US1874160A - Roller tail-skid for airplanes - Google Patents

Description

Au 30, 1932. J. E. BEHSE 1,874,160

ROLLER TAILSKID FOR AIRPLANES v Filed Jan. 25. 1951 JNVENTOZP J SEPHE. .QEHSE B zmroav skids on many planes.

Patented Aug. 30,1932

UNITED S ATES wILLoox, or sAeInAw, MICHIGAN ROLLER TAIL-SKID roRAIRrLAiv s Application filed January 23,1931. serm no. 510,611. 1 i

This invention relates to wheels or rollers for the tails of airplanes, and has for its ob-.

versely of the tail of theship, either rigidly or at the end of a spring strut. Its tread is wide and curved in an are so that it can slide sideways easily over the ground without a tendency to dig in. The tread is made with a smooth surface from hard, wear-resisting material which offers a minimum of resist-' ance to-sideways sliding motion.

With the increasing number of planes using flying fields, the old style tail-skid having a drag or shoe is no longer suitable for use on modern fields. Usedon turf fields by a large number of planes they destroy the surface faster than new growth of grass can repair the damage. As a result they are being ruled off of the turf fields.

Also, runways of stone, cinder, or concrete are now used on most large busy fields. This type of surface very rapidly wears out the dragging shoe of the prior styleof skid.

Since wheel-brakes have come into general use on planes, the braking effect of a dragging skid is'no longer necessary for bringing a landing ship quickly to rest.

As a result of the above mentioned conditions, wheels have been substituted for These wheels, however, have generally been smaller adaptations of the. main landing wheels of the plane, fitted with rubber tires. Since these tires resist sideways sliding motion it has been necessary to swivel or caster the wheels to make the plane maneuverable;

A tail-wheel mounted so that it is free to swivel has several disadvantages. lVhen handling the plane in the hangar it can not be readily backed, because the tail-wheel is Fig. 2 is an elevation '1'n1-Figh 1,v taken in a .plane. parallel to the axe. I 1

Fig. 3 is an elevation .similar'to Fig.12, showlng a dlfferently shape-d ro1ler',a1s'omade ance when; the plane i i flight-a;

apt to turn the tail in any direction. .ne cessltatesthe. attention of a man at' the tall to see that-the wheel-is kept pointed'in the proper direction. V i

A second disadvantage is that in handling the-planein a cross-wind, the swiveled wheel i does not resistathe .frequen'cyi ofthetail to be blown sideways Gons'equentlyiplanes so equipped 1 n w are especially apt to.-;groundskid is free-fromthese objectionsto both-the sliding tail'skid and the castered tailrwheel.

Referring to thedrawing: I Y Fig. l is a side viewof mg to my invention.

of; roller shown accordingto my invention;

' i The roller 1 .is 'preferably. made aluminum or other lightmetalwitha ring of steel 2 .cast into its-periphery to formzthe tread wearing surface. It is preferably fitted with an oil-less bearing 3, and is journalled upon a. tubular steel-5 axle 4c; secured in a fork 5. 1 Spring washers 6 bear against the ends of therbearing 3,.andseal the bearing surfaces from dirt, and also prevent excessive wear on fork 5 due to end thrust.

Fork 5 is suitably secured beneath the tail of theoairplaneyeither .rigidly or at the end of a spring-strut 7 ,as showninFig. 1. y In either case, the axle fork 5 is normally fixed relative to .its upright axis, so that it can not caster or swivel. under ordinaryconditions.

The diameter of the 1 roller and width of its tread are determinedby the weight [it is ;to-carry,-which of course varies with different-Sizesfof ships. .ln everyicase itfis calculated. on the samebasis as the diameter and size of=theptires on the, main landing wheels. It is desirable to maintain a ratio I between the diameter of the roller andfthe width of its tread which will produce a compact unit causing. a minimum of wind resista tail-roller accord- A-(T N F .rosnrrr nannsn, or SAGINAW, MICHIGAN, AssIeNoR on olvnrroun rn 1 o enon'en p I have foundthat'my improved roller tail The shape of the tread, viewed in cross-. section, may be flat, elliptical or arcuate. Figs. 1 and 2 show a roller with a flat tread; Fig. 3 is a spherical roller. It is essential, however, that the edges of the tread shall be rounded,.--so that the roller :can slide sidewaysewithout cutting into the ground.

ofthe old tail skid and the rubber-tired swivm 'eled wheel. it slides sideways as easily as .v the tail-skid it replaces, audit-rolls as freely the airplane is on the ground, said roller having its axis normally fixed against cast-ering movement so that it rotates only in the longitudinal vertical plane of the tail, and having a hard smooth non-resilient tread rounded at itsedges, whereby it is adapted I for sideways sliding motion on the ground; This novel roller combines the good points In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JOSEPH BEHSE.

in a forward direction as does .theswiveled wheel. In-addition it provides the guiding effect of the old skid, when, arshi-p isilanding; v or taxiing along the ground, since it will cdiorwiardthan 'wvhen it 'sli'des sideways. -.A :puner wind'a'icross-the ship rca'n not readily blow the tail around, .asiit nan in the case msumu travel more freely when it rolls ofrnshiphavingra freely :swiveled tail wheel. V 'fir'i his is as'pecial advantage on icy-surfaces. 1 n f Also La 'itail/sk-id assembly :using my wheel- 1 is much lighter than led"wheel.

'The character of this improved roller from any vprevious tail 'zwheelsi ."It is hard-and smooth to resist wear iandto slide easily. over turf, dirt, :or cement surfaces which are gripped "by rubberand which compel .the swivekmounting of any conventional wheel. .J

wear imuch longer than the sliding zskid if unused on hard runways, and it costs much less to build than the wire-spolred the assembly of t a 'tswivsfitted to flange ships heretofore.

I have shown and 'descmibed aroller fixed inotwish to 'limiitmyself to this construction, ihoweaver. WVithin the scope or the appended c'laims is included, for example, a structure a swivel ed mountin for the fork provided-with means for loc ingthe roller atfiore and att adireetioneduring normal ii; isserv-iee, bu t which :can the unlocked, if desired, so itha t'the roller can caster reely,to permit easier handling 055 the :ship, as when movin g itiahout in the hangar. Having thus described my invention, :what ta LL01aiinza ird :desire to secure hy Letters Patent fl. ln an airplane, in corn'bination, a suppert-ling member mounted in a downwardly depending position beneath the tail of said -=e said men iben'a :ro l lerjounnal led in said an airplane, roll'er journal led b e' neath the tailthereo'f to support the tail when the tread distinguishes l iwhzeels with pneum-atic tires which have been permanently transversely of the 'plane. I do

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