US1856228A - Aeroplane - Google Patents

Description

1927 2 Sheets-Sheet j l l I l l l l l J. SHARP AEROPLANE Filed July 2o.

May 3, 1932.

May 3, 1932. J. SHARP 1,856,228

AEROPLANE Filed'July 2o. 1927 2 Sheets-shew 2 Patented May 3, 1932 UNITED` PAT-ENT OFFICE JOHN snaar, or cnrrvnmum, omo,n

AEBOPLANE' Application led July 120,"

Thewobjects of the invention are to provide an improved aeroplane having a strong.

compact forni of body, and aerofoils, and so constructed `that upwardly anduforwardly i-qfdirected `impulseszareproducedby the provisionof Iadded surfacesthat increase the i.

20 L vi ded` with .planes of ordinary construction.`

Further `advantages `acquired by the improved method .of construction: include.l a

greater easeoi' control, an automaticallyacquired balance, .and `increased famount` `of 2W working and i supporting area, `thus `adding ltor the `stability yof. the plane without enlarg ing `its apparent size, or wing spread.

The `invention includes. the` provision of additional. inclined plane surfaces;` by the` 3m; construction of inclined ports .or passages u inuthenaerofoils,tail or body having their intake `or `suction openingslocated at `the upper side of their surfaces, and `which pass downward and rearward atlan anglethrough aarthewlower or supporting surfaces, `andhave their `discharge openings 1n said lower surf faces Ini'the improved construction thelower or outlet.. vopenings l are V.preferably constructed 4ofwider in `crosssection i from front to rear method of construction tends to. eliminata back pressure or resistance toutheair-` flow-` ing through the inclined passages. `:[tpalso Alli"` tends to. increasethe eifective amount ofsuc- 1927;" Serial 11'0.y 207,0495

tion `at ithe upper forward `intake openingg.: also fthe lower opening being the widest the u passage of the streams of air across the mouth of the lower openingwill beprolonged, that is will `act over a longer. period ottime across the lower opening;v

In this manner-it willf create a long strong, continuousaction ofthe air on :the `passages and `produce a greatereect thanif both up# perfand lower openings wereoi' thesanie size;

The upper and lower openings are spaced apart upon thenpper andA lower surfaces .of the plane1respectively,andthe upper open-A ing isfpositioned in advance lof.n the lower. opening and they are connected by rearwardly anddownwardly inclinedwpassages that pass diagonally Aentirely ythrouglrthe meub. bers of the plane in which they are installed;

Thesemembers may be rthe "aerofoils,-fuse lage, or horlzontal stationary rudders oristabilizers, orfwhatever parts desired.` Y

By means of .this constructionthe span .of the wings can be shortenedsince anincreasedv amount of: lifting surface is provided for a givensspan,\and depthpf aerofoil. Alsoia more perfect balancecan `be, obtained which will be more easily retained,.and tipping influences can bevmoreeasily. overcome.

When the machineis in motion thestreains of air which rush by `helower surfaces ofthe aerofoils will leap across the lower` openings and will produce `a strong ndraft through y these passages and will create a strongysuctionat the.- upperforward endsof the passages lin the direction of'notion of the machine thus drawing themachineforward and upward.

Further the streams of air rushing through theipassages meeting the streamseof air lea-p1 r y ing` across :the lower `mouths of the passages than the `upper or intake openings. This@ uur will :causer-their. expansion 'upward and will create a forward continuousthrustorupresl sure `upon Athe plane. f

` a rearwardly inclined vertical angle.

The suction produced at the intake openings reduces the pressure of air above and in advance of the aerofoil by the rarefication of the air adjacent to said openings.

This suction is caused when the machine drawing the machine upwardr and forward by the removal of the compressed air above the aerofoils.

Further the air dischargedfrom the lower mouths of the passages comes in contact with the lower or lifting surfaces of the aerofoil and applies an additional lifting force thereto.

Also the rearwardly directed pressure of the air underneath the aerofoil as it is discharged from these passages, as it passes from Contact with the under surfaces of th-e aerofoil, tends to break up the back drag or wash of the aerofoil on the airfollowing the machine so as'to cause the release of the passing air. v

Also the under surfaces behind the pas-V sages are engaged with the air with greater lifting effect, before it loses contact or engagement with the active lifting surfaces.

vIn this manner the air is caused to engage with the entire under surface of the aerofoil to Vcause the maximum lifting effect upon every square foot vt-hereof which will increase in direct ratio with the increase of speed of the plane and with the increased amount of suction above and expansion below continuously obtained thereby.

For this reason the smallest andV most com- .pact form of machine can be made and also of'downwardly `and rearwardly inclined suction passages 1n the aerofoils, rear stabilizers and fuselage. YFig.'2 is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan vof the aerofoil of a'large plane showing a double row of such passages. Fig. 4 is atransverse section Vof one of the aerofoils taken on line 1 1, on the center line of the passages.

Fig. 5 is a plan of a smaller plane showing an aerofoil having a single row of closely approximated passages separated only by the transverse ribs of the aerofoil.

Fig. 6 is a similar plan showing spaced passages. Fig. 7 is a front elevation, Fig. 8 is a side elevation. Fig. 9 is a transverse section and Fig. l() is an enlarged plan having one large inclined air passage through each aerofoil.

In these views, A is the fuselage, B the wing, C the horizontal stabilizers on the sides of the rear end ofthe fuselage, D is the rudderv and E the propeller.

.Passing through the aerofoil fuselage and stabilizers are shown the suction passages F,

V-F, having their intake openings F, F at a higher level than thru discharge vopenings F 2, F2. The upper openings F', F are ad-` vanced alsoto a position in advance of the lower openings F2, F2 thus inclining the'passages downwardly and rearwardly from the intake openings above the upper surfaces of the plane to the dischargeopenings in the lower .surfaces of the plane. i

These passages F may be'made in any fixed members of the plane and are shown in the aerofoil, the body or'fuselage andthe stabilizers. 1

The lower mouths F2 of these passagesF are shown to be wider from their front to their rear edges than the upper mouths F1 l -loo thereof.

The passages extend between the longitudi-` nal ribsr F,F, of the aerofoil and may be spaced apart as shown'in Figs. 6 and 10 or closely adjacent as shownV in Figs. l, 3 and`4 5 and thin walls may be formed of the same material as the plane or of any suitable smooth surfaced material to avoid friction upon the air passing therethrough.` By the use of these inclined passages and the peculiar action they produce in general on the air above and below Vthe planeand upon the sustaining surfaces', the principle of soaring flight is employed, which will advance the art of navigation of the air to further-successi `Bymeans of this construction, compression and expansion of the air is taking place under the entire surface Vof the aerofoils driving the machine up and forward.'y At l .the same time that the suction action'of the intake openings reducesthe density of the air above the machines aerofoils, thus pulling it up and forward, due to the momentum of the machinethrough the air. Y'The de-` scribed action is continuously produced at' all times, while'the machine is in 'motion in the air, and in this vman ner'soarir'xg flight is made possible.'y

vI claimzV Y Y l. An aeroplane wing having a series of 'lao

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