US1556459A - Airship - Google Patents

Description

Patented ct. 6, 1925,

MICHAEL A. SZYMANSKI, OF WARSAW, POLAND.

AIRSHIP.

Application filed May 16, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MICHAEL A. SZYMAN- sKI,a citizen of the Republic of Poland, re-

- siding at Warsaw and Republic of Poland,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to airships, and its object is to provide an airship of non-rigid, semi-rigid or rigid type, using rarefied- (heated) air or non-inflammable gas, or. amixture of both, as the inflating and sustaining medium, and, which may be coonomically constructed and operated.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts,'hereinafter fully describedand claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an airship embodying my invention, with parts broken away or in section to show interior construction.

Figure 2 is a front end elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation thereof.

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section on line 4--4 ofFigure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, 1 designates the sustaining aerostat orenvelope, which may be of any ordinary form as employed in craft of this character, and made of suitable air and gas tight fabric. At its forward end or nose the aerostat 1 is provided with an anchor ring 2 for connection with an anchor line, and at its rear end the aerostat is provided with a vertical rudder 3 and a horizontal rudder 4 for steering and balancing pur-- poses. The envelope may be provided with the usual exterior netting, throughout the whole or any desired part thereof, and fixed stability fins of any proper location may be employed, if desired. I 1

The interior of the aerostat or envelope is divided by transverse partitions 5 to provide compartments 6 to hold the inflating medium, and these partitions may be valved or other suitable provision made for the restricted flow of the inflating medium from one compartment to another for trimming or pressure equalizing purposes, in order that the envelope may be maintained properly taut or distended at all points. In practice, the envelope may be of double envelope type, embodying an inner envelope Serial No. 30,770.

and an outer cover, the inner envelope be ing divided by the partitions 5 into the compartments 6, and any suitable means for charging the compartments with the inflating medium may be employed.

The frame structure of the craft includes the partitions 5, or portions thereof, and a keel 7, which are suitably united, and properly tied and braced, and to which keel the envelope and its netting are suitably secured. The keel and partitions, or portions of the latter may be made in practice ofduralumin, or other suitable light and strong metal, and the extent of this framing may be increased to any extent desired according to the type of ship which is to be produced, whether of non-rigid, semirigid-or rigid type.

Suspended from the framework and the netting of the envelope are one or more cars 8 and 9, made in whole or part of dural lumin or other suitable light and strong material. The car 8 is positioned at or near'the bow of the craft and may serve as the pilots car in which the steering controls for operating the rudders 3 and 4 are arranged. One orrnore of the cars 9 may be used at or about the center of the craft or amidship. In the present instance two cars 9 are sho-wn arranged side by side, the car 8 being disposed below the forward compartment 6 and the cars 9 below the center compartment 6. These cars '8 and 9 may, if desired, also serve as quarters for the 0fficersof the craft. The cars 10 and -11 are also shown suspended from the framework and netting, the'car 10 being positioned between the cars 8 and 9 and the car 11 in rear of the cars 9,'and respectively belowthe compartments 6 immediately in front and rear of the center compartment. These cars 10 and 11 may be suitably constructed to hold provisions, fuel, ballast, and other supplies, and may also provide quarters for the crew and passengers carried, if any. The cars 8 and 9 depend below the cars 10 and 11 and may be provided on their bottoms with pneumatic or other suitable cushioning bumpers 12 to sustain and cushion any shocks of impact in landing operations.

Any suitable means for propelling the craft may be employed, driving propellers 13 located on the cars 8 and 9 being shown in the present instance. These are driven by internal combustion motors 14, such as gasoline or Diesel engines of suitable power.

The inflating and sustaining medium which I contemplate employing may be atmospheric air properly rarefied or heated, or a non-inflammable gas lighter than air and also capable of being heated and rare fied, or a mixture of both in proper proportions, and suitable means are provided for heating and maintaining in rarefied condi tion the inflating medium. The means employed for this purposeconsists of an electric heater 15 arranged within each compartment 6. Each of these heaters consists of a framing of duralumin or other light metal and an electrical resistance 16 designed to furnish a high degree of heat with a comparatively low current consumption. This resistance may consist of a resistance coil of nichrome, or other resistance wire having similar properties, embedded in a highly refractory material of great efficiency, such as micanite. The resistance is suitably supported by the heater framing, which is fixed to the keel 7 and sustention elements of the underlying car. Current is supplied to the electrical resistance by suitable conductors from electric generators or dynamos 17 located in the cars 8 and 9 and driven by the same motors 1 1 which drive the propellers 13, and suitable switch mechanism and governing means may be employed in practice to regulate the amount of current supplied to the electrical resistance as desired in order to control the amount of heat supplied to the compartment 6, and to vary the amount supplied to any of the compartments with respect to the others as may be necessary to keep the envelope properly distended under different conditions of service. The compartments being charged with atmospheric air, or a non-inflammable gas, or a mixture of both to a certain degree, rarefaction and expansion of the inflating medium may be effected by setting the heating elements into operation to distend the envelope to the desired degree for sustention purposes and for any trimming actions which may be required when the craft is in flight. By varying the amount of heat applied to the inflating medium. and to the different portions thereof in the different compartments, the envelope may be kept distended to any degree and the heat values raised or lowered, as may be required, for greater rarefaction to compensate for any loss of the inflating medium or to effect its contraction to di- .minish the buoyancy of the craft to any desired extent for the purpose ofsecuring a rapid descent or to assist in landing operations. Fixed to the keel and frame of the heater within each compartment is a gauze or woven wire shield 18, which encloses the heating unit, and prevents any possiblecontact of any part of the envelope with the I the use of an inflating medium, such as air or a non-inflammable gas, or a mixture of air with such a gas which-may be rarefied as desired by means of my improved heating means, effective distention of the balloon envelope for sustention may be maintained at a comparatively low'cost as compared with full charges of a rare gas, such as helium gas, and without the danger incident to the use of hydrogen and other like gases. By independently controlling the amount of heat generated in each compartment, efficient trimming and controlling actions dependent upon the degree of expansion of the inflating medium may also be secured.

Having thus fully "described my invention, I claim 1. An airship embodying an inflatable envelope and a framework including a keel, said envelope being subdivided into separate charge containing compartments, cars secured to the keel, electric heaters within the compartments having their frames fixed to the keel, propelling means on the cars, and current generators for the heaters driven by said propelling means.

2. An airship embodying an inflatable envelope and a framewark including a keel, said envelope being subdivided into separate charge containing compartments, cars secured, to the keel, electric heaters within the compartments having their frames fixed to the keel, a foraminous shield in each compartment enclosing the heating unit therein, propelling means on the cars, and current generators for the heaters driven by said propelling means.

3. An airship embodying an inflatable envelope and a framework including a keel and partitions, said partitions subdividing said envelope into charge containing compartments, cars secured to the keel, heater frames secured to the keel and carrying electrical heating units arranged in the compartments, a foraminous shield fixed to the heater frame in each compartment and enclosing the heating unit, propelling means on the cars, and current generators for the heaters driven by said propelling means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MICHAEL A. SZYMANSKI.

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