The Development of High-Output Free-Piston Gas Generators

The development of free-piston gas generators suitable for naval-propulsion purposes was started in 1943 at the Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation, then the General Machinery Corporation, under a contract with the U. S. Navy Department. At that time little was known in this country regarding the free-piston developments of Pescara in France or Sulzer in Switzerland, which had already been under way for some years. This paper traces the progress made in this project and describes the construction and operating characteristics of various models which have been made during the course of the program.