US2478792A - Airship - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 9, 1949;

s. TREY AIRSHIP Filed July 2, 1946 lll! a @l @m Nw OOO@ \//w O\O d/ mm m.

mw.. bm Nm. .QM %N km. SN WN yINVENTOR 55,?65 73%) 4BY www@ @w ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 9, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE" Amsmr Serge Trey, Beachhurst, N. Y. Application July 2, 194s, serial No. 681.088

9 Claims.

The invention relates to airships and, more particularly, to airships the operation of which involves the use of artificially produc-ed streams of air.

The main object of the invention is to create a propelling force by causing a stream of air to be discharged from the nose of the airship over its entire surface towards the trailing end of the craft. It is further an object of the invention to cause the emission of the discharged stream of air to proceed at substantially a right angle to the longitudinal axis of the craft from points along the extreme forward end of the nose, corresponding to the effect which in the case of an airplane is called energization ofthe boundary layer. The location of the points of emission and the direction of the discharge at right angles to the axis of the craft are essential to the requirement that the emitted air stream-proceed tangentially to the nose of the airship. It is also an object of the invention to cause the craft to become inclined about any line perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the airship by controlling the discharge of said airstream. A further object is to create another air stream discharged at or near the tail end of the craft to effect a reactive force of propulsion, in addition to the force effected by the stream of air discharged from the nose of the craft. Still another object is to straighten out the flow of air as it approaches the tail end of the airship in order to do away or, at least, reduce the tail end vortices. It is also an object of the invention to permit universal rotation of the tail end of the craft and to further control the inclination of the airship by controlling the discharge of said second stream of air. Other objects will become apparent from the specification which follows and from the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an airship embodying the present invention, partly shown in cross section.

Figure 2 is a detail of the control mechanism for the discharge of air from the nose of the craft.

Figure 3 is a front view of the airship which is illustrated in Figure 1.

Referring to the figures in detail, I is the envelope of an airship embodying the present invention. Two engines are shown, one at 2 and another at 3. The engine 2 activates a blower 6. Outside air is admitted into the airship through the tube 5 attached to the housing 6. The air from the blower 4 is discharged through the annular opening 'I.` The discharge of the air 2 is controlled by a plurality of shutters 8 operated as is schematically shown in Figure 2. The mechanism for the operation of the shutters 8 is distributed around the tube 5. Six of such mechanisms are shown in the illustration. Each consists of two cylinders l5 and IB, in which travel the pistons I4 and I9 with their piston rods I3 and 20. Oil for the cylinders is supplied from the reservoir 33 through the pipes I1 and I6 which also connect the two cylinders I5 and I8. The piston rod I3 is connected through the linkage I2--I3 with the operating handle 9 pivoted at I 0 in the segmental detent I I. The piston rod20 is connected to a shutter Ii.V The operation of this mechanism is self-explanatory and provides for selective operation of the shutters.

Coming now to the other end of the airship,

' th-e conical tail piece 26 is pivoted in a universal ball joint 25 attached to the main body of the airship, as by a rod 3I secured by the nut 32. At 2I is shown an entry for the outside air for the blower 22 activated by the engine 3. The conical tail piece 26 has a series .of pins 21 by which its motion is operated to close the passage way 24 inv any of the numerous available positions, thereby controlling the discharge of air from the blower 22 into the passage 23 and slot 211.l The manipulation of the tail piece 21 is'effected by cables 28 moving over rollers 29 and 30.

The air discharged through the annular opening 24 creates a reactive force of propulsion The nature of this air jet is entirely different from the air jet discharged from the nose of the craft. The function of the latter is to improve the aerodynamic vconditions on and around the airship, very much like the function of such air jets used in connection with airplanes. While the characters of the two air streams in the present case are different, they are complementary to one another and combine in jointly effecting propulsion of the airship. The additional function of the tail and jet in straightening out the end vortices adds to the emciency of this method of propulsion. There are many ways for admitting outside air into the airship, one of these other ways being illustrated in the entry 2|, and, while I prefer the method disclosed for the entry through the tube 5 at the nose of the craft for the discharge oi' the nose air jet, I do not intend to limit the invention to this particular illustration on the point of entry of outside air. Nor need the entry for the nose jet be necessarily located at the nose. Also, the control of the discharge of air may be altered, both with regard to the use of shutters and with regard to the use of a plurality of shutters. Thus, I may use a single shutter revoluble about the longitudinal axis of the ship and regulate the closures by revolving the single shutter. These and many other variations of several of the details of the structure are naturally implied, so long as they conform to the fundamental principles underlying the present invention.

I claim:

1. Anairshiprprovided with an entryiintojt of outside air, means for changing the entered outside air into a high velocity pressure streamman annular opening at the nose of said airship for discharging said air stream tangentially overthe entire leading surface of said airship,.closuresfor controlling the now of air through said annular opening, and means for operatingssai Slash-res.

2. An airship provided with a tube for admitting outside air into the nose of the ship, means for changing the admitted air into a high velocity f pressure stream, .an annular eopeni-ng :on `said nose disposed :around fsaid tube Pfor -discharging `rsaidgiirfstream tangentially over-.the entire? leadinge-portionfofthe envelope -of fthe airship, .shut- -ters :distributed around said 1tube rior,v controlling :the :flow fof said-airJstreamzthrough said :annular Yl opening, :andy means if or .foperating said ishutters.

:3. (An ,fairshipzprovided-.ivith yan i entry intofit of :outside air, {ablower 2' for changing the :admitted :outside airinto a'high;velooity :pressure stream,

:an rannlilar iopening .fat inthe Ynose of :the 4airship A,flordischarging:said air stream `perpendieularly to thefaxis of ithe. ship :and causing fit to spread ,over i the .entire `leading surface of ithe `envelope :of the lship, f and means ifor aincli-ning the i airship f by controlling'theiflowfofy said airst-rearn through tsaidrannulanopening.

A. An airshipprcvided.withianentry'into it of zoutsideair, means for changing the enteredfout- -side air zinto `azfhigh ivelocity rpressurestream, :an :annular opening iat :the :nose of said airship for discharging said Aair-.strea-rn perpendicularly =t0 the ilongitudinal axis of 'the :airship and fspreadging itlinfcloseicontact with-:theleading-'portion -of ltheeenvelopeandfovervthe entire surface of said fairship, closures .rior vcontrolling `thefow :of :air ithrough said .'annularfopening, ,and means .-forrop- ./,erating said closures.

5. Anairshipiprovided with .a tube for .admit- -tingloutside :air into fthe :noseicf 'the ship, imeans ifor changing 'the vadmitted 4air into a :high lvelociity'fpressure stream, anannular opening fonsaid nose :disposedaround Tsaid l:tube Tor discharging *said air streamzperpendicnlarly to the'longitudiinal- .axis .of the ship .and .spreading Ait :over the fenvelope, Yshutters ,distributed V4around said :tube

for controlling the ow of said air stream through said annular opening, and means for operating said shutters.

6. An airship provided with an entry into it of outside air, a blower for changing the entered outside air into a high velocity pressure stream, an annular opening at the nose of said airship for discharging said air stream tangentially over the .entire leading surface of.said airship, closures for, controlling the ,owigoflair s through said annular opening, and means for selectively operating said closures.

7. An airship provided with a tube for admitting outside air into the nose of the ship, a blower for changing the admitted air into a high f-velocity'pressure stream, an annular opening on fsaidrnnseidisnosed around said tube for discharging said air stream tangentially over the entire leading-portion of the envelope of the airship, shutters distributed around said tube for conrtrollingrthe -ilo-wiof said.-air.stream=;through =said :annular opening-,fand means forfselectivelyop- @erating rsaid shutters.

8. An airship provided with an entry intoit'of 'outside airnmeansifor changing :theientered air inta a :highwvelocity .pressure stream, A,an annular opening-at the nosefof'said airshipiordischarg- -ingfsaid-air :stream fperpendicularly sto the longi- Atudinal -axis of fthe Y'airship and spreading ,sit in close :Contact with the [entire `leading portion of Attic-,envelopel of said zairship, :closuresfor a controliling :the :flow y:of l,air ,-through said :annular @opening, fand fmeans :for selectively operating said :closures fto'con-trol 'ft-healtitude =of said airship.

ai). An airship providing-fior the entryfintoaitof mutsideainvmeansffor changing the; a dmittedf` out- .=side.fair into Aa high'zvelocity :pressure-stream, an annular: opening :at `the iextneme .-iiorward :end .of

the airshipfordischarging Tsaid air stream perpendicularlyto tthe a axis of 4.the s-hip :and spread- -ingiitzover the lsurfacefofzthezsliipn close Aconrtact .with the :leading "portion -of athis surface, and vmeans fior inclining :the `airship by zcontrolbling-the r-iiow of fthe `high pressure ',airstream at-hroughftirefannularmening.

i "SERGE IITREY.

REFERENCES CITED Theffoliowingareferences areiof record inthe dile Aof this ,patenti 'UNITED STATES 'PATENTS Number `Name Date 1,133;6G9 Berry Mar. 30, 1915 u`156412,270 Slate Sept. ,13, 1927 :1",8533861 Kelly Apr. 12, 1932

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