US1683764A - Gas-inflated airship - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 11, 1928.

W. E. DORR GAS INFLATED AIRSHIP Filed July 1, 1927 Patented Sept. 11, 192 8,

:PATE NT" oFFI E- wrrnnnm 11.15633, or mmnnmenn, enruu'mw, ASSIGNOR r nur'rscnrrrnau znrrnLm ensnrlnsfcnerr MIT BESCHRiiNKTER HAFTUNG, or rRIEn it'IcHsHArEN,

cran um.

GAS-INFLATED AIR-SHIP.

A lieationfll ed Ju1y 1, 1927, Seria1 No. 202,852, and in Germany Ju1y 15,-1 926.'

l The hull of airships generally isflsub divided intocompartme'nts. Into these comartments gas-cells are inserted; Usually in rigid airships there are transverse mem 7 bers called rings having circumferential girders stayed by aninternal wire bracing.

This wire bracing subdivides the inner hollow space of the hull into the above mentioned compartments.

Recently it has been suggested that the structure of the transverse members be altered. Instead of providing relatively small circumferential ring girders stayed by thewire bracing, ring girders of a cons1derable height or cross section are suggested to be used so that the inner bracing can be CllS- pensed with. The gas cells which formerly were supported against the wirebracing of a ring, now bear only one against the other I with their end walls. These end walls con sequently must be constructed of a relatively great amount of normally slack material;

that is, more material is employed progressively toward the centralportion of the end wall than that which would be required to construct an end wall normally conforming to a transverse plane of the gas cell, so that such walls may bulge into the achacent compartment in the event'one of the gas cells limiting the extent ofsuch bulging into adjacent compartments a loose net-work. of cords or the like may be provided, This network has itsedges fastened to the greater circumferential ring structure and its capacity for bulging is sufiiciently great to allow for a considerable pitchin the bulging of the, end wall of a gas cell. All this will be understood better when'later referring to the drawing.

According to my invention, the gascells are provided with double end walls composed of a relatively great amount of normally slack materiah'and the space between these two end walls is utilized by inflating it with one kind of gas, whereas the main portion of the gas cell in inflated with the other kind of gas; Accordingly this gas space between the double end walls is situated when inflated partly in one of the comspace.

should be deflated. For the purpose of partments andpart-ly in the compartment adjacent thereto, the median plane'of the transverse ring being approximately' coin- 7' cident with the median plane of; the new gas The double end walls, of ages .cell may of course be; provided at both ends of a'cell, but I 7 thereof. .r a a My invention is of special importance in con unct on with airships the motors of which are fed with gaseous fuel according to the latest improvements.-

In such airprefer to have it only atonefend ships the gas space between the double end walls according to my invention should be inflated with the fuel gas, whereas the main gas space of the gas cell is reserved for the lifting gas. with this arrangementthe fuel gas will always be under a certain pressure resulting from the pressureexerted by ad- 7 yacent lifting gas, and it will thus beforcedfl I through the pipes or conducts to the engene or engines of the airship, As the fuel gas consumed, the adjacent double endwalls w1ll approach each other,.beginningv with their upper portions,-andthereby the lower level of the lifting gas will move upwardly.

Having given a general description of my invention I now want to point it out more in detail referring to the drawings which represent an example embodying my invention. a i y The figurerepresents a fragmentary 1011- gitudinal vertical section through the hull of a" rigid airship.

The outer portion of the hull is designated by the numeral 1. 'lransversely disposed rigid frames 2 are .in the form of rings composed of girders with a relativelylarge cross section, requiring no wire bracing, whereas rings 3 are the well-known wire braced cross member's. Three gas cells 4,1 4 and 4" are shown. One end wall of each of these cells is double asshown at 8 and 9, whereas the other end wall of each cell is single as indicated at 10. The gas cells 4, 4 and i" are inflated with lifting gas, for example hydrogan or helium, whereas the spaces 5 and 5 between the double end walls, 8 and 9 are inflated with the fuel gas; There are openings 11 in the walls of the fuel gas space,

opening into conduits 12, by which the fuel gas is conducted to the engine 13'in"the.

motor car 14. The lifting gas space has valves-1:3"qpeia'jpginfo gzis ducts lfi which the gas is led to openings '17 in the outer cover 1.' The fuel gas spaces also'liave 5 5L993 .i l h f e may eeww c sed em rgency. l

I dd iioffii iinflo belim'itcd td the details described or shown in the drawingggs many variations occur to those skilled in the art.

What- I claim v 4 S l 1. A rigid airship comprising hull; a

firmsver se memheu 'III said hull, said memcfisaidiga cells mc tingTanrl bearing against ezicl cthcr with one lof tlieii' twp e d wells,

'mtespectimely pbsiamihllyin the'ti'ansv'ei'se \iihere sgid ti ans'veps e member is -i tu aited',"one of sand cndiwalls of'said cells bei ig ClOllblBjlIll G space between saicl double ing inflated with lifting gas.

' I *WILHELM E. DllR Rg end walls being g jclapted to be ipfiutec l with I gaslalsc." 7 0 21A gas cell of substantially cylindrical slmpe," "adapted to beinsertecl into the hull co n pcsecl of rela tiyely great a n qunt of noi'inhlly slack mzitciidl amide-hem xlbublc,

fal e specebctween said double cml walls when inflated forming a gas space of lentil- ]3. A gas cell of substantially cylindrical shape inserted infio the hull cfruwigicl aiira relativelygrezit amount of normally slack material u ld 1 being dpuhle, the' space 35 tween saicldouble end walls beinga infliitcd "with egaseous fuel for the motorv Lof isaid airs'lii i, the main spuce bfrsaigl gas cellbe-

Images