US1846159A - Airplane - Google Patents

Description

Patented Feb. 23, I932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GIMME (7. ST. LOUIS, O1 FRESNO, GALDOBNIA Application am August a, mo. Serial no. name.

This invention relates-to airplanes, and particularly represents im rovements over the structure shown in my atcnt No. 1 7 49,- 047 dated March4,1930;'and also includes features shown in my Patent No. 1,685,888

' dated October 2, 1928.

width, or if the conventional width is re-- tained, to enable the airplane to carry a larger load than can at resent be done.

A further ob ect of the invention is to produce a simple and inex ensive device and yet one which will be excee ingly effective for the urpose for which it is designed.

ese objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the'following specification and clann. $5 In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved airplane as in flight. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the airplane as on the ground.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of one of the wings.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawlngs, the

numeral 1 denotes the fuselage of the airplane, of any suitable form and having the usual tractor ro er 2 at the front. The wings W, pre era ly three in number, are all the same size and are arranged in longitudinally separated relation to each other. This relation is such that the front and rear win are spaced apart a distance substantial y equal to the length of a wing; said front and rear win being on substantially the same level, wh1le the central wing is disposed in vertical alinement with but spaced a certain distance above the space between said front and rear wings, as plainly shown in Fig. 2. The various wings are pivoted at one end onto suitable supports 3 pro'ecting upwardly from the fuselage and are all operatively connected, so .that their angularity may be altered by-a suitable manually operated control means, which is indicated nerally at as and which is full shown and escribed in 4 the above me ntione Patent N 0. 1,685,888.

Depending from the under surface of each wing are longitudinally extending air deflector plates 5. These plates are substan- 0o tially triangular in form, extending from the front to the rear ed e of the wing and sloping downwardly an rearwardly from their a ex at the forward edge of the wing. These p ates are arranged in cooperating pairs, the

plates of each pair being connected toeach othcr'throu bout the length of their lower edges, but iverging from each other from front to rear or in a longitudinal plane, as well as from their lower edges toward the 79 top or in a vertical plane. The wing surface is cut away between the adjacent plates so as to leave triangular openings in said surface as at 6, extending from front torear of the wing; said 0 enings being widest at the rear, and the vertical space between the plates at the back being also freely open. Triangular shaped pockets, 0 11 along the top and at the rear are there ore formed.

By reason of this arrangement the same 80 benefits are obtained as were had in said Patent No. 1,749,047, namely the air passing under the wings in the troughs 8 formed between the cooperating pairs of plates will be gradually deflected laterally and compressed until by the time the air reaches the rear edges of the wings and is released, it will be compressed to such an extent that it exerts a much greater lifting effect on the wings than would otherwise be the case. At the same time the compressed air currents passing rearwardly. of the wing, have the effect of drawing currents of air down and along the pockets 7 which are disposed be tween the compressed air currents, an action which is enhanced by the peculiar shape of the pockets, which increasein width and depth to their rear open ends, at which ends they are influenced currents.

said com ressed air 7 P we This causes a tendency to vacuum to be created above the wings so that the downward ressure of the air thereon is relieved. This eature also obviously increases the lifting power of the wings, which, as above stated, is

already increased over what is at present obtained by the compressed air under the same.

It will therefore be seen that by thus increasing the pressure of the air under the wings and lowering it above the wings, said wings will have relatively great lifting power for .their size, and such size may therefore be comparatively small as compared to the wing area of an ordinary airplane, for the same given lifting capacity. The particular arrangement of the wings relative to each other while providing a substantially continuous lifting or supporting surface throughout the length of the airplane, en-

go ables the air compressing and vacuum forming feature of each wing to function without interference from an adjacent wing.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations 8 from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to se- 36 cure by 'Letters Patent is:

An airplane wing comprising a plurality of plane surfaced members meeting together to form a common straight leading edge and each tapering rearwardly from such edge to form individual straight trailing edges with substantially V-shaped open 5 aces between the adjacent edges of the mem ers, deflector plates depending downwardly and outwardly from the edges of the members and those plates between the members meeting at their lower edges below such Vshaped openings.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

GEORGE 0. ST. LOUIS.

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