short SC.1

The Rolls-Royce RB.108 was a British jet engine designed in the mid-1950s by Rolls-Royce specifically for use as a VTOL lift engine, i.e., an engine intended primarily for providing upwards thrust rather than for horizontal propulsion.

[edit] Design and development

Of squat, compact design for mounting vertically, the RB.108 differed from conventional turbojet engines in having its bearings and oil system designed for prolonged operation in the vertical attitude. First bench-tested in 1955 by Alan A. Griffith, who had conceived the idea of a specialised lift jet in 1941, thrust was 2,130 lbf (966.15 kg) from a weight of 269 lb (122 kg), giving a thrust/weight ratio of 8:1.

[edit] Applications

The RB.108 was used in the Short SC.1, which used four for lift with an additional one mounted at an angle at the rear for propulsion, and the Mirage Balzac, which used eight vertically-mounted RB.108s for lift. The Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW) SG 1262 used five RB.108s, three mounted in tandem on the centreline, with one RB108 either side.

The RB.108 was also the intended powerplant for several other VTOL aircraft designs, including one by Dornier.

[edit] Specifications (RB.108)

Data from Gunston^[1]

General characteristics

Type: Single spool turbojet
Length:
Diameter:
Dry weight: 270 lb

Components

Compressor:
Combustors: Annular

Performance

Maximum Thrust: 2,340 lb
Power-to-weight ratio:

[edit] See also

Thrust Measuring Rig

Related development

Rolls-Royce RB162

Related lists

List of aircraft engines

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

^ Gunston 1989, p.150.

[edit] Bibliography

Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9

[edit] External links

This aircraft engine article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.

[0] Gunston 1989, p.150.

[1]

Contents