US 1050654 A
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J. P. HOLLAND. FLYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2. 1907.
1,050,654. Patented Jan. 14,1913.
2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.
13%;; Gra -m1. XW/ XW J. P. HOLLAND. FLYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 2, 1907.
1,050,654, Patented Jan. 14, 1913.
2 SHEETS-SHEBT 2. F 19 '3- new and useful Improvements in Flying.
. rect air reaction under the wings or equivalent devices employed for pro UNITED STATES, 7
JOHN P. I IOLLAND, or nns'r emmam J nnsnv;
To all whom it may-concern; p
Be it known that 1, JOHN HOLLAND; a citizen of the'United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New J ersey,have invented certain Machines, of which the following is a specification.
This invention relates to devices designed to enable the aeronaut to utilize that natural ,force, air rarefaction, defective air pressure, or partial vacuum which is employed in nature by all flying animals during steady flight through the air as a chief sourceof support for their weight. It is true that di- 1s em-' ployed while the animals 'areuising and alighting, butonly a small proportion of their support is derived therefrom during horizontal flight. According to my inven- .tion these devices are designed to produce and maintain rarefaction of air, defective pressure or partial vacuum over, or infront of the supporting and propelling surfaces of the flying machines; viz. over the aeroplanes, vibrating or revolving wings or propeller blades, and in front of the propelleir l1 sion. These devices are also employ to utilize for liftin or for lifting. and propelling force, t e compensation! positive pressure produced underv orback of such surfacesr-by'the reduction oft-he air pressure produced over or in, front of them.
An important feature of the present invention relates to the formation, in vertical.
. or propeller-shaped devices. The un transverse section, of the wings, aeroplanes,
faces of air stream passing backward, at each see-1 tion of the wi or equivalent device during horizontal flight, 01 but slightly inclining upward toward their anterior edges about sufficiently to compensate for the. light upward bendingof these surfaces when they are subjected to pressure. be th In order that my invention may better" understood, I'h ave illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a section taken transversely and vertically "through a wingonl-ike suetaining member of a flying machine roe vided with my improvements; Fig. 2' 1s. a,
sectional .viewsimilar to Fig. 1, but showing a modified form of the sustaining means; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken vertically Specification of Letters Patent.
through two superposed planes with 'my improvements and constituting a v Patented Jan 1 4,1 913... Application filcd December 2,1907. Serial No.'404,698.'
modified form of the improved sustaining It means; liig. 4 is a fra entary detail" view which'wlll be hereina er referred'to, and
Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken through a. modified form of the apparatus .wherein revolving propellers are employed as a susttainingf means.
eferring' first toFig. 1, the undersurface of the wing is shown as formed from .a sheet 1 of varnished fabric which is extended beneath a frame-worker structure comprising a series of transverse bars 2, 2,
spaced apart from-each other and attached at points adjacent to their forward ends, to a; w ng arm 3. fllhe point of attachment of these bars 2 tothe wing arm will be by preference about one-sixth of the w-ings width to the rear of its anterior edge; and they should not extend any farther to the rear than fivesixths-of the width of the wing. ends of the transverse bars 2 are connected by a wire 4; passing across the series from the inner to the outer vtransverse bar, and
posterior edge of the sail or fabric from rising much'above the horizontal when the wing beats downward; 5 represents another wire extended acrossjhe series of The rear said Wire is to act as a stop to prevent the bars 2, 2 at their forward ends and tothis forward wire5- there are attached the anterior ends of eight bamboo extension strips 6, fas ened transversely to the sail along the ,whole length of saidstrips one or twofsuch strips; =6 lying between each two transverse bars 2, 2. Immediately under each transverse-bar at the point where it is fastened, to; the w ng arm there is fastened another w re extending from the inner end of the wing to its tip. This wire 7 is set-under the sail or fabric 1 and its transverse strips-6 in order to; prevent the sail' from hanging too low when the'wing is rising at the beginning of flight. k Withthis' arrangement properly set up the posterior edge of the win would. v drop downward 3(1- r0 40 degrees as t e wing tip is elevated at the beginning-of flight. When the wing beats downward the wings undersurface rises until the transverse strips fastenedover it arestopped by the "wire 4 extending between/the posterior ends oi the. transverse bars 2, fastened to the wing farm;
'3. When; speed forward is attained, or when the machine starts against "a head wind, the wing sails posterior edge does not iio - the sail may be replaced by vsheet aluminum as shown at 8 in Fig. 2.
drop downward because the defective pressure formed.above it holds 1t against the wiret, connecting the posterior ends of the transverse bars 2, 2. When the wing beats downward during flight there will be a much greater upward force exerted against the part of the wing sail 1 to the rear of the wing arm 3' than against the part forward of the arm because the after part is much wider. The posterior edge of the sail will therefore rise, and its anterior edge will descend thus forming a helical surface suitable for propulsion during the wings descent. The wing arm should not be too rigid to yield to torsional force during the wings descent. ward the wing tips, vertical speed at the tips, the wing sail during the down beat will form a true helical surface.
If desired the sheet of fabric 1 forming a sail made from As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the forward part 9 of the upper surface, of the plane or propeller blade when aluminum or other metal is employed is formed by bending the forward continuation of the undersurface, 8, or of an addition thereto of some suitable material, over and backward at the anterior edge of the said undersurface so as to form an upper, forward, curved section of the wing or plane as in the wing of a vulture or. an albatross. The under part of the curved surface 9 should be lapped over the undersurface of the wing or plane, as indicated at 10, if it be not a continuation of the said undersurface in order to prevent a leak of air upward that would reduce the intensity of the defective pressure over the plane or wing and thus reduce its efliciency. The thickness of the wing or plane through the point of greatest convexity of the upper surface 9 should be from one-fifth to one-sew enth of the width of the wings or planes depending on the horizontal speed desired. The thiclmess should be reduced to about one-tenth 'of the width of the lower plane in wings toward their tips. The width of the convexed upper surface 9 of the wings or planes shouldbe about one-fourth to onesixth of the width of theupper surface. An important aid to the production of air-rarefaction over the wing or plane is afforded by the cavity'll over the lower surface of the wing or plane extending backward from the rear edge of the upper convexed surface 9 to v the posterior edge of the wing or plane.
The width of the wing planes, or aeroplanes should be determined by, the proposed horizontal speed of the machine. It is observable that the wings ofthe soarers seldom reach 10 inches in width even in a full grown vulture, or albatross, when the soaring speed is in the neighborhood of 30 miles Because this force is greater toowing to the greater per hour. They are more commonly only 7 t to 8 inches wide even in large vultures.
For revolving wings, that is, wings arranged around a hub and shaft like an ordinary screw propeller, itis considered preferable to form them. not of a fabric but either of thin spruce wood or of aluminum plates. Because the motion of these wings or blades will be always circular and not vibrating, there'is no necessity for a hinge at the sails forward edge or for stops to prevent it from rising; on the contrary, it must be held steadily on a plane transverse to the wheels axis, with stays connecting its under surface to the axis of the wheel.
The pitch of the blades of propellers to be carried on vertical shafts for the purpose of elevating the machine in the air must be very small in order that the total thickness of the air stream intercepted by each blade may be intercepted by the blades anterior 'edge near its lower surface, the main body of the stream being diverted over the upper convexed edge in order to assist in increasing the intensity of the air rarefaction over the blades. The pitch of the lower surface should be, at its center of effort, not greater than about one degree of inclination to the plane transverse to the axis of rotation.
In Fig. 5, I have shown a form of the apparatus wherein rotatory fans or propellers 12 and 14 are employed in lieu of vibrating wings or propellers, said fans 12 and l l'being mounted to turn upon the same vertical axis, and being arranged one above the other and being reversely driven from a vertical shaft 15, actuated from a motor 16, which may be of the internal combustion type. Cr nks' 17 are also provided so that the shaft 5 may be driven manually when desired. Where this construction is employed, it is evident that the operation of the fans or propellers 12 and 14 gives rise to a gyroscopic action which renders it imprac ticable to incline the axis of rotation of said fans or propellers in such a way as to permit of utilizing said propellers as a means of propulsion in lateral directions through the air. They cannot be inclined on account of the gyr'oscopic action. It is, therefore, necessary to employ for propulsion a screw propeller 18 having a horizontal axis, to be operated by the motive power that operates to elevate the machine, or by an auxiliary power. The propeller 18 is also driven from the motor 16, or cranks 17 at will, and suitable clutches and speed controlling means are provided to permit propellers 12 and 14 and 18 to be simultaneously driven from the motor or cranks at any desired relative speeds or to permit the propeller 18 to be driven from one of said actuating mechanisms while the sustaining means are driven from the other mechanism. The direction of motion will be controlled by an ordinary rudder 19 and control in the ver-" tical direction will be exerted, forconsiderable elevations or depressions by controlling the speed of the elevating or Sustaining means. This gyroscopic action of the fans or screws 12 and 14: andtheir axes, set vertically, in order to cause elevation of the machine, is not without its advantages be-. cause it virtually eliminates the difiiculty of attaining stabilitywit-h a heavier than air machine", as well as the problem of balancing. It will be possible for people to move in this machine without causing inconvenience in the matter of equilibrium and ba1-- ancing. It will alsorender the question of the stowage of freight, or passengers, and the loss of trim from fuel consumption, matters of slight importance. The fan or propeller 18 may also be employed for cooling the motor 16 when desired.
It will be clearly apparent that the conditions that determine the wings width in nature are identical with those that are required to produce and maintain air rarefaction over those surfaces. A study of the transverse vertical sect-ion of a birds wing when it is extended in flight will ren der it clear that air rarefaction must exist, during flight, over the greater part of its upper surface when a certain speed is attained. The wing in this case moves approximately edgewise through the air, at good speed, and the air stream may either impinge on the undersurface or move parallel with it. The intercepted air stream is dividedby the anterior edge of the wing or plane; the body of the stream represented by the greater part of the wings thickness at each transverse section of the wing, or plane, being deflected upward and. over the wings curved, forward, upper section, the extreme forward edge of which is nearly on the same plane as the undersurface of the wing. The air thrown upward by the wings curved edge cannot recurve instantly and come into close contact with the upper sur-' face on account of its inertia. The air pres- 'sure therefore drops below atmosphere between the passing current of air and the wings upper surface; the space between them being probably filled -by eddying currents at a pressure below that existing in the free air depending on the relative speeds of the air current and the wing and on the degree of their inclination to each other.
How very small may be the proportion or degree of defective pressure over the wings required for support in the case of a soaring albatross may be easily ascertained. The birds weight, 20 pounds may be considered as being supported solely by the positive compensating pressure produced by the air rarefaction produced over the supporting surfaces. The birds weight 20 pounds is supported by approximately 800 'square square inch developed by the corresponding air rarefaction produced over the upper surfaces carries the birds entire weight.
My invention also relates to devices for maintainirig unimpaired the air rarefaction, defective pressure, or partial vacuum over, or in front of the surfaces where it is desired that it may exist. For example in the inches and-tail surface-i 2Qrdividedtf by $00 equals one-fortieth-;"that*theone 1 fortleth of one pound positive pressure for case of superposed aeroplanes as shown in ployed to hold the planes2l and. 22 apart and -to connect them together. Said posts. generally extend in an approximately vertical or but slightly inclined direction, from Fig. 3, light posts or struts 20, 20 are emthe. upper plane 21, or close thereto, to the lowerplane 22 or in its near neighborhood. Now this slightly inclined post inmoving sidewise through the air causesthe air to flow in stream lines from front to rear the middle line of the post 20 being compressed and the air aft of the post being. rarefied owing to the friction ofthe passing stream of air on each side of the post against the dead air in the approximately triangular space formed by the two passing air streams on either side, and by the post as its base. When the. aeroplanes are in action the air passing --under the :upper. plane 21 is generally under compression while the air over the lower plane 22 is rarefied.- The nearly vertical posts will, therefore, have their upper ends in or in the near neighborhood of air that is compressed, while the lower ends o f the same posts end in placeswhere the air is-rare-fied. These opposite conditions at opposite ends of the posts cause an air stream to flow downward in front and rear of the posts from the ends around which the air is compressed to the ends around which defective pressure or air'rarefaction exists. Under such conditions a stream of air flows downward in such volume as to seriously reduce the intensity of'the partial vacuum or air rarefaction existing over the lower plane thus reducing its supporting efficiency. When there are several such posts connecting the upper and "lower planes the intensity of theair rarefaction existing over varound it, the air immediately .in front of the lower planes is much reduced and the lifting efliciencyv of the lower plane is corrgspondingly neutrahzed' Stays, braces, struts or posts endlng on any surface on which it is desired to produce air rarefaction are similarly liable to mar the efliciency of said surfaces unless they be provided with a device to prevent the flow of air toward the surface on which it is desired to produce air rarefaction, partial vacuum or defective pressure. This device consists of a plate or diaphragm 23 of some suitable material and of suflicient area fixed transversely to the post strut brace or stay having a length in the direction of motion of the machine of about ten times the fore-and-aft diameter of the obstruct-ion and a width of about one half its length. This deflecting plate or diaphragm should be fixed above the surface which it is designed to render more eflicient in the plane of the passing air stream, at a distance of one third to one-fourth of the width of said Surface. Similar protection byaneans ,of plates or diaphragms must be provided between surfaces over, or in front of which it is desired to produce air rarefaction in order to prevent an induced flow of dead air into the spaces over said surfaces and thus aid in producing and maintaining air rarefaction over, or in front of these surfaces.
Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An apparatus of the character described having a sustaining device provided with a rigid portion, the forward edge of which has an upwardly and a rearwardly inclined portion adapted to deflect the air passing above it out of contact with said rigid portion, a wing arm interposed between the rigid portion and the rearwardly inclined portion and means for securing said rearwardly inclined portion to the wing arm.
2. An apparatus of the character described having a sustaining device provided with a rigid portion the forward edge oi. which has an upwardly and a rearwardly iuclined portion adapted to deflect the air passing above it out of contact with said rigid portion, a wing arm interposed bctween the rigid portion and the rearwardly inclined portion and extended transversely thereof and means for securing said rear wardly inclined port-ion to the wing arm.
In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 22nd day of November 1907 in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.
' JOHN P. HOLLAND.
J. D. CAPLINGER, ALAN F. CONNELL.