US1134241A - Dirigible airship. - Google Patents

Description

J. SPITER.

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.31. 1914.

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JMJ? '1. SPTERI.

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP. AP-PL|cAT|oN min Aus.31, |9r4.

.Patented Apr. 6, 19.15.'

MHTNESK ES mw# J. SPITERI.

DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP, APPLlcATloN min Aue. 31. 1914.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

INVENTIH a@ B Jm: fifgfi XX y f Attorney.

VITNESSES A Patented' Apr. 61I 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4- INVENTOR Jas. S/Jieri y l. SPITERL DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP. APPLICATIONv man Aue. 31. 1914.

1,1 @2M v Patented Apr. 6, 1915..

J. SPITERI.

. DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.3|, 19m.

l 34,2% m Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

gl CM@ WITNESSES INvENTon Jamfjaiieri JOSEPH SPITEBI, OF WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

DIRIGIBLE AIBSHIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Application led August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,392.

T0 all Awhom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH Srrrnm, of the city of linnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Airships, Aof which the following is the specification.

The invention relates to improvementsin dirigible balloons and the objects of the 111- vention are as follows: to provide an improved form of gas container or body which will ellect great stability and presents a plurality of distinct compartments all connected, but arranged so that they can be f closed od one from he other: to provide an expansion chamber in combination with and connected to the gas container arranged to receive the gas discharged automatically from the gas container by reason of the natural tendency of the gas to expand due to changes in pressure in the varying altitudes: to provide an improved form of steering mechanism whereby the airship may be readily navigated, the complete mechanism being under the control'of a single attendant and being particularly positive in its action to provide an improved means of propulsion and propelling mechanisms in tandem, the latter being arranged so that they can be operated independently or together and when operating together will act in synchronism: to provide a device in connection with the propelling mechanism and the propcllers which will effect the driving of the propellers uponr the propelling device or engine reaching a certain predetermined speed of rotation: and lastly to provide a dirigible airship having the body thereof constructed to cut through the air in flight with a minimlmi amount of resistance and designed further to provide ample accommodation for passengers, pilots and fuel While retaining proper balance.

Nith the above objects in view the invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter more particularly described and later pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 represents a side view of the complete airship. Fig. 2 represents a plan view. Fig. 3 represents a rear end view. Fig. 4 represents an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view. Fig. 5 represents an enlarged detailed perspective view of the steering rudder.' Fig. 6 represents an enlarged detailedside view of the Steling ,neath the engine room i 10 for gasolene or other such fuel.

post, associated and adjoining parts. Fig. 7 represents an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view through a portion of three gas compartments in diderent sections showing the manner in which they are connected. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detailed side view of one of the levers located in advance of one of the engines. Fig. 9is an'enlarged detailed vertical sectional view of the spring pressed locking pin connecting the levers. Fig. 10 represents a side view of the parts appearing in Fig. 9. Fig. 11 represents an enlarged detailed side view of a portion of the cross shaft controlling the elevating rudder. Fig. 12 represents an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view through the clutch members on the engine shaft. Fig. 13 represents an enlarged detailed face view of the female clutch member and adjoining parts. Fig. 14 is an enlarged detailed plan view of the engines showing the adjusting rod controlling the gasolene feed to the engines. Fig. 15 represents a face view of one of the engine carbureters. Fig. 16 is an enlarged detailed vertical sectional view of the gas pipe and contained valves appearing between the gas container and the expansion chamber. Fig. 17 represents a plan view of the quadrant associated with the levers. Fig. 18 represents a side view of a portion of the quadrant. Fig. 19 is an enlarged detailed side view of one of the levers and adjoining parts located to the rear of the engines.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

1 represents the body or gas container of the dirigible formed from a su'table frame structure inclosed within an envelop and presenting a more or less cylindrical body with rounded ends and a pair of longitudinally extending outstanding wings 2 and 3. Within the body I have reserved space for an engine room as indicated at 4 and d1- rectly beneath the engine room I have located a cabin 5, a storage compartment 6, )ilot house 7 and a wireless room 8, these all. being approached through a centrally located entrance way I have fitted a tank 9. In the ilooring be- 11 is a promenade deck associated l the cabin. I Y,

The as chamber isdlvide'd into a number of distinct compartments .by internalvpari titions passing between the Walls of the engine room and the envelop. In the present instance the body is divided by three ver# tically disposed partitions 12, 13.I and 14 into four sections, a forward section 15', two central sections 16 and 17 and a rear section 18. These sections are distinct and are again subdivided by partitions 19 into distinct compartments 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27, these latter compartments being best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. In the present dirigible I have in this Way provided thirty-two distinct compartments. It will here be noticed that the compartments 21 and 26 open to the wings 2 and 3 in each division.

28 is a main gas supply pipe passing along the engine room and 29, 30, 31 and 32 are branch pipes leading from the main pipe and connected by means of similar valves 33 with the respective compartments in each section.

The supply pipe is fitted with a main valve 34 While the extending endsl of the branch pipes are supplied each with a controlling valve 35 with the result that when the respective compartments are inflated or filled with gas and the main and controlling valves closed the gas cannot escape from the compartments. The adjoining sections are connected one to the other by spanner pipes 36 fitted with valves 37, there being a Spanner pipe fitted with a valve connecting each similar pair of compartments adjacent to each other on opposite sides of the transverse partitions. v

Owing to the above arrangement of valves I am able at, any time to cut off one section from another or any compartment from the others. The object of this is obviously to allow of the repair 'of any compartment Without effecting the other compartments. For example if the envelop 'became torn at any point I am able by manipulating the valves to close off the compartment where the tear appears andthe gas will only escape from the one compartment' and not lfrom the others.

38,39 and 40 are pairs of independent gas compartments located in the ceiling of the engine room and independently iniiatable from the main supply pipe.

41 is an expansion chamber mounted on the top of the body and opening to the same through forward and rear pairs of gas pipes 42 and 43. The pipes each contain a spring pressed ball valve 44 which controls the pass age of the gas from the container to the eX- pansion chamber and a springpressed pop valve. 45 which controls the escape of the gas from the expansion chamber to atmosphere.

I might here explain that heretofore in ascending to higher altitudes it has been necessary, owing to the drop in pressure, to release. a certain amount of the gas with lwhich the envelop is inliated to avoid the possible destruction of the envelop due to the expansion of the gas. This gas is consequently lost. In my airship the springs controlling the valves 44 are constructed such that the gas is permitted to expand into the expansion chambers when'y higher altitudes are reached. The above avoids releasing the gas as the action is entirely automatic and 1t also effects the saving of the gas as it is now allowed under ordinary conditions to escape to atmosphere. In event of an eX- ceptionally high altitude being reached and the capacity of the envelop and the expan` sion chamber being not suiicient to accomodate the gas, then under this condition the gas is allowed to escape to atmosphere through the valves 45, the springs controlling these valves being designed to operate to release the valve when the gas pressure is sufficiently great.

46 is an elevating rudder located at the front of the body7 and pivotally mounted on a pair of brackets 47 extending from the body.

48 is a cross shaft rotatably mounted in the forward end or nose of the envelop and provided centrally with a chain wheel 49 and at either end with extending cranks 50 fitted with pins 51 operating in slots 52. located within the ends of arms 52 extending rearwardly from the elevating rudder.

522 are cushioning springs connected to the rear ends of the arms and to the framework of the body at points above and below the arms.

53 is a socket mounted on the floor of the pilot house and 53 is a steering post mounted in the socket and supplied with a worm 532 and a hand Wheel 53X. I

54 is a sleeve rotatably mounted on the steering post and fitted with a worm 5.4 and a hand Wheel 542.

A pair of standards 55 are mounted in the floor of the pilot house at opposite sides of the socket and carry a pair of shafts 55 and 552, the shaft 55 being supplied with a worm wheel 55 meshing with the worm 54 While the shaft 552v is fitted With a Worm Wheel 55 meshing with the Worm 532. A chain 56 connects the chain-Wheel 49 with a similar chain Wheel mounted on ythe shaft` 55. By manipulating the hand wheel 542 I am able to elevate or depress the elevating rudder as it will be seen the chain 56 Will operate the cross shaft and swing the cranks to effect the turning of the arms 52 and the consequent movement of the elevating rudder. The springs are supplied to retain the elevating rudder in a horizontal position in event of the rudder controlling apparatus breaking. l

57 is a steering rudder located at the back end of the envelop. It is constructed as now described.

r bers are engaged 58 is a substantially rectangular frame carried by suitable arms 58 attached to the body of the airship. Within the frame I have mounted a plurality of similar vertically disposed swiveled rectangular rudder blades 59 connected one to the other by a connecting strip 60 which causes the said blades to turn together. The lower pivot of the central blade projects beyond the frame and is formed into a T-head 59 to which I have connected cables 61 and 61 which pass forwardly under suitable guide rollers to the pilot house where they are wound on and connected to a drum 612 fixed on the shaft By this construction the rudder is completely controlled by the hand wheel 53". rlhe construction above described provides a very convenient control both for the elevating and the steering rudders.

62 and G3 are internal combustion engines of any approved type mounted in the fioor of the engine room.

62 and 63 represent the engine shafts.

64, 6l. 65 and 65 represent pairs of front and rear outstanding propeller shafts rotatably mounted in suitable brackets 66 secured to the sides of the body, the propeller shafts passing lengthwise parallel with the body and being provided eachwith a chain wheel 67 and front and rear propeller blades 67 and 672.

68 is a centrally located `propeller shaft suitably mounted in the body and passing longitudinally within the engine roon This shaft carries a propeller blade 68 located at the forward end and immediately behind the elevating rudder and is fitted also with chain wheels 69 and 69 for a purpose later explained. The engine shafts in both instances project at either end through the crank casings and are fitted with specially designed clutch members 'now described and best shown in Figs. 12 and 13 of the drawings.

70 is a male clutch member rotatably mounted on the protruding end of the engine shaft and prevented from end displacement by means of a collar 70 shrunk on the shaft.

7l is a band or ring slipped onto one end of the said clutch member which is contracted to receive it and 71 is a cylindrical shell screw threaded onto the end of the clutch member and holding the band in position. The'shell has the extending end coned out to present a conedface 7lX designed to engage with the beveled face 72X of a female clutch member 72 feathered on the end of the shaft and ,rotatable therewith. The band and the female clutch member are connected by fly balls 73 carried by links 73 attached tothe respective parts. The shell is supplied with extending spring catches 74 designed when the clutch meinto spring into suitable notches 74 presented by the female clutchv member. The male clutch member is supplied with chain wheels 75 and 75 while the female clutch member is formed with a flange or disk 7 2'.

76 is a pivoted lever having the lower end thereof forked and bearing on the face of the disk and the upper end thereof receiving a screw 76' attached by means of a spring 762 to the body of the engine and fitted with an adjusting nut 76". The spring and lever are designed to act against the fly balls. The' tension of the spring can be adjusted at any time by adjusting the nut 7 6X. The faces 7lX and 72X when engaged cause the male clutch member to rotate with the female clutch member. In order to insure a positive drive when these parts are engaged I have supplied the adjacent ends of the clutch members with engaging teeth 77. The chain wheels 75 and 75 of the clutches to the rear of the engines are connected by chains 78 and 78 with the cha-in wheels 67 of the outstanding propeller shafts. The clutch members in advance of the engines are connected through chains 79 and 79 with the chain wheels 69 and 69 hereinbefore referred to. In this way in each case control the front propeller while the rear clutches control the side or outstanding propellers. Controlling levers as now described are located adjoining the 'front clutches in each instance.

80 and 81 are levers mounted on a cross shaft 82 carried in suitable bearings 82 located on the floor of the engine room. The lever 81 is secured to the shaft so that when operated the shaft is caused to rotate with the lever. The lever' 80 is rotatably mounted on the shaft and carries a spring pressed locking pin 83 designed to enter a socket 83 formed in the lever 81, the pin when so engaged effecting the locking of the one lever to the other.

In order that the pin can be held in a withdrawn position I have fitted it with an arm 83X normally countersunk in the face of the lever 80 but designed when the pin is withdrawn and turned to engage with the face of the lever and retain the end of the pin free of the socket.

84 is a quadrant presenting a pair of guide slots 84 and 812 which receive the levers. The lever 81 is supplied with a specially constructed spring pressed detent 85 engagethe forward clutches l able with and operating over teeth 8e presented by the quadrant. The lever 80 carries an adjusting screw 86 through a slot 862 formed in one of vthe quadrant guides. By tightening the screw at any location 'one can fix the position of the lever 80. The detent 85 is designed so that when withdrawn from the teeth and turned one half turn and released it 'will becompletely clear of the teeth.` The shafts which extends (-82 e, carry outstanding forked arms 82* arrangedto bear against the face of the flanges or disks 72 of the front clutch members. The levers 8x0 are connected by an adjustable -linkf87 so that the front levers can be `manipulated by thel movement of the back levers.r I'

The levers 81'areconnectedthrough links 81o with levers y'88h adjoining the back clutches in each instance, the latter levers extending from cross shafts 88 mounted on the engine room Hoor anditted with forked arms identical to those-'82x and bearing on the Hanges of the rear clutches.

It will be seen from the above connections that if the locking pins 83 are in the sockets the clutch members of both engines can be controlled by manipulating either one or other Yof the levers and also that if the locking'pins are withdrawn and locked `out of the sockets it is necessary to independently manipulate each of the levers 80 and 81 to control the clutches. i

fI wish now to explain the action of the parts best shown in Fig. 12 of the drawings assuming the engines running 4and the shafts 62 and 63 rotating. It will bev seen that the vfemale clutch members are caused t'o rotate with the shafts the male clutch members remaining stationary, while the band slips in respectto them. However as soon as the engine lshafts ha\'e gained sufficient speed to cause the Hy balls to counteract the actions of the springs 762 the female clutch members will Hy in and engage with the mail clutch members and consequently rotate them effecting the rotation of the propellers. This insures that t-he driving load will not be placed on the engine until it has picked up or reached a certain speed of rotation` the time at which the engagement of the clutch members occurs depending entirely on the adjustment of the springs.

In the above explanation it is considered that the levers are placed in a position to allow the female clutch members to slide on the shaft to engage with the male clutch members, this action not being possible un;

less the outstanding forked arms controlled away from the disks or flanges.

by the levers 80, 81 and 88 are withdrawn On the other hand by retaining the last mentioned forked arms in a position engaging with the disks and with the levers locked the engines can be running without driving the propellers as will readily be understood.

I have considered it advisable to control the supplyof gasolene fed' to the engines ina manner such that both engines will get the same firing mixture.

In Figs. 1l and 15 carbureters 89 and 90 are. shown, these being connected to the intake manifolds'of the engines in the ordinary way and to the gasolene. feed pipe 91 which leads to the gasolene tank l0 already referred-itc. do notfwish toienterlinto the detailed construction of these carbureters other than that I wish to state the valves controlling the feeding of thegasolene are regulated andA controlled by an adjusting rod 92 fitted with Worms 9 3 or othensuch contrivances arranged to open or close the valves of the carbureters an equal amount in both engines upon the adjusting rod be-- ing turned by means ofthe hand wheel 94 .located at the rear end thereof. A` graduated scale 95 is also supplied on the carbureters and the valves thereof are fitted with index pointers 95 which operate over the scales. In this Way reading can be taken at any time to show exactly what quantity of gasolene is being fed to the engines I have supplied the engines also with speed .counters 96, these being of anv approved form. In the above way I am able to synchronize so to speak the two engines as the. engineer in charge can readily detect by ta-king readings both from the ca-rbureters'and from the speed indicators, any` change which might occur in the operation of the engines.

I consider it very important in. devices of this kind to have all the engines operating under the same conditions and as -nearly alike as possible. Although I have only de,-V scribed two engines it will be understood that any number of'them might be connecty ed up in the same manner as the two herein shown and further any number of side propellers could be used in conjunction with the engines, the number depending on the propulsion required. l

I wish it to be noted that the forward and rear ends of the body are rounded andY that the forward and rear ends of the wings 2 and 3 are brought to an edge. This edects the easy passage of the airship through the air in Hight as will readily be understood by those familiar with the operation of dirigibles.

lVlien the a-irship is in actual Hight the forward rudder is manipulated for ascending or descending while the rear rudder is used for turning purposes. The forward rudder is shaped to cut through the air with a minimum resistance while the rear rudder is constructed to present a large a-ir resistance and eii'ect a quick and positive turning of the airship.

It will be noticed that the engines and cabins all appear below the wings. This effects stability in Hight as any turning movement around the longitudinal axis of the dirigible is immediately counter-acted by the extending wings.

'hat I claim as my invention is 1. In a dirigible ail-ship a cylindrical gas containing body sub-divided by cross partitions into distinct sections and having the sections individually sub-divided by a plu# rality of partitions into a plurality of comllt 'Lac

f rality of partitions intoa plurality partments, means for separately iniating the sections and valve controlled means connecting the adjacent compartments of the respective sections, specified.

2. In a dirigible airship, a cylindrical gas containing body sub-divided by cross partitions into distinct sections and having the sections individually sub-divided by a pluof compartments, a feed pipe, a branch pipe for each section valve controlled inlet pipes connecting the branch pipes with the compartments and valve controlledmeans connecting the compartments of adjacent sections, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a dirigible airship, in combination a cylindrical gas container having adjacent longitudinally disposed outstanding side wings opening to the interior of the container and partitions passing across the container and Wings and dividing the Same into a plurality of gas sections, as and for the purpose specied.

4. In a dirigible airship, in combination, a cylindrical gas container having longitudinally disposed outstanding side Wings opening to the interior of the container, partitions passing across the container and Wings and d'viding the same into a pluas and for the purpose.

leading from the feed pipe,

rality of gas sections, and further partitions in the respective sections sections each into a plurality of compartments, as and Jfor the `*purpose specified.

5. In a dirigible airship the combination With a gas container f.or body, of an expansion chamber mounted on the body, gas pipes connecting the expansion chamber with the body, spring pressed ball valves located in the pipes and spring pressed pop valves inserted in the pipes and Vdesigned to release under excessive pressure the expansion chamber to atmosphere, as and for the purpose specified.

6. In a dirigible airship the combination with a gas container, of an expansion chamber mounted 0n the container, an automatically controlled connection between the container and the expansion chamber designed to release the gas under excessive pressure in the container to ythe expansion chamber and automatically operated means designed to release the gas under excessive pressure in the expansion chamber t0 atmosphere, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at 'Winnipeg this 31st day of J anuary, 1914.

JOSEPH SPITERI.

In the presence oli- J. CONTI, G. S. BOXBURGH.

the gases inl subdividing the

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