US1012631A

US1012631A - Helicopter,

Info

Publication number: US1012631A
Application number: US5?267710A
Authority: US
Inventors: Henry H Gridley
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Publication date: 1911-12-26
Anticipated expiration: 1928-12-26

Description

H. H. GMDLBY.

HELICOPTER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.16, 1910.

Patented Dec, 26, 191 I.

3 SHEETSSHEBT 1.`

WITNESSES.-

H, H; G-RDLEY.

ED NGV. 1G, 1910` 3SHBBTS-SHEBT Z.

@Een

APPLICATION IIL VTIVSSES:

FI. GRIDLBY.

EELIGOPTEB. APPLICATIM FILED NOV. 16, 1910.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 8.

` I Be it' known that I, HENRY H. GmDLEY,

` specification. 4 4 `.-.-'l`-l)is.invention relates to improvements' in ableserewpropellers and 'are provided withgendedtulnilarV members; the lower part ofy r 'A ward 4dge upturne., as indicated at b, and the rear 5.0

'"downturne'd portions .b and c is to cause adapted to revolve in`4 avertical plane a'e Brsr VAILABLE-,COPY

l Uniirnn srArn's 4ra i onirica 'irENnY H. GMDLEY, or Herzens, ma' sncrmsn'rrs.

' HELICOPTER.

a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampdenand State of Massachusetts, have in vented new and useful Improvements in Helicopters, of which the following is .ai

lie icopters, orwhicharc commonly known as flying machines. The machines of this class are designed to bedriven through the air by means 'of suitsuitable means, comprising suitable ,propeller or lifting blades, for lmaintaining them in the air. 4

Broadly considered my invention consists in providing @supporting plane or aerofoil 'memberhaving openings therethrough, and placing above this plane member and in orover the opening a suitablenumber of open.

the tubular members having propellers or lifters located therein which, preferably, re- `volvein a horizontal plane whereby a lifting eliec't is produced to maintain the machine in the air. Suitablc'propellers or tractors also employed to drive the machine forwart 'Referring to the drawingsl forming part of this application, 4`igure l is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view on the linerl1, of Fig. 2, cleasslri-liustrating the shapeand position ofthe supportingplane gith'eee'n" 'structien-.anrdlocation of .the tubular members With-.the lifting propellers located therein, jand the vertically arranged driving propel# 1ers. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine. This View being considered as looking down*J on F` 3 and *illustrating the positions of. the tu ular members." Fig. 3 is an end'elevation lookin from theri'glr'ihand end of Fig. l andgclearly' showing the ribs at the edge ofthe supporting plane.

Referring #to thel drawings in detail, a designatesthe supporting plane, the forof. which is preferably slightly part is 'preferably downtnrned 'as 'shown at c. The purpose of these upturned and the machine to'assist in lifting itself when 'bein '1 dri'yen through the -air. fOr, in other' Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Utes. 245, 1911.

AppIicatio'n filed November 16, 1916. Sera! No. 532,577.

the resistance of thepa-ssage of the supporting plaire; similarly the portion d in its forforces downwardu the mass of air, Coming in c ontact with it and so receiving the upward lift of the reactionof said mass of air lessens i Ward-motion pushes down Still farther the mass of air acted upon by the portion 5b and receives a like uplifting force. The curved construct-ion of the portions b and c also helps to 4stiften theplane a. laterally between the rims d. The extent and degree of curvature' of vthis part of the plane is merel illuS-. trativ'e as the saine may be. varied as sire-d.

designates vertically arranged side rims. that are secured to opposite edges of the plane a. These rims permit trussedconstruction in themselves to stiften the plane a longitudinally, oil-"from front .to rear.l The portions ofthe 'rims d that are below the pla-ne a serve to prevent the lateral escape lof the denser air belovv the plane a, and-Will', have a very considerable.giarachute ifect when the plane a is gliding downwa-r and the propellers are not running.

It will be observed that the lentire con! struction avoids the downward pressure of maintain aA i l rings al in the plane a and are ncstedftm gether, as shown, and necessarily, of differ" `ent diameters. The member has its lewer edge inengagement with the upper surface' of the plane. aand its nii-per edge y' above the lower edges lc and -m-of the members f and g.

It will be observed that the diameter of. the'niember eis intermedia-te that of the and p' are .provided en each sideof the np-y per portion j of the member c. V y Located above the upper edge-j of the member e and xtendinfr from the members f and y is an annular ri-.ate cr diaphragm 9 1 preferably provided with a cui iai-f. This plateg semfes-the purpose sf de -ecting the currents of air as they are 'draw n throughA .ioo y the annular spaces aand @downward by the y propellers s which are located inthe lower part of the tabular member e and ,over the openings al "when the'same are rotated, as

wor?. th curved f glides' upon,. and

-shown'by the arrows it.' The curved part rof the plate g is to give a smooth and easy flow to the air currents, thereby lessening their friction and increasing their. velocity.

These currents' of air, during their passage, will Astrike against' the under side of the late g and its curved part 1" causing or efecting a lifting effecton the machine. It should beparticularly noticed that these currents of air will cause a rarefaction or lessening of the density of the air pressure above the plane a with the result' that the atmospheric pressure above the supporting plane is very much lessened. The air pressure be- '.the tubes g and z'. The currents represented by the arrow 'w wouldcause a rarefaction of the atmospheric pressure on the upper side of the plate g, and as they pass overthe upper edge m of. the tube g they would strike the under side of the plate y and its curved part e.

The arrowN-l illustrates the path of the current of air above the plate y and downward through theI tubes z', g, and e. The

I 'currentsof air drawn downward through tiO the tubular member z' do not exert its' momentum on a plate member as do thecurrents passing through the members e and g,

and therefore exert less lifting power, but itwill be readily seen that the tubular member 'z' might ,have a, tight cover, and the spaces between the-edges o f memberse and g, and plates g and i be so proportioned as to pass all the air that the propeller s could drive through the opening al in the plane a. .The propellers s, it will be observed, are located above the openings al in the supporting plane a so that the various streams of air will be discharged'below this plane to assist in effecting an upward pressure below the same.

The propellers s are operated from any suitable source of motive power, as indicated at 6, .and operatively connected to this motive power by means of the drive-chain 7 are driving propeller blades 8 which are connected to the shaft 9. The propellers s are operatively connected to the shaft 5) so as to rotate in unison with the blades 8 by means of drive-chains 10 and 11, and the shafts -12 and 13, which are geared together, as

shown at 14. The driving connections between the motive power 6 and the propeller blades s and Sis merely illustrative.

The plan view in Fig. 2 shows four sets of nested tubular members, but I do not limit myself to any particular number, al,-

thoughv the number should preferably be so chosen or proportioned as to always produce a balanced effect on the plane a'.

In order to permit the escape of the air below the plane a, should any sudden wind pressure become too great, I provide wing or trap `door members 14 which are adapted to open upward, as shown in Fig. 1.

l5 designates the car pait of the machine which is suitably suspended from the glider plane, as shown.

'lhe various elements for supporting the car, motive power, etc., form no part of the present invention and are merely lllustrative.

l. A helicopterhaving in combination with a supporting plane, a plurality of open ended tubular members, diaphragms or plates between said members, propeller blades to draw air through the members to lessen the atmospheric pressure on said plates and increase the pressure below the plane. l

2. A helicopter having in combination .with a supporting plane, a plurality of open ended tubular members nested together and above said plane, the upper edge of lsome of thesaid members being above the lower edge of an adjacent member, a plate extending parallel with lsaid edges, means for drawing the air through said members and against the plate and discharging the same below the supporting plane. 4

3. A helicopter having in combination with a supporting plane provided with an upturned forward portion and a downturned rear portion, the plane .having openings therethrough, a series of tubular members communicating with the openings, a propeller, the tubular members being axially and laterally spaced to permit the propellerI to effect a rarefaction of the air pressure above said plane and increase it below the same.

4. In a helicopter, the combination with a supporting plane provided with laterally located rims extending both above and below the said plane,=the plane having an opening therein, a tu ular member over the opening, and a lifting propeller 'in said member. V

5. In a helicopter, a supportin plane having openings therethrough, a tu ular mem` one of the tubular members, and means for operating the propeller.

6. A helicopter having in combination with a supporting plane provided with an opening therethrough, a series -of tubular members over the opening, the members being oil different diameters and having their upper and lower edges or ends nested to permit currents of air to flow over one edge of one member and below or under the edge of an adjacent tubular'member, plates located adjacent said edges, a propeller over the opening, and. in the lovvermost member, and means for operating the propeller.

7. A helicopter contprising a plane member of greater Width than its length, ribs secured to its lateral edges thereof, the plane member, a series of open ended tubular members of 'different diameters located on the upper surface of the plane and over an opening 'in the plane, a propeller for drawing air through the annular spaces between the tubular members and delivering it to the opening in the plane, and plates 'to causethe air ^to-glow in a curved path.

8. A helicopter comprising a supporting plane member havingan opening therein, a lifting propeller located above the opening, a tubular member surrounding the pro- 1 peller, and a plate arranged above the open end of the tubular member Whereby'when through the tubular member, and a lifting effect exerted by the current of air on the pate, as described.

o9. The combination with the lifting pro`v peller of a Hying machine, tubular members spaced from each other and located above said propeller, a horizontally arranged plate in the space between. the members and against which the current of air strikes when the propeller is operated, whereby a lifting edect is produced.

l0. ln a helicopter, the combination with a supporting plane or aerofoil having' an npturned forward portion -and a down'j turned rear portion and provided with laterally located rimsextending both above and below' said plane, means to lift the plane, and means to propel the same as desired.

HENRY H. GRDLEY.

VVitnesises: i

K. CLnMoNs, HARRY W. BOWEN.