RU2410284C1 - Method of flight and aircraft to this end - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: proposed aircraft comprises circular hollow airframe with central opening, elastic tight section, ballonet with controlled valve, engines with vertical- and horizontal-thrust propellers. Aforesaid section is filled with supporting gas. Ballonnet serves to vary section volume and aerostatic force. Disk-like airframe has rigid load bearing carcass. Proposed method uses above described aircraft.

EFFECT: expanded performances.

8 cl, 6 dwg

Description

The invention relates to aeronautical engineering lighter than air and can be used for passenger and freight traffic, during high-altitude installation work and in other areas of the national economy.

Airships are known - aircraft are lighter than air, a balloon with a propulsion device capable of moving regardless of the direction of air flows. The airship has an elongated streamlined body filled with lifting gas (helium, hydrogen or warm air), which creates aerostatic force. Airships have propeller systems with propellers and can have a soft, semi-rigid and rigid body. Airship flight is carried out due to aerostatic force and traction force created by propellers. The shape stability of a soft or semi-rigid airship remains unchanged (with changes in temperature and atmospheric pressure) due to one or more balloons located inside it. When the volume of gas in the shell decreases, the balloons are filled with the corresponding volume of air (Airship, p.50, vol. 9, M., BSE, 2007).

Known aircraft "helicopter" containing a hollow toroidal hull filled with a carrier gas, lifting screws installed in the Central hole of the hull, wings, engines with pulling screws, pilot and cargo cockpits and steering wheels (patent RU No. 2066661 C1, B64B 1 / 34, 01/11/1993).

The claimed method of flight of an aircraft, which includes an annular hollow body with a central hole, located in the body of at least one elastic gas-tight section filled with lifting gas, engines with vertical and horizontal thrust screws, characterized in that the body is disk-shaped with a rigid power frame, the aircraft the apparatus is equipped with a balloon filled in the body, filled with air, and controlled by a valve, and when air leaves the balloon through a controlled valve, the volume of the balloon The set is shortened and the section filled with lifting gas expands to a volume that creates aerostatic force sufficient to lift and fly the aircraft.

In this method, the lifting gas in the section is heated to increase the lifting aerostatic force.

Aircraft is claimed, including an annular hollow body with a central hole, located in the body of at least one elastic sealed section filled with lifting gas, engines with vertical and horizontal thrust screws, characterized in that the body is disk-shaped with a rigid power frame, the aircraft is equipped with an air-filled balloon mounted in the casing, with a controllable valve, and the balloon is designed to change the volume of the lifting gas section and change the aerostatic power.

Aircraft, characterized in that the section filled with lifting gas is located in the upper part of the body cavity and the upper part of the said section is attached to the body, and the balloon filled with air is located in the lower part of the body cavity, the lower part of the balloon is attached to the lower part of the body, and the upper part of the balloon is designed to interact with the lower part of the section filled with lifting gas.

Aircraft, characterized in that it is equipped with a compressor for filling the balloon with air, located in a section with a lifting gas heat exchanger, fixed in the central hole of the hull with a nacelle, an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank and a liquid cooling system for an internal combustion engine connected by a coupling and a gearbox with two coaxial vertical thrust screws, as well as with an electric generator connected to at least two horizontal thrust motors mounted on the nacelle gi with screws and batteries mounted on the casing by at least two aerodynamic elevators, installed in the rear of the casing by at least one keel with an aerodynamic rudder located in the lifting gas section of the heat exchanger, while the heated liquid from the liquid cooling system is designed for controlled heating the lift gas through a heat exchanger in the lift gas section.

Aircraft, characterized in that it is equipped with at least one fuel tank, which has a spheroid shape and is located coaxially with the vertical axis of the aircraft.

Aircraft, characterized in that the central hole has a variable cross-section: confuser and diffuser.

Aircraft, characterized in that the rigid power frame of the hull is made in the form of a main frame, a central truss and connecting them with a tightness of cables.

The diskette case has a rigid power frame, so the shape of the case does not depend on the pressure of the carrier gas, in addition, with a complete loss of carrier gas, the case continues to work - to slow down a vertical drop, like a parachute.

The device of one of the design options for the aircraft is illustrated by drawings (Fig.1-6), where:

Figure 1 shows a General view of the aircraft, side view;

Figure 2 shows a General view of the aircraft, a top view;

Figure 3 shows a longitudinal section of the apparatus;

Figure 4 shows the grid that is laid between the cables, and the fastening of the shell section to the cable;

Figure 5 shows the attachment of the balloon shell to the cable;

Figure 6 shows a view A of the nacelle in Figure 3, landing bearings and the housing are conventionally not shown.

The aircraft consists of a disk-shaped body 1 (Figure 1), which has a Central hole 5 (Figure 2). The Central hole 5 in the housing 1 is intended for air passage. The outer part of the housing 1 can be two-layer or multi-layer and at the same time be made from a combination of several different materials. The design of the housing 1 of the apparatus, shown in Figure 2, consists of two shells: an internal tight and external, which protects the inner shell from damage. The lifting gas is located in several sealed containers, which are made in the form of sealed sections 2 (Figure 3). The outer shell of the housing 1 consists of: an upper outer shell 3, a lower outer shell 4. The upper and lower outer shells are made of elastic, durable material. The geometry of the Central hole 5 is formed by the shape of the Central truss 7. The inner surface of the truss 7, facing the Central hole 5, has a continuous leaky coating of plastic or metal. Constant geometry of the hull 1 of the aircraft is ensured by the structural elements: the ring-shaped main frame 6 and the axial central truss 7 located coaxially inside it. The rigidity of the structure of the hull 1 is also provided by cables 8, which are stretched inside the hull 1 from the main frame 6 to the central truss 7 and connected with them. It should be noted that the power elements of the body: the main frame 6, the central truss 7 and the cables 8 together represent a design resembling a wheel in which the cables 8 work like spokes. Cables 8 can be made of twisted steel wire and have a plastic sheath (not shown). The plastic sheath of the cable 8 prevents damage to the sealed sections 2, with which the cable 8 may come into contact. To evenly distribute the pressure from the sections 2 to the upper outer shell, a mesh 39 is used, which is laid between the cables 8 and the shell of the sections 2 (Figure 4). The mesh 39 is fixed on the periphery to the frame 6, and in the center to the truss 7. The sealed sections 2 are fixed inside the apparatus housing 1 on the periphery using guy wires 47, and in the upper and central parts of the housing 1 by means of fasteners 46. In the lower parts of the housing, the tight sections 2 are not fastened to the rigid structural elements. Under the sealed sections 2 is a balloon 36 filled with air. Ballonet 36 has the shape of a disk and is fixed on the periphery with braces 47, and in the lower and central parts of the body with fasteners 48 (Figure 5). The balloon 36 is in contact with its upper wall with sections 2. The balloon 36 is filled with air using a compressor 34, while its upper wall protrudes and squeezes sections 2. The nacelle of the device is partially located inside the central hole 5 of the housing 1 and is connected to the housing 1 in the upper part by gratings 9 and 10, and in the bottom - using a connecting truss 11. The device is equipped with a vertical thrust motor 12, which through an adjustable hydraulic clutch 13 and gearbox 14 drives two coaxial vertical propellers Noah rods 15 and 16. The vertical thrust screws 15 and 16 rotate in opposite directions, one clockwise and the other against it.

In this design variant, it is proposed to use an internal combustion engine as a vertical thrust engine, which has cooling radiators 17 and an exhaust pipe 18. The engine design includes coolant distribution taps that are remotely controlled and allow the pilot to direct the cooling engine fluid or to cooling radiators 17, or heat exchangers 38, which provide heating of the lifting gas (helium, hydrogen). The vertical thrust engine is kinematically connected with the electric generator 19. The apparatus is also equipped with two horizontal horizontal thrust electric motors 20 and 21 (FIG. 6), which are attached with pylons to the nacelle. Each horizontal thrust engine is equipped with one pulling screw 22 and 23. The pulling screws 22 and 23 rotate in different directions in cruising mode: one clockwise, the other counterclockwise. Horizontal thrust motors are reversed, with pulling screws creating reverse thrust. In various vehicle modifications, horizontal thrust engines can change the direction of the thrust vector. Changing the direction of the engine thrust vector is intended to control the pitch angle, roll angle, and also the angle of the apparatus. To realize this possibility, you can use: vertically or horizontally located behind the engines air wheels, or a swashplate of helicopter type blades, or change the position of the axis of rotation of the propeller, or use a rotating air nozzle. However, the task of controlling the pitch angle and roll angle of the disk-shaped aircraft can be solved differently, namely by installing aerodynamic rudders located in the horizontal plane at the rear of the disk-shaped aircraft. This design variant of the disk-shaped aircraft is shown in Fig.2. At the rear of the hull are pylons 24 and 25, in which steering gears (not shown) are installed. The steering machines are remotely controlled by the pilot and rotate the roll pitch 26 and 27. Heading angle control at low flight speeds is carried out by changing the thrust of the horizontal thrust engines. At significant flight speeds, the aerodynamic rudder of course 28, which is located on the keel 29, is used to control the heading angle in this design variant. The nacelle has three landing legs: one front leg 30 and two rear legs 31. A trap door 32 is provided at the bottom of the nacelle for embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and crew. An emergency hatch 33 is located in the upper part of the nacelle. Each hermetic section 2 contains one heat exchanger 38 inside. Figure 3 shows a modification of a passenger aircraft, in which compartments are provided: battery compartment 40, pilot cabin 41, luggage compartment 42, passenger compartment 43, equipment compartment 44. The baggage and household compartment includes: a toilet, a kitchen, and a passenger luggage compartment. The fuel tank 45 has a spheroidal shape and is positioned so that its vertical axis of symmetry coincides with the vertical geometric axis of the disk-shaped aircraft, which passes through the center of gravity of the aircraft. Thus, when fuel is generated, the alignment of the disk-shaped aircraft is not disturbed.

Takeoff of the device is as follows. The vertical thrust engine starts, while the adjustable hydraulic clutch 13 is turned off, that is, the torque from the engine is not transmitted to the reducer 14. The torque from the engine is transmitted to the electric generator 19, which charges the batteries, rechargeable batteries (not shown). Horizontal thrust engines start at idle. At the start, the aircraft has negative buoyancy, while the balloon 36 is filled with air, and sections 2, suppressed by the balloon, have a minimum volume. The pilot opens the remotely controlled safety valve 35, as a result of which air begins to escape from the balloon 36 into the atmosphere. As the volume of the balloon 36 decreases, the volume of the sealed sections 2 increases due to the expansion of the lifting gas. As a result, the buoyancy of the apparatus becomes close to zero. The power of the vertical thrust engine increases and the hydraulic clutch 13 is turned on, while part of the power of the vertical thrust engine is transmitted to the vertical thrust propellers 15 and 16. The lifting force increases, the device breaks off the ground and takes off vertically. Another part of the power of the vertical thrust engine is directed to the electric generator, converted into electricity and charges the batteries. If necessary, the pilot can control the horizontal movement of the device, as well as rotate the device around a vertical axis, increasing the power of either the left or right horizontal thrust engines. To turn the aircraft in place, the pilot includes one horizontal thrust engine in forward thrust mode, and the other horizontal thrust engine in reverse thrust mode. As the volume of the sealed sections 2 increases, the aerostatic lifting force increases, and, having reached a predetermined height, the pilot disengages the vertical thrust propellers 15 and 16 by turning off the hydraulic coupling 13. In this case, the vertical thrust engine remains on and ensures the batteries are constantly charged using the electric generator. The pilot selects the desired course and turns on the horizontal thrust engines in cruising mode. Power supply of horizontal thrust engines is provided from the onboard power supply system. The rise of the apparatus continues due to positive buoyancy. Having reached the next set height level, the pilot closes the remotely controlled safety valve 35, as a result of which the air outlet from the balloon 36 is stopped. During a long flight, a carrier gas leak can lead to a decrease in pressure in sections 2. The pilot can regulate the pressure in each of sections 2 separately, by heating the lifting gas using heat exchangers 38.

The device, performing the task of transporting passengers and goods, flies at the highest possible height, since this allows to minimize fuel consumption by reducing friction against air. It should be noted that as the horizontal velocity of the apparatus increases, as a result of air flow past the disk-shaped body of the apparatus, the aerodynamic lifting force increases. The use of aerodynamic lift and heating of the carrier gas allows the aircraft to occupy higher echelons.

The pilot, controlling the device, can choose any echelon below the maximum possible. To reduce aerostatic lift, the pilot turns on the compressor 34 and fills the balloon 36 with outboard air. In this case, the upper wall of the balloon 36 protrudes, and the volume of the sealed sections 2 decreases accordingly, since the lower wall of each of the sections 2 does not have a rigid fastening and acts as a membrane. The pilot controls the horizontal speed of the apparatus by changing the power of the horizontal thrust engines, and the heading angle using the aerodynamic rudder 28. The pilot controls the roll and pitch angles of the apparatus by deflecting the aerodynamic roll pitch 26 and 27. The pitch angle control also allows the pilot to control the aerodynamic lift the strength of the apparatus, which occurs as a result of the flow around the disk-shaped body with air at sufficiently high speeds. Thus, the pilot, controlling the pitch angle, can perform effective altitude maneuvers. Small course corrections are made by deflecting the aerodynamic steering wheel 28, and a significant change in course is made by changing the thrust of the left or right horizontal thrust engines 20 or 21. The pilot, lowering the speed of one of the horizontal thrust engines 20 or 21 (or increasing the speed of the other), if necessary , can quickly rotate the device around its vertical axis. The horizontal thrust engines are constantly powered by the on-board power supply system, while the batteries are continuously charged, since the vertical thrust engine runs continuously and provides continuous battery charging through the electric generator.

Landing apparatus on the ground as follows. First, the pilot reduces the aerostatic lift associated with the heating of the lift gas. For this, the heat exchangers 38 are disconnected from the cooling system of the internal combustion engine, as a result of which the natural cooling of the lift gas occurs due to the transfer of heat to the cooler outside air. In this case, the internal combustion engine is cooled through the use of cooling radiators 17. In the absence of strong gusts of wind, the landing glide path can be close to a vertical line. The pilot takes the device to a point located above the proposed landing point, and occupies the given level there. The pilot turns the autopilot into hover mode. In the hovering mode, the horizontal thrust motors 20 and 21 provide such a magnitude and direction of the thrust vector that compensate for the drift of the apparatus resulting from the action of the wind. Then, in the manner described above, the pilot reduces the aerostatic lifting force of sections 2. In this case, the outboard air is pumped into the balloon 36. The device loses positive buoyancy and begins to decline. The pilot includes vertical thrust screws 15 and 16 and, by controlling the power supplied to the vertical thrust screws, controls the rate of descent of the apparatus. The power of the vertical thrust 15 and 16 supplied to the propellers is controlled automatically by changing two parameters: the power of the vertical thrust engine itself can change, and the engine power can be redistributed between the vertical thrust screws and the generator. For example, when the pilot reduces the amount of vertical thrust, the vertical thrust engine can work for some time at the same power, while the power transmitted to the vertical thrust screws 15 and 16 decreases immediately, due to the operation of the adjustable hydraulic clutch 13, and the excess engine power absorbed by the electric generator and sent to charge the batteries.

Consider several emergency situations that may occur during operation of the device:

1. Failure of one horizontal thrust engine

In this situation, the pilot controls the angle of the course due to the rudder. The ability to control the flight altitude is fully preserved. The pilot lands at the nearest aerodrome or, under good weather conditions, flies to the destination aerodrome. Under adverse conditions for landing, for example in the case of strong winds, landing is carried out using the mooring tower and ground mooring team.

2. Failure of both horizontal thrust engines

In such an emergency, controlling the horizontal speed of the apparatus is impossible. The device moves in the horizontal direction in the wind. The ability to control the flight altitude of the device is maintained and carried out by changing the aerostatic lifting force. The pilot can select the appropriate altitude and use the direction of the wind at that altitude to bring the aircraft into the area most suitable for emergency landing. The pilot selects a landing site and a suitable landing moment, for example, when the wind speed is minimal, and makes an emergency landing.

3. Failure of the vertical thrust engine

In this situation, the ability to control the flight altitude remains due to changes in aerostatic lift. On the descent site, the pilot continues to control the flight altitude due to changes in aerostatic lift. The horizontal flight speed is controlled by the energy stored in the batteries. The pilot selects the closest suitable landing place and makes an emergency landing.

4. Loss of tightness of the casing, leading to leakage of carrier gas.

In this situation, the pressure monitoring instrument pilot determines how seriously the destruction of the inner shell has occurred. Consider three conditional situations:

- small leak;

- average leakage;

- a big leak.

With a small leak of carrier gas in the damaged section, it is enough to compensate for leakage and the device can fly to the destination aerodrome. With an average leak, the carrier gas supply is not enough to complete the flight mission and the device must make an urgent landing. The pilot selects the nearest alternate aerodrome or makes emergency soft landing of the device on a suitable site outside the aerodrome. With a large carrier gas leak, in the worst case, the apparatus completely loses aerostatic lift. The pilot, controlling the horizontal speed of the vehicle and using a positive angle of attack, holds the required flight altitude. The pilot selects a suitable place for landing and, being above it, reduces the horizontal speed of the aircraft. The device starts an emergency decline and due to the vertical speed of the movement, the shell of the device begins to parachute, while the vertical speed of the device is stabilized. The pilot turns on the vertical thrust engine in afterburner mode and performs a soft emergency landing. In the worst situation, when the outer shell is seriously damaged and its parachuting effect becomes insignificant, the lifting force of the vertical thrust engine should ensure a safe vertical rate of descent. In this case, additional mitigation of the impact on the ground is achieved by crushing the supports and the lower part of the gondola body. In the event of significant deformation of the lower part of the nacelle body, passengers and crew exit through emergency hatches.

5. Waterlogging

When splashed, the device retains buoyancy. Buoyancy, in particular, is ensured by: balloon filled with air; section filled with carrier gas, and the gondola itself. The nacelle of the device includes airtight compartments: a battery compartment, a pilot's cabin, a luggage compartment, a passenger compartment. Horizontal thrust engines are not hermetic, but when filled with water, the aircraft retains positive buoyancy and horizontal stability in the water. There are several ways to save passengers and crew in the event of a splashdown:

- without leaving the living quarters of the apparatus;

- independent leaving the device.

It should be noted that the splashed apparatus can, under favorable conditions, be on the surface of the water for a sufficiently long time and wait for the arrival of rescuers.

The proposed aircraft can potentially have significantly better specific fuel consumption compared to airships. Fuel economy is achieved through the use of echelons with a higher flight altitude in cruising flight. As a result of the aerodynamic lifting force and heating of the carrier gas, the aircraft rises higher than the airships during cruising flight, which reduces air resistance. Thus, the device compared to the airship will be more economical, subject to movement at the same cruising speed.

The design of the apparatus allows to obtain lifting force due to several physical effects independent of each other, while the following components can act individually or simultaneously:

- aerostatic lifting force of a carrier gas with a temperature close to the temperature of the surrounding air;

- lifting force acting on the propeller;

- the lifting force resulting from the pressure drop under and above the apparatus body;

- aerodynamic lifting force that occurs when the body moves relative to the surface of the earth, as a result of air flow around it;

- aerostatic lifting force of the heated carrier gas.

Aerostatic lifting force of a carrier gas with a temperature close to the temperature of the surrounding air results from the fact that the inner shell is filled with gas with a density lower than the density of air, for example helium.

The lifting force acting on the propeller occurs as a result of the rotation of the vertical thrust propellers. The cross section and angle of attack of the vertical thrust propellers are selected in such a way that, when rotated, a rotational force acts on the blade of each screw.

The lifting force resulting from the differential pressure under and above the housing appears as an additional result of the operation of vertical thrust propellers. When the vertical thrust propeller 15 or 16 rotates above it, a rarefaction occurs, and the rarefaction region extends to the entire space above the screw, in particular, this refers to the confuser (part of the central hole in the apparatus body, where the air flow moves in a narrowing pipe). At the same time, the pressure under the vertical thrust propeller 15 or 16 is above atmospheric and the increased pressure region extends, in particular, to the entire length of the diffuser (the part of the central hole in the apparatus’s body where the air flow moves in the expanding pipe). Thus, part of the horizontal cross-sectional area of the housing is affected by the pressure drop, which creates additional lifting force.

Aerodynamic lifting force arising from the movement of the housing 1 relative to the surface of the earth, as a result of flow around the air stream, appears due to the choice of the corresponding profile of the vertical cross section of the apparatus. It should be noted that the method of occurrence of this lifting force is different from the lifting force of an airplane wing. Unlike an airplane wing, airflow from the “under the wing” to the “above the wing” area as a result of the presence of a central hole is possible in the device’s body (such overflows are possible when the vertical thrust propellers are turned off). The principle of aerodynamic lifting force, simplified, can be compared with the lifting force acting on a kite. Aerodynamic lift is due to a positive angle of attack.

Aerostatic lifting force of a heated carrier gas occurs as an additional effect, which allows to increase the lifting force of the apparatus by reducing the density of the carrier gas. Carrier gas is heated at the climb site, as well as during cruising. Using this technique allows you to reduce the amount of carrier gas required by the aircraft at launch.

Claims (8)

1. The flight method of the aircraft, which includes an annular hollow body with a central hole, located in the body of at least one elastic gas-filled elastic section filled with lifting gas, engines with vertical and horizontal thrust screws, characterized in that the body is made disk-shaped with a rigid power frame, the aircraft is equipped with at least one air-filled balloon located in the hull and controlled by a valve and when air leaves the balloon through a controlled valve n reduced volume of baloney and a section filled with lifting gas is expanded to a volume, creating a hydrostatic force sufficient for lifting and flight of the aircraft. 2. The method according to claim 2, in which the lifting gas in the sealed section is heated to increase the lifting aerostatic force. 3. Aircraft, including an annular hollow body with a central hole, located in the body of at least one elastic sealed section filled with lifting gas, engines with vertical and horizontal thrust screws, characterized in that the body is disk-shaped with a rigid power frame, the aircraft equipped with at least one air-filled balloon located in the housing with at least one controllable valve and the balloon is designed to change the volume of the section with Removable gas and changes aerostatic forces. 4. The aircraft according to claim 3, characterized in that the section filled with lifting gas is located in the upper part of the body cavity and the upper part of the said section is attached to the body, and the balloon filled with air is located in the lower part of the body cavity, the lower part of the balloon attached to the lower part of the body, and the upper part of the balloon is designed to interact with the lower part of the section filled with lifting gas. 5. Aircraft according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that it is equipped with a compressor for filling the balloon with air, located in a sealed section with a lifting gas heat exchanger, fixed in the central opening of the hull with a nacelle, an internal combustion engine, a fuel tank and a liquid cooling system for the engine of internal combustion, connected by a coupling and a reducer with two coaxial vertical thrust screws, as well as with at least one electric generator associated with at least two mounted on a nacelle with horizontal thrust motors with screws and batteries mounted on the casing with at least two aerodynamic elevators installed in the rear of the casing with at least one keel with an aerodynamic rudder located in the sealed section of the lifting gas with a heat exchanger, while the heated fluid from the liquid system cooling is designed for controlled heating of the lifting gas through a heat exchanger in the section of the lifting gas. 6. Aircraft according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that it is equipped with at least one fuel tank, which has a spheroid shape and is aligned with the vertical axis of the aircraft. 7. Aircraft according to any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that the central hole has a variable section: a confuser and a diffuser. 8. Aircraft according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the rigid power frame of the hull is made in the form of a main frame, a central truss and connecting them with a tightness of cables.

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