Charles Benjamin Redrup
Encyclopedia
Charles Benjamin Redrup (1878–1961) was a British
aeronautical engineer and inventor, who designed several innovative axial engines
.
, Wales
in 1878, his father moving to Barry, Vale of Glamorgan shortly afterwards. He was interested in engineering from an early age and his father paid for him to take an apprenticeship with the Great Western Railway
company. After a short round-trip aboard a merchant ship to America, Redrup returned to Barry, entered into a partnership with Alban Richards, the son of a Barry blacksmith
, and set up the Barry Motor Company.
first appeared in 1904 when it was exhibited at the Stanley Exhibition in London
's Burners Hall. Designed by Redrup, the engine was a two-cylinder supercharged
rotary engine
. The engine was incorporated in the unusual "Barry" motorcycle, which retained the pedals of a conventional cycle, with the engine rotating on the forward frame tube between the driver's knees. It was exhibited in London in 1905, attracting a large amount of interest and being reviewed by a number of journals at the time.
Later models of the motorcycle dispensed with the pedals, and the engine was lowered to improve the centre of gravity. No known models of the engine exist but a similar Redrup 1912 rotary aircraft engine is in the Museum of Science and Industry
in Manchester
and later Redrup Radial engines designed and built by Redrup are still in existence.
In 1913 Redrup moved to Leeds
where he designed and built engines for Vickers
for their aircraft.
In 1919 he designed a three-cylinder 309 cc radial engine
for motorcycles in partnership with Leeds motorcycle builder Monty Beaumont, and also sold the engines for industrial use. The "Redrup Radial" as the motorcycle was known was built in the UK from 1919 to 1922 though actual numbers built are unclear and probably less than 150. The magazine The Motor Cycle tested the engine and found little wrong with it.
Redrup carried out most of his development work in a simply-equipped home workshop, and often said that he made most of his engines with little more than "a knife and fork". He was the inventor of "Wobble-Plate" axial engine
s which powered a motor launch
and a Crossley Motors
car in the 1920s. A variant of the engine also flew in a Simmonds Spartan
aircraft in 1929, and was exhibited at the Olympia Air Show in July of that year. He also designed radial engines for Avro
in the 1920s.
As a result of his engine shown at the Olympia Air Show he was engaged by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company to design an engine for them, and moved to Bristol where he designed the Bristol Axial Engine. It was a 7 litre, 9 cylinder, wobble-plate type engine. It was originally conceived as a power unit for buses, possibly because its compact format would allow it to be installed beneath the vehicle's floor. The engine had a single rotary valve to control induction and exhaust. Several variants were used in Bristol buses during the late 1930s, the engine going through several versions from RR1 to RR4, which had a power output of 145 hp at 2900 rpm. Development was halted in 1936 following a change of management at the Bristol company.
During World War II
he worked on top-secret armaments projects for the Avro Lancaster
and other aircraft, including the hydraulic drive for the Vickers Type 464 bouncing bomb
which was used in Operation Chastise
in 1943.
After the war he designed more motor-cycle engines, including an axial engine, and large 1,000 and 2,000 hp axial aircraft engines. A 3 cylinder Redrup 1948 Radial Motorcycle is preserved in the Sammy Miller Museum - it uses a smaller 250 cc version of his radial engine mounted horizontally in a Royal Enfield
motorcycle frame, and was assembled by him and his son.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
aeronautical engineer and inventor, who designed several innovative axial engines
Swashplate engine
A swashplate engine, also called a barrel engine, is one type of axial engine. Swashplate engines are a type of reciprocating engine that replaces the common crankshaft with a circular swashplate which rotates....
.
Early life
Redrup was born in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
in 1878, his father moving to Barry, Vale of Glamorgan shortly afterwards. He was interested in engineering from an early age and his father paid for him to take an apprenticeship with the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
company. After a short round-trip aboard a merchant ship to America, Redrup returned to Barry, entered into a partnership with Alban Richards, the son of a Barry blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
, and set up the Barry Motor Company.
Career
The Barry EngineBarry Engine
The Barry Engine first appeared in 1904 when it was exhibited at the Stanley Exhibition in London's Burners Hall. Designed by Charles Benjamin Redrup and manufactured in partnership with Alban Williams by the Barry Motor Company, the engine was a two-cylinder supercharged rotary engine...
first appeared in 1904 when it was exhibited at the Stanley Exhibition in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Burners Hall. Designed by Redrup, the engine was a two-cylinder supercharged
Supercharger
A supercharger is an air compressor used for forced induction of an internal combustion engine.The greater mass flow-rate provides more oxygen to support combustion than would be available in a naturally aspirated engine, which allows more fuel to be burned and more work to be done per cycle,...
rotary engine
Rotary engine
The rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...
. The engine was incorporated in the unusual "Barry" motorcycle, which retained the pedals of a conventional cycle, with the engine rotating on the forward frame tube between the driver's knees. It was exhibited in London in 1905, attracting a large amount of interest and being reviewed by a number of journals at the time.
Later models of the motorcycle dispensed with the pedals, and the engine was lowered to improve the centre of gravity. No known models of the engine exist but a similar Redrup 1912 rotary aircraft engine is in the Museum of Science and Industry
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester
The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, England, is a large museum devoted to the development of science, technology, and industry with emphasis on the city's achievements in these fields...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and later Redrup Radial engines designed and built by Redrup are still in existence.
In 1913 Redrup moved to Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
where he designed and built engines for Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
for their aircraft.
In 1919 he designed a three-cylinder 309 cc radial engine
Radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders point outward from a central crankshaft like the spokes on a wheel...
for motorcycles in partnership with Leeds motorcycle builder Monty Beaumont, and also sold the engines for industrial use. The "Redrup Radial" as the motorcycle was known was built in the UK from 1919 to 1922 though actual numbers built are unclear and probably less than 150. The magazine The Motor Cycle tested the engine and found little wrong with it.
Redrup carried out most of his development work in a simply-equipped home workshop, and often said that he made most of his engines with little more than "a knife and fork". He was the inventor of "Wobble-Plate" axial engine
Swashplate engine
A swashplate engine, also called a barrel engine, is one type of axial engine. Swashplate engines are a type of reciprocating engine that replaces the common crankshaft with a circular swashplate which rotates....
s which powered a motor launch
Motor Launch
A Motor Launch is a small military vessel in British navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high speed air-sea rescue....
and a Crossley Motors
Crossley Motors
Crossley Motors was a British motor vehicle manufacturer based in Manchester, England. They produced approximately 19,000 high quality cars from 1904 until 1938, 5,500 buses from 1926 until 1958 and 21,000 goods and military vehicles from 1914 to 1945.Crossley Brothers, originally...
car in the 1920s. A variant of the engine also flew in a Simmonds Spartan
Simmonds Spartan
|-See also:-External links:*...
aircraft in 1929, and was exhibited at the Olympia Air Show in July of that year. He also designed radial engines for Avro
Avro
Avro was a British aircraft manufacturer, with numerous landmark designs such as the Avro 504 trainer in the First World War, the Avro Lancaster, one of the pre-eminent bombers of the Second World War, and the delta wing Avro Vulcan, a stalwart of the Cold War.-Early history:One of the world's...
in the 1920s.
As a result of his engine shown at the Olympia Air Show he was engaged by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company to design an engine for them, and moved to Bristol where he designed the Bristol Axial Engine. It was a 7 litre, 9 cylinder, wobble-plate type engine. It was originally conceived as a power unit for buses, possibly because its compact format would allow it to be installed beneath the vehicle's floor. The engine had a single rotary valve to control induction and exhaust. Several variants were used in Bristol buses during the late 1930s, the engine going through several versions from RR1 to RR4, which had a power output of 145 hp at 2900 rpm. Development was halted in 1936 following a change of management at the Bristol company.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he worked on top-secret armaments projects for the Avro Lancaster
Avro Lancaster
The Avro Lancaster is a British four-engined Second World War heavy bomber made initially by Avro for the Royal Air Force . It first saw active service in 1942, and together with the Handley Page Halifax it was one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, the RCAF, and squadrons from other...
and other aircraft, including the hydraulic drive for the Vickers Type 464 bouncing bomb
Bouncing bomb
A bouncing bomb is a bomb designed specifically to bounce to a target across water in a calculated manner, in order to avoid obstacles such as torpedo nets, and to allow both the bomb's speed on arrival at the target and the timing of its detonation to be pre-determined...
which was used in Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise
Operation Chastise was an attack on German dams carried out on 16–17 May 1943 by Royal Air Force No. 617 Squadron, subsequently known as the "Dambusters", using a specially developed "bouncing bomb" invented and developed by Barnes Wallis...
in 1943.
After the war he designed more motor-cycle engines, including an axial engine, and large 1,000 and 2,000 hp axial aircraft engines. A 3 cylinder Redrup 1948 Radial Motorcycle is preserved in the Sammy Miller Museum - it uses a smaller 250 cc version of his radial engine mounted horizontally in a Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield
Royal Enfield was the name under which the Enfield Cycle Company made motorcycles, bicycles, lawnmowers and stationary engines. This legacy of weapons manufacture is reflected in the logo, a cannon, and their motto "Made like a gun, goes like a bullet". Use of the brand name Royal Enfield was...
motorcycle frame, and was assembled by him and his son.
External links
- http://www.fairdiesel.co.uk/Redrup.html
- http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/10/25/radial-engine-motorcycles-redrup-radial/