US1747001A - Aeroplane construction - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 11, 1930. GREGOR 1,747,001

AEROPLANE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 16, 1928 T 37 I INVENTOR 64 41 I 28 44 SI 30 26-? 55 I NE- Patented Feb. 11, 1930 PATENT OFFICE MICHAEL GREGOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AEROPLANE CONSTRUCTION Application filed January 16, 1928.

This invention relates to aeronautics, more patricularly to aeroplane construction and safety control therefor.

My invention generally relates to aeroplane construction and control mechanism therefor useful in stabilizing the aeroplane by auxiliary surfaces in the nature of ailerons and contemplates the provision of control means for the stabilizing surfaces which may be employed as an automatic safeguard to prevent lack of control or conditions which may result in a tail spin, at stalling speeds and wherethe angle of incidence is so great that control would ordinarily be lost and the machine thrown into a tail spin and become uncontrolled due to autogyration.

\Vhere I have attempted to use the customary stabilizing means, such as ailerons, I have found with the larger angles of incidence, at stalling speeds, lifting by use of the ailerons to stabilize by increasing the angle of incidence of the aileron at the lower level results in an opposite effect and the main plane surfaces will be drawn downwardly,

causing side slipping, with fair chance to get into a tail spin and autogyration.

My invention, therefore, has for an object thereof the provision of stabilizing means for the main wing surfaces and operating means therefor which will simply and efficiently serve to bring within control the aeroplane when the main wing surfaces are positioned at the higher angles of incidence and at stalling speeds; the provision of aeroplane construction including stabilizing means and operating means for said stabilizing means, which will serve as a safety measure when conditions are obtained whereby the aeroplane would become stalled and out of control; the provision of aeroplane construction including in combination with the main wing sections of auxiliary sections substantially coincident with the main plane section, serving in the nature of ailerons for stabilizing and operating means for said auxiliary sections, the operating means including release mechanism for automatically decreasing the angle of incidence of the auxiliary section when the main plane surfaces or wings are 0 positioned at the larger angles of incidence Serial No. 246,935.

where, under ordinary conditions, the machine would become stalled and out of control, to overcome the negative lifting effect of an aileron positioned at a lower level. The invention contemplates, in its preferred embodiment, the combination with the main wing surfaces of auxiliary sections substantially coincident therewith and of the same or any other cross section, laterally pivotally mounted and operating controls therefor, to overcome the varying air currents and stabilize the main wings, particularly when the main plane surfaces are positioned at angles of incidence beyond which the machine would become stalled and out of control, the

, control means including an automatic release of the auxiliary plane sections to change the angle of incidence arranged for lifting and the oppositely disposed auxiliary plane section arranged at an inverse angle so that they may be submitted to the normal velocity to dispose them at an even heel and thereby stabilize the main wing sections.

The invention still further has for an object thereofthe provision of a, stabilizing means for the main wing surfaces of aeroplanes in the nature of auxiliary wing sections and operating mechanism therefor, the operating mechanism including means to change the angle of incidence of the auxiliary sections on opposite sides of the main wings to automatically position one auxiliary section to an angle for lifting and the opposite auxiliary section, to an inverse angle thereto for stabilizing purposes and further includes means to automatically release the auxiliary wing sections to angles at which the turning moments upon the main surfaces neutralize each other when the main surfaces or wings assume an angle of incidence at which they would normally become stalled or out of control.

The invention further contemplates simple, etficient and inexpensive stabilizing means for aeroplanes and automatic means for bringing the aeroplane under control at stalling speeds of the aeroplane.

To attain these objects and such further objects as may appear herein, or be hereincompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating my device;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view, in side elevation, of a detail taken on a line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section taken on a line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view taken on a line-44 of Figure 2.

Making reference to the drawing, I have illustrated my device in connection with a monoplane type of aeroplane, by way of example, in which the aeroplane 10 has a main wing section 11. Disposed to opposite ends of the main wing section there is provided auxiliary sections 12 and 13 of any or the same cross section as the main wing section and pivotally mounted at their frontal portion upon a shaft 14, extending along a portion of the length of the main wing section. Each of said auxiliary wing sections, 12 and 13, respectively, has an operating lever 15 and 16 disposed in the edges 17 and 18 extending below and above the auxiliary wing sections and provided at their ends with at-.

taching eyelets 19 and 20 on the member 15 and eyelets 21 and 22 on the member 16. It will be observed that rocking movement or tension on the operating levers 15 and 16 will serve to pivotally move the auxiliary plane sections 12 and 13 above or below the main plane section 11, from a point coincident with the main plane section 14. For imparting this movement, I provide an operating mechanism comprising an operating shaft 23 provided with the stick 24. The opposite end of the shaft 23 is maintained in the bearing 25. The opposite end of'the shaft 23 has mounted thereon the spider 26 comprising spaced plates 27 and 28. The ends of the plates 27 and 28 have mounted at their upper ends 29 and 30 and their lower ends 31 and 32, the subshafts 33 and 34, serving to space the plates and held against displacement by the nuts 35.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft 33 I provide sprocket wheels 36 and 37. Upon the lower shaft 34 I provide, also loosely mounted, sprocket wheels 38 and 39. The sprocket wheels 36 and 37 are provided with bosse 40 and 41, respectively, which are formed with teeth 42. Mounted at the upper portion of the plates 27 and 28, respectively, there are provided spaced lugs 43 between which are pivotally mounted the bell crank shaped pawls 44, extending through the orifices 45 to engage the teeth 42, serving to hold the sprocket wheels 36 and 37 locked in said spider. The free ends 46 and 47 of the pawls 44 are provided with eyelets 48 and 49. Upstanding lugs 50 and 51 have bolts 52 and 53 passed therethrough and provided with springs 54 and 55 to resiliently urge the pawls in engagement with the teeth 42, as previously described. For disengaging the pawls 44 and unlocking the sprocket wheels 36 and 37, the free ends of the pawls 46 and 47 are each respectively attached to the sleeve 56 and the wire 57 of a Bowden cable, the wire being attached to the end of the sprocket 47 by passing through .the orifice 58, running longitudinally through the center of the shaft 33. The wire is thereafter connected to the end 47 by a suitable bolt 59. The opposite end of the Bowden cable 60 is provided with an operating lever 61, held in fixed engagement by the arcuate ratchet 62 and the pawl 63. In operation, a sprocket wheel chain 64 is passed over the sprocket wheel 36, then diagonally downwards to be directed in the opposite direction over the sprocket wheel 38. The opposite ends of the chain 65 and 66 have attached thereto cables 67 and 68. The portion 67 is passed over the guiding pulley 69 and is thereafter attached to the lever 15 at the eyelet 20, at the upper surface of the wing. The portion of the cable 68 passes over the guiding pulley 70 and is attached to the operating lever 16 at the lower eyelet 21. Additionally, a sprocket chain 71 passes over the sprocket wheel 39, then diagonally upwards over the sprocket wheel 37. The sprocket chain 71 hasits ends 72 and 73, respectively,provided with cables 74 and 75.

The portion of the cable 74 passes over the lower guiding pulley 76 and is attached to the lower end of the operating lever 15 at the eyelet '19. The opposite portion of the cable 75.passes over the upper guiding pulley 77 and is attached to the operating lever 16 at the eyelet 22.

It will be observed that the portions of the cables 67 and 68 are directed to the opposite auxiliary wing sections -to operate the members 15 and 16 at the top and bottom eyelets 20 and 21, respectively. The portions of the cable 74 and are disposed to operate the lovers 15 and 16 at the bottom and top eyelets 19 and 22, respectively. With the spider and the operating stick 24 vertically disposed and at right angles to the main wing section, the auxiliary sections 22 and 23 are placed coincident with the main wing section 11. The sprocket chain 64 and the cables 67 and 68 are drawn taut. The sprocket chain 71 and the cables 74 and 75 are thereafter also tautly drawn to rigidly dispose the auxiliary wing sections 12 and 13 in the position aforementioned.

It will be observed that with the auxiliary wing sections as shown, the stick 24 has been moved from the position shown in dotted lines to the left. The spider 26 will then have fed a portion of the sprocket chain 64 to increase the length of the continuous member formed by the sprocket chain 64 and the cables 67 and 68. The lower ends of the spider will serve to draw in the ends of the sprocket chain 72 and 7 3, thereby drawing with it the cables 74 and 75, to dispose the auxiliary wing sections in opposite directions, the auxiliary wing section 12 being disposed above the plane of the main wing section and the auxiliary wing section 13 being disposed below the plane of the main wing section. In this manner, the device may be used for stabilizing the aeroplane against varient currents, in a manner well known. With the aeroplane and its auxiliary wing sections 12 and 13 in the position as shown, the main plane section will be banked with the auxiliary section 13 at the upper level and the auxiliary section 12 at the lower level. Should the aviator be climbing at that moment so that the main plane section is disposed at ahigh angle of incidence, and at stalling speed, any tendency to increase the lift and stabilize the aeroplane'may, due to the configuration of the wing sections, normally cause no, or even an opposite effect. At this point, to pre vent losing control, release of the Bowden cable to disengage the pawls 44 will permit the auxiliary wing sections 12 and 13, to automatically equalize each other as the spider26 will no longer serve to maintain the sprocket chains 64 and 65 in locked engagement. The cables will ride over the sprocket wheels due to the wind pressure on the auxiliary sections 12 and 13, tending to dispose them in about a horizontal plane, the piv-' otal point of the shaft 14 in respect to the sections 12 and 13 being so disposed as to have the wind pressure force the sections 12 and 13, even at stalling speeds, into smaller angles of incidence or nearly the horizontal position. The effect produced will be to stabilize the entire main wing surface by an effect tending to resist the turning moment or side slipping of the main wing surfaces,

' in a measure bringing the 'main wing surfaces to the smaller angles of incidence. The smaller angles of incidence of the auxiliary sections will therefore return their effectiveness, as an aid in stabilizing the turning moment at stalling speeds,as well as reducing the angle of incidence of the main wing sections to a degree where they may be controlled. When righted again, the stick may, if desired, be brought to the vertical position and the Bowden cable control disposed to engage the pawls 44, with the teeth 42, and again lock the operating spider.

It will be observed that though I have described a chain and sprocket as the means to engage the sprocket wheels 36 and 37, I may dispense with this means of engagement and have the cables 67 and 68 and 74 and 75 continuous and pass over suitably formed pulley wheels.

It will be further observed that though I have described the cables 67 and 68 as engaging the top and bottom eyelets of the levers 15 and 16, respectively, andthe cables 74 and 75, the eyelets 22 and 19 of the levers 1'6 and 15, respectively, a single cable, preferably with an interposed sprocket chain, may be run continuously from the eyelets 19 to the' eyelet 20 andfrom the eyelet 24 to the eyelet 22, and-disposed across the pairs of sprocket wheels 36-38, 37- 39, respectively.

It will thus be observed that I have provided a novel stabilizing means for aeroplane construction which may be used in .the normal way as ailerons but which may automatically be used to bring the plane within control when the main plane surface is disposed at the larger angles of incidence and at stalling speeds.

It will be further observed that though my operating device for the auxiliary sections is preferably described in combination with auxiliary sectionspivotally mounted on the laterally disposed shaft14,, this operating mechanism-may be used in connection with ailerons disposed to. the rear edge of the main plane surface, or at any other position such as in front of the wing or mid scctionsthereof, and can be used for monoplanes, bi-planes or multiplanes with equal utility, whether a plane of the land type or sea plane. Furthermore, the auxiliary sections may be modified in cross section form and shape without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. v

. Having thus described-my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an aeroplane construction, in combination with the main wing surface,of stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons to each side. of said main wing surface, connectors for said ailerons disposing the same in equali zing relationship, a control member for ad" ustably arranging said ailerons-and means for releasing said connectors from said control member to automatically dispose said ailerons to a position having a stabilizing ef-' fect independent of the position of the control member,

2. In an aeroplane construction, in combition with the main wing surface of stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons, connectors for said ailerons comprising cable members, guiding means for said cables disposing said ailerons in equalizing relationship, a control member connected with said cables for positively adjustably arranging the ailerons ineluding a chain and sprocket connection and means for locking said sprocket and chain in positive engaging relationship whereby said ailerons may be positioned positively and means ,for releasing said sprockets to automatically disposesaid aileronsto a position having a stabilizing effect at stalling speeds independent of the control member.

4. In an aeroplane construction, in combination with the main wing surface, of stabilizing means in the nature of ailerons to each side of said main wing surface; connectors for said ailerons comprising cable members disposing said ailerons in equalizing relationship and including chain sections engaging revoluble sprocket wheels to provide an angularly positionable cable engaging assembly, locking means for said sprockets to produce positive stabilizing positioning of said ailerons and means to release said sprockets to automatically release said ailerons to positions having a stabilizing effect at stalling speeds.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 13th day of J anuary,'1928.

MICHAEL GREGOR.

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