US1311700A

US1311700A - lanchester

Info

Publication number: US1311700A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1919-07-29
Anticipated expiration: 1936-07-29

Description

APPLICATION FILED JAN-18, 1919- Patented July 29, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1 INV ABE?

F/W. LANCHESTER. AEROPLANE AND APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING AND RECEIVING ,SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 18 i919- Patented Ju1y'29, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jail-271K391- .z aw

\ F. W. LANCHESTER.

AEROPLANE AND APPARATUS FOR LAUN-CHING AND RECEIVING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. I 8. 1919.

Patented July 29, 1919.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Java/233071 v f. 14/. Lanafiesi'en F.'W. LANQHESTER. I AEROPLANE AND APPARATUS FOR LAUNCHING AND RECEIVING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I8.'I9I9. 1 3 1 1 790. 7 Patented July 29, 1919'.

4 SHEETS-SHEET}.

U ITED STATES FREDERICK WIL IAM LANCH'ESTER, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

; To all whom it may concern:

. going vessels by means of which the track Be it known that I, FREDERICK WILLIAM LANCHESTER, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at 41 Bedford Square, London, W. C. 1, England, have invented certain new and useful Im-v provements in Aeroplanes and Apparatus for Launching and Receiving Same, of which the following is a specificat1on.-

The present invention relates to improvements in aeroplanes and apparatus for launching and recei 'n same, and has for its object to permit of the launching and receiving of aeroplanes by vessels at sea, and otherwise under unfavorable conditions of landing and when accommodation of the ordinary kind is not available, such, as, for example, on small islets or rocky coasts.

he presentxinvention consists in apparatus for launching and receiving aeroplanes comprising a multiple tight-rope track, adapted to directl support them and a counter-part or compl ementary provision on the fuselage or wing members of the aeroplane comprising laterally arranged rails or runners forming continuous transverse bearers extending the span'of the wing structure.

The'present inventionfurther consists ina means or mechanism embodied in and actuated from the aeroplane for gripping one or more of the tight-r'opesaforesaid to I act as a brake to bring the aeroplane rapidly to rest.

The present invention further consists in the application of a multiple tight rope launching and receiving apparatus to seacomprising a multiple tightrope track mounted on folding outriggers may be housed or shipped when not required.

The present invention further consists in the improvements in 'aero lanes and appaeing shown housed close to the side of the ratus for launching .an

hereafter described. I Y

The drawings herewith illustrate one mode of carrying the invention into effect. Figure 1 is an elevation, and

1 Fig. 2 is a plan showing a pair of multile rope tracks as fitted to a ship, one track receiving same ship, the other track being shown in its operative position. Fig. 3 is an elevation, and Fig. 4- is plan of one of the outriggers.

out swung Specification of Letters Patent.

- heads 5, one

length of the a bore. The tight-rope Patented July 29, 1919.

Application filed January 18, i919. Serial No. 271,934.

F ig. 5 is a view of one of the cable swivel posts and cable tensionlng device.

F 1g. 6- 1s a side elevation showing the two transverse bearers or runners fitting below the fuselage of Fig. 7 one of the said bearers or runners.

Fig. 8 is a view of the guiding and braking device.

ig. 9 is, an end view of one of the outriggers'.

As concerns the track for launching and receiving aeroplanes as applied to a seagoing vessel, two outriggers 1 are provided consisting of brackets furnished with spar extensions, the said brackets being pivoted 3 fixed to the side of the vessel andadapted to be swung out an aeroplane.

at right angles when in use or to be housed parallel or nearly parallel to the side of the vessel when-shipped. A number of tight ropes 4, conveniently some dozen or more,

are carried by the Outriggers aforesaid. Each tight-rope, stretching from outrigger to outrigger, is carried by a pair of swivel such head being provided on either outrigger for each rope. A suitable construction of swivel head is as follows. A vertical shaft 6 is mounted in journals in theoutrigger and this tubular shaft has a continuation 7 at its upper extremity of quadrant form and furnished with a groove in which the tight-rope is constrained to rest. This continuation may be considered as an extension of the shaft 6 bent to an easy radius through a right angle, a portion 8 of the bend being cut away to expose is threaded through the bore and is furnished at the lowerv extremity with a screw 9 or other tightening device, which seats itself under tension in the bored end of the quadrant continuation. The axes of the swivel heads are parallel to one another and parallel to the outrigger mountings so that when the Outriggers are housed, the whole combination forms a multiple parallelogram linkwork, adapted to lie snugly against the side of the vessel.

Anumber of chains or cables 10, which act as guy ropes, are attached to each cut rigger and are led around suitable guide pulleys on board ship. The chains may be connected from one outrigger to the other on board ship. Tensioning devices are provided 'for the said chains or cables and the is an end-way elevation showing tension imposed thereon determines the ag gre ate tension imposed on the tight-ropes 0 t' e track. One of the said cables is led round a Windlass or the like. By turning the Windlass the outri gers and track are moved from the housed to the operative position, or vice versa, when desired.

In another arrangement the outrigger tensioning chains or the like are connected at bow and stern respectively to hydraulic controlling and operating gears.

As fconcerns the aeroplane, the lower wing alighting. In one (or both) of the .runners brake block by means of mechanismpro- .at or near its center and beneath the fuselage a V-shaped notch'or gate 15 is formed,

as shown in Fig. 8, and a counter-part V- shaped brake block 16 is correspondingly arranged with vertical sliding motion controlled by the pilot. When alighting the brake block is set in its lowermost position and one or other of the tight-ropes 4. forming the track is caught in the V-groove between one of the fixed flanks of same and the brake block aforesaid. By raising-the vided the pilot can brin any required degree of grip to bear on t e particular rope engaged and thereby exert any desired degree of braking effort. 5 In order to better retain the tight-rope within the" braking device the face of the brake block or that of the V-groove may be made concave.

-When it is desiredto launch an aero lane fitted by the braking device aforesai the brake block is brought up initially .into its highest position when the V-groove is approximately filled and the lower face of the brake block forms a bridgerendering the runner virtually continuous. The aeroplane may be flown from the track under its own motive power, the coefficient of friction between the runners and'the tight-ropes being, comparatively speaking, low. If required, however, launching may beassisted by a cable actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or winding engine in a manner well known.

'The multiple tight-rope track'aforesaidis preferably arranged on such a level as to be clear of gunfire if the vessel be armed. Aeroplanes may be conveniently brought aboard after landing by means of a derrlck or Scotsman carried from one of the In the application to ocean-going vessels it is important that the platform utilized shall be to windward of the ship so that the pilot will not be flying in disturbed air and 1 eddy currents; it is for this reason that it is proposed to provide the platform in duplicate. The system should prove of great advantage from the naval standpoint inasmuch as the aeroplane-carrying ship will be able to launch and receiveaeroplanes without deviating from its course and thus where such a ship is accompanying a fleet or convoy, this is a matter of vital consequence since it will be able to keep station. The problem of an aeroplane carrier accompanying a battle fleet or cruiser squadron steaming at from 20 to 30 knots is' otherwise one of great difliculty. While maneuvering to windward in order to pick up or launch aeroplanes,

keep pace with he squadron to-which it is attached. y

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 2-- 1. An aeroplane adapted to alight on a track and provided with a runner designed to engage the track, and brake means located on the runner and operable u on engagement of the runner with the trac for clamping the track.

' 2. An aeroplane adapted to alight on a rope track provided with a runner designed for receiving a rope of the track and brake means for clamping said rope in said runner.

. 3. An aeroplane adapted to alight on a tight-rope track, provided with a runner having a V-shape groove adapted to receive a rope of the track, and a brake block for clamping a rope in said groove.

4. The combination with a supporting structure, of outriggers pivotally secured to the carrier ship as constructed not only cannot keep station, but is unable to rue said structure for horizontal swingmg movement, a series of'vertical shafts rotatably mounted in each of said outrlggers and each having a quadrant head provlded in its upper face with a groove and a recess and provided between the recess and rear edge witha bore, ropes extending between the Outriggers and engaging the grooves and bores, and means adjustably engaged with 'theends of each of the ropes andbearing against the heads for adjusting the ten-