The Rolls-Royce Griffon Engine, the story of a legend!

The Rolls-Royce Griffon Engine, the story of a legend!
The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine, the successor of the famous Merlin engine, had a role in helping to win the Second World War when it was installed in legendary warplanes like the Spitfire and Seafire.
Griffon's development began in 1938 in response to a Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm request. Navy aircraft are often bigger and heavier than their land-based equivalents, putting higher demands on the engine to maintain performance. Rolls-Royce returned to the Schnider Air Racing Trophy "R" engine idea to suit this demand. The Griffon, essentially a modified Merlin, is a 60-degree V-12 with 2239 cubic inch displacement (the same as the "R" and 36 percent more displacement than the Merlin while having a slightly bigger frontal area). This was a completely new engine, with several design upgrades and improvements over the Merlin.
#RollsRoyceGriffonEngine #RollsRoyce #GriffonEngine
#MerlinEngine #Spitfire #Seafire

[@HORNET6]

The Griffon is not a modified Merlin, it started life as a de-rated R engine but was put into the background as there was no aircraft project for it.

[@allenjames515]

Actually the information is correct about camshaft drives and external dimensions; significant to elegance of engine design and airframe compatibility. The reference to R engine is wrong except in bore and stroke. Merlins had end fed crank oiling partway through the war, something which ought to have been obvious to engine design long before and incidentally used by Triumph Twin bike from 1937 till the end circa 1980. Cam drive from flywheel (propeller) end also normal on some cars, eg Alvis and i believe on First World War Hispano Suiza V8. It reduces the torsional vibration of the shafts. The RR Heritage Trust publications give more, and reliable, information than is available for most engines. But as a short introduction for the layman this is a reasonable little taster.

[@duanetye6897]

I assume the bang was from a firing cartridge.

[@dokbob5795]

Not that I remember. 24Volts from a Houchen or on board batteries.

[@chrissmith2114]

The Griffon was a direct result of the Schneider Trophy winning type R engine - the same capacity instead of the 27 litres of the Merlin ( which was much smaller capacity then the engines in Me109 and Focke-Wulf 190 ).... The Griffon was more in line with those German planes capacity but more powerful . So actually the Griffon was around before the merlin

[@HORNET6]

Correct. The Griffon started life in 1933.

[@lukebrennan5780]

poor film, weird automated speaking and little actual information. FAIL.

[@joebonavita6935]

And totally incorrect information