US1864012A - Flying machine - Google Patents

Description

June 21, 1932- T. A. DRING I FLYING MACHINE .FiledApril 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR mm 09: BY HATE; ,cf

ATTORNEKS June 21, 1932,.

T. A. BRING FLYING MAGHINE- Film April 3, 1931 Fig. 2.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Patented June 21, 1932 UNITED srA'rles PATENT OFFICE THOMAS AUG'ClST'US DRING, F POULNER', RINGWOOD, ENGLAND FLYING MACHINE Application filed April 3, 1931, Serial 'No. 527,557, and in Great Britain February 14, 1931.

The present invention deals with improvements 1n flying machlnes whereby such machlnes may be caused to rise or descend m a a vertical plane, sustained in the air, and also moved in a horlzontal plane.

compressed air, produced by non-feathering rotary propellers, the expansive forces set up by said streams acting on the underside of the body and/or other supporting surfaces of the machine, and producing a resultant acting a through the centre of gravity of the machine.

The apparatus described comprises a plurality of blades or vanes rotating about'a fixed axis with the outer edges of the blades or vanes sweeping through a conical path.

According to the present invention each i set of non-feathering rotary propeller blades or vanes sets up continuous multiple independent streams of compressed a1r, each 111- dependent stream working 1n synchronism with and opposing the appropriate independ- "ent stream produced by the other set of rotary propeller blades or vanes.

The two propellers are attached to the shaft or shafts from which they derive their motion in such a manner that they are at all times in synchronized working, and therefore the projected individual streams from each propeller are always in synchronism and impact of the opposing streams is ensured, except when such streamsmay be impinging directly upon the sides or other parts of the body of the machine.

Each blade or vane of the propeller projects a separate stream of compressed air which retains its individuality until it meets the opposing synchronized stream from the other propeller, and on impact of the two streams or when such streams impinge directly upon the sides or other parts of the body, the kinetic energy or force thereof is wholly or in part desctroyed thereby producing an expansive force for lifting or sustaining the machine. l

The several streams of compressed air, whilst projected in straight lines from the vanes to the point of impact with opposing streams or the body of themachine, partake of the circular movement of the propeller, travelling round in pairs and generating two hollow cones, with their bases in continuous contact, save where such contact is interrupted by the fuselage and fixed planes.

As the several pairs of rotating air streams sweep the under side, or sustaining surface of the machine, they deposit, or leave behind them masses of compressedv air in a state of expansion, the action of which against such surface lifts and sustains the machine.

The stream flows downwards and inwards from the front surface of the vane, round the inner or trailing edge, and thence downwards and towards the machine at an angle with the axis of rotation of some or degrees. The particles of air in the streams are believed to travel'in a straight line. I

Further according to the present invention the trailing edge of each blade or vane or a local part thereof may be set back so as to increase the circumference of the circular path described by such inner or trailing edge or a local part thereof, and thus increase the velocity of the projected air streams passing over the edge, and consequently, the amount of compression in the stream itself. I

In the particular example hereinafter described and illustrated the rotary propeller is of conoidal form having three vanes or blades secured to a pyramidalbase, and the co-oper ating streams of compressed air flow in op posite directions.

The accompanying drawings which illustrate the present improvements or'modifica tions are quite diagrammatic.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 a side elevation of the propellers and a fragmentary part of the machine.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are modified forms of propeller blades hereinafter referred to.

Referring to Figs; 1 and 2, the propellers each consist of three blades 1, 2, and 3, secured to a pyramidal base 4. The rotating propellers are made right-hand and lefthand. Rotation of the propellers is effected by any suitable means, various ways being described in the specification of the prior application aforesaid.

The reference letters 1a, 2a, and 3a represent the outflowing independent streams of compressed air. The same number of streams of air are sent out by each propeller, and each independent stream on one side has a companion or c'o-operating stream on the other side with which it is in working synchronism, the two currents meeting or impinging upon one another below the surface of the fuselage for the purpose of lifting or sustaining the machine by the expansive forces thus produced. The angular path of travel of the streams is indicated by the dotted outline in Fig. 2. It will be noted that for a part of their travel the streams impinge upon the sides andfixed plane or planes of the fuselage and do not impact with one another. 7

Avoidance of backward thrust on'the machine when rising or hovering being desirable, this factor should be taken into consideration when designing the machine. For the arrangement shown in Fig. 2, it is believed to bedesirable that the angular displacement of the streamsand the projecting speed of the streams should be so regulated that the V streams do not again meet, after leaving the 9.; produce translational movement of the masides of the body or fuselage, until they have arrived at a position in the angular path of travel which is beyond the point at which theycan produce any subversive backward thrust on the front of the machine.

The path of the air from the attacking surface of the vane is around the inner or trailing edge thereof as indicated by the reference letter x.

As shown in Figs. 3, 4.- and 5 the back or trailing edge 10, or a local part thereof, is set back or relieved for the purpose previously described. It willbe seen that the inner edgeis set back within the line of the side of the pyramid. I

As shewn in Fig. 2 the propeller is turning in the direction of the arrow 20.

In experimental work a propeller velocity of 300R. P. M. has been used, at which speed each pair of streams would sweep the under surface of the machine in onefifth of a sec- 0nd, and there being three pairs of streams ,the surface would'be swept by one pair or another fifteen times a second, so as to give a practically continuous action.-

The propellers are capable of movement angularly in the horizontal plane so as to chine either backwards or forwards.

What I claim is 1. Apparatus for lifting or sustaining a flying machine by the expansive force of opposing streams of compressed air produced by non-feathering rotary propellers arranged well towards one end of the body of the machine, the expansive forces set up by said stream acting on the underside of the body or other supporting surfaces of the machine and producing a resultant acting through the centre of gravity, comprising propellers whose vanes are symmetricallly positioned, and means for effecting a synchronized working of the propellers so that each independent stream of compressed air works in synchronism with and opposes the appropriate independent stream produced by the other set of rotary propeller blades or vanes.

2. Apparatus accordin to claim 1, having vanes the inner and trai ing edges of which are set back relatively to the base.

3. Apparatus for lifting or sustaining a flying machine b the expansive force of 0pposing streams o compressed air produced by non-feathering rotary propellers arranged well towards one end of the body of the machine, the expansive forces. set up by said stream acting on the underside of the body or other supporting surfaces of the machine and producing a resultant acting through the centre of gravity, comprising propellers 'whose vanes are symmetrically positioned,

means for effecting a synchronized working of the propellers so that each independent stream of compressed air works in synchronism with and opposes the appropriate independent stream produced by the other set of rotary propeller blades or vanes, and means for the avoidance of subversive back thrust when rising or hovering.

In testimony whereof, Iafiix my signature.

THOMAS AUGUSTUS DRING.

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