The USA had other engine manufacturers apart from the well-known makers, who were up to their necks in development work
for the civil aviation industry. One of the lesser-known companies was Lambert Engine & machine Co., of Illinois, who
were subcontracted to produce the Deschamps inverted V12 two-stroke diesel engine for D.J.Deschamps, person unknown to
me. The engine had twelve cylinders in a 30° inverted V formation, each cylinder being 6" X 9" giving a swept volume
of 49564 cc or 3052 cu ins. This engine was very similar to the GM and Alfa-Romeo engines, having exhaust by peripheral
ports in the liners and inlet valves in the head. Twin fuel injection pumnps fed two injectors per cylinder, spraying
tangentially to give swirl. Cylinder heads were made in unit for each bank, and a Lanchester torsional vibration damper
was fitted to the rear of the crankshaft, presumably to offset any problematic vibrations caused by the narrow V format.
Deschamps Inverted V12 Diesel Aero Engine
A small vacuum pump was employed to scavenge waste oil from around the piston skirts, thus reducing oil consumption. On idle,
the injection pumps cut out one of the pair of injectors, thus keeping that cylinder warm while at low power. The centrifugal
supercharger drew a portion of it's inlet air from the crankcase, thus removing any fumes, and heater plugs were fitted to
one bank of cylinders for cold-starting. Starting was by compressed air, with a starting air distributor driven off the left
hand bank camshaft, which was overhead. The air starting also activates a decompressor on one bank for starting. Output of the
engine was 1200 hp at 1600 rpm, but little is known about it's fate after the war.
Deschamps Inverted V12 Diesel Aero Engine
Another hopeful was Guiberson Diesel Engine Co., based in Dallas Tx. They had a 9-cylinder radial diesel available in 1940 with
an output 320 hp at 2200, for a swept volume of 16.70 litres or 1021 cu ins. Cylinders were air-cooled, and cartridge starting
was employed as standard. The engine had a diameter of 47" and weighed 620 lbs. Fuel supply was by individual injection pumps
for each cylinder, and the form of speed governing used a method of fuel control, said to eliminate the need for a governor.
Another engine known as the T1020 was also available from the same company, slightly smaller at 44.875" diameter and 250 hp output.
Guiberson Radial Diesel Aero Engine
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