US1270601A - Multiple aerofoil construction. - Google Patents

Description

A. CROSS.

MULTIPLE AEROFOIL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. $1918- 1,270,601 Patented June 25, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 vwc nfoz A. CROSS. MULTIPLE AEROFOIL CONSTRUCTION Patented June 25, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLlCATlON FILED APR. 9.1918.

A. CROSS.

MULTIPLE AEROFOIL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 9. l9l8.

Patented June 25, 1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

A. CROSS.

MULTIPLE AEROFOIL CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9, I918. Y 1,270,601 Patented June 25, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

FFIE

AUGUST GROSS, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

MULTIPLE AEROFOIL CONSTRUCTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1918.

Application filed April 9, 1918. Serial No. 227,433.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUcUsT Onoss,a citizen of the United States, residing in Jersey City, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Multiple Aerofoil Constructions, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to multiple aerofoil construction for all aircraft purposes, and is shown embodied in a kite which may be used for observation and other purposes, and raised from either land or the deck of a ship. It is intended to carry a considerable load,for example a man,to serve as an outlook for submarines.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and illustrating the principle of the invention in the best mode of applying that principle now known to me,

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the kite shown in its normally inclined position of flight.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the kite.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view showing the upstanding front and rear struts in crosssection at a line corresponding to line 33 of Fig. 6, and shows means for securing the load-carrying bar in place.

Fig. 4 illustrates in plan and edge view one of the anti-cutting fixtures used in reinforcing the kite; and

Fig. 5 illustrates in plan and edge view another anti-cutting fixture used in reinforcing the kite.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the kite.

Fig. 7 is an elevational view partially in section at a line corresponding to line 77 of Fig. 2, and shows details of the reinforcement.

Fig. 8 shows in plan and edge view another of the reinforcement fixtures.

Fig. 9 is an elevational view, partly in section at a linecorresponding to line 9-9 of Fig. 6, and shows the front and rear struts assembled with ribs and with spars, and vertical lifting and diagonal reinforcements.

Fig. 10 is a plan view, partially in section at line 10-10 of Fig. 9. and further illustrates what is shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is a front side view, partially in section, illustrating the. diagonal reinforcing devices.

Figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15 are elevations,

partly in section, further to illustrate the relation of the parts.

Fig. 12 being partially in section through a front strut, at line 12-12 of Fig. 14., and showing a front spar in elevation.

Fig. 13 being partially in section through a back strut at line 13-13 of Fig. 15, and showing a back spar in elevation.

Fig. 14 being partially in section through a pair of adjacent ribs at line 14l14 of Fig. 9, and showing a front spar and front strut in elevation; and

Fig. 15 being partially in section through a pa1r of adjacent ribs at line 1515 of Fig. 9, and showing a back spar and aback strut in elevation.

Fig. 16 is a plan view showing portions of two fabric aerofoils in place over a leading bar and a trailing wire, and rearwardly laced over the trailing wire and also having their opposed edges laced together and to a pair of adjacent ribs, such opposed edges being carried past the sides of a front strut and the back strut spaced apart from the front strut, and these two struts being shown in horizontal section.

Fig. 16 is a detail showing the folding and lacing of an aerofoil in place.

Referring to the drawings, the kite as shown is made up of two trapezoidal kite members 0, a secured edgewise together. the members having parallel bottoms and tops, and the bottoms being wider than the tops (Fig. 6). As indicated in Figs. 6, 9 and 10, each kite member comprises a series of laterally alined upstanding front struts 1 spaced laterally apart, behind each of which is an upstanding back strut 2 parallel with a strut 1. Each front strut and the corresponding back strut, herein referred to as a pair, are connected from between the frontand back of the kite by a series of horizontal rows of ribs 3, each rib being concavo-convex and tapering from its leading to its trailing end, and such rows of ribs being spaced apart from the bottom to the top of the kite. In its front and also in its rear end portion, each rib has a transverse polygonal opening. The ribs are mounted with their concave surfaces facing down, and they are best used in pairs one at one side and the other at the other side of the pair of struts to which they are connected by horizontal eross-sectionally polygonal front spars 4 and [back spars 5, these spars passing through form.

the polygonal holes in the ribs and therewith-registering polygonal holes formed in the struts, and extending from edge to edge of each kite member. The assemblage is made with the front and back struts parallel, but at an angle of about to a straight portion of each kite member into a series of rectangular spaces, and at each corner of each space one of the fixture eyes 17 pro j ects and each eye has hooked into it an end of a reinforcement rod 20, the other end of which is threaded into a tension collar 21 line drawn from tip to tip of a rib. A boir which is held by a screw head 23 to a censhaped skeleton frame is thus made up for-a kite or kite member, or more broadly as an aerofoil structure, out of a front series of upstanding struts, a parallel series of back struts, a series of rows of ribs extending from front to back, a series. of horizontal front spars, anda series of horizontal back spars. All such members will probably be made of wood, which maybe of laminated The struts are shown ovalish in cross-section to reduce resistance to the air.

The spars are shown square, and as shown the upper side of the back spar is flat and the upper side of the forward spar "is pitched. Adjacent and outwardly of each pair of ribs the rear spar is provided with a pair of metal fixtures 6 (Fig. 5) each having a square opening 7 inits head, from the upper side of which a right-angular projecp The back spar 5 passes through the hole 7 and theprojections .8'bear 1) on the upper side of the spar." The lower end portions ofthese fixtures are bent-togetherunder the forward edge of the back strut, and the registering eyes 9 ofjthe tures receive the hooked end of a vertical lifting wire 10. The lower end of the lifting wire is threaded into a tensioning collar 11, the under end of which receives another spars, front end portions of the ribs, and.

front struts are connected in the upward direction with the-rear portion of the nextuppermost ribs, therear spars 5 and rear struts '2, and this system of tensionable lifting wire reinforcement is carried through each kite member from top to bottom.

The front portion of eachkite member between the struts and the opposed edgesof each rowof ribs 'is diagonally reinforced by the following Jdevices. Thethin sheet-metal fixtures 16 shown in Fig. 8' provided with wire-engaging eyes 17 and pinholes 18 are assembled flatwise in pairs through slots in the frontspars adjacent theribs and fixtures 6, the eyed heads projecting horizontally -in-opposite directions (Fig.7) and being pinned in place-by pins 19. The arrangement of the upstanding parallel struts and transverse front spars Qdivides .the front trallydisposed ring 24. Thus each quadrangular section is diagonally reinforced by the adjustable tension rods 20 and collars 21,

giving great strength to .the front portion of the, kite members,-which in connection with the vertic-allifting rod reinforcement system makes each ,kite member very strong although its struts, ribs andspars, together with the horizontal leading bars 25 which are horizontally secured to the front proj ecting ends of the ribs, one leading bar for each row of ribs, are necessarily :made of light-weight material and preferably, if not necessarily, of wood. The rear orgtail ends of the ribs. in each row are transversely support in each row the side marginsof the aerofoils A shown aspiecesof fabric which are folded over the leading bar and have their back ends laced over thetrailing .wire. At each pair ,of ribs the side edges of the aerofoils are laced to the ribs. The lacing is indicated by 27. i

In the completed structure the framework above described supports aplurality of rows of parallel aerofoils, spaced apart in thevertical direction with the forward under .marginofeachaerofoil overhanging the leading edge of the next adjacent inferior aerofoil to obtain fresh air, as the aeronautic phrase is, for all the rows of aerofoils-for the support of the structure.

To securethe opposed edges ofthekite members together, the exterior flat faces of the front and back struts 1 and2 of the two kites are flatwise opposed as shown in Fig.

8, and secured together. While the kite may be made as one structure, yet as it is to be made in very large size it is convenient both for manufacture, for handling and for transportation, to make it of two sections as described. The structure is provided with a lifting bar 28.

Its front end is connected by two side braces 29 which severally extend angularly .to and are connected with a front edge of one of the upstanding struts in each kite member near its bottom. The front end 31 of the load-carrying bar is also connected by an upstanding member 30 the upper end of which is connected at 32 to the front of the kite structure. The member 30, issteadied by divergent guy-wires 38 of which, three on each side are shown. These guy-wires are connected with the. member 30; extending therefrom transversely of the front faces of the assembled kite members to theoppositeiedges thereof (Figs. land 6). The end 31 of the load-carrying bar is further sustained by a guy wire 34 reaching from the end 31 to the upper front side of the structure to which it is attached at 35. This load-carrying bar is secured to the lower portion of the structure midway between the outward edges as indicated in Fig. 3, the bar consisting of two supplementary members placed flatwise together and each having a rearward extension 36 which embraces the two abutted front struts l of the members, and also the two abutted rear struts 2 of the kite members. A filling block 37 is placed between the extension 36 intermediate the opposed edges of the abutted front and back struts, and the extensions 36 are secured to such struts and to the intermediate filling block by transverse fasteners 38, similar fasteners being used thereabove to secure the so-abutted front and back struts together from the bottom to the top of the kite when it is made of two members detachably connected together.

An observer or any desired apparatus can be carried suspended from the bar 28 in any desired manner, and ropes, wires or the like may be secured to the structure as required for use in raising it from land or shipboard when and if the structure is used as a kite. The structure is one which may be ,used in connection with aeroplanes.

What I claim is,

1. An aeroplane structure comprising, in combination, a series of front struts; a corresponding series of back struts; a series of rows of concavo-convex ribs; a series of transverse front spars; and a series of transverse back spars; the ribs connecting the front and back spars, and said spars also connecting the ribs and struts; the struts and ribs being fixed together with the concave edges of the ribs downward, the struts inclining downwardly and rearwardly relatively to a plane intersecting the under ends of each series of ribs; a leading bar transverse to the front ends of each series of ribs; a trailing wire transverse to the rear ends of each series of ribs; a series of vertical tension rods severally connecting a forward connection of a rib, front spar and front strut with a rear connection of a rib, back spar and back strut; and at the forward portion of the several quadrangular spaces formed by an upper rib, a lower rib, two front spars and two front struts, a central coupling from which four diagonally-disposed reinforcing wires extend into connection with the corner unions at each such space, which unions are severally formed by the connection of a front strut, a front spar, and a front end portion of a rib.

2. In the structure of claim 1, the front spars decreasing in length upwardly in the series, and the front and back struts being arranged in pairs, one pair parallel to the other.

3. In the structure of claim 1, a series of sheet-metal plate fixtures passing through the front spars, each plate having a receiving eye for an end of one of the diagonal reinforcements from the central coupling.

1. In the structure of claim 1, a series of sheet-metal plate fixtures mounted bodily in the front spars, each plate having an upper exposed eye and an under exposed eye, each eye being connected with an end of one of said diagonal reinforcements, and each such diagonal reinforcement comprising lengthwise tens'ioning means. a

5. In the structure of claim 1, the vertical lifting wires being connected at each end adjacent a connection of a rib, strut and spar to the end of a fixture provided at its other end with a polygonal opening for passage of a spar therethrough, the fixture comprising adjacent said opening a flat, angular extension bearing on a wall of the spar.

6. In the structure of claim 1, the vertical lifting wires being connected at each end adjacent a connection of a rib, strut and spar to the end of a fixture provided at its other end with a polygonal opening for passage of a spar therethrough, the fixture comprising adjacent said opening a flat, angular extension bearing on a wall of the spar; each vertical lifting wire comprising in its length means for tensioning it lengthwise.

7. In the structure of claim 1, a forwardlyprojecting load-carrying bar and bracing means connecting the bar with the structure.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of April, 1918.

AUGUST CROSS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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