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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0505.PDF
AUGUST 21, 1909. of the girder from end to end, and special attention should therefore be paid to the manner in which the lower spars of the main decks are carried across through the supplementary frame used for the engine. In the " Flight Diagram of the bracing of the main spars constitutingedges of the decks on the Voisin biplane. The square the centre is the girder which carries the engine and the Voisin construction the front spar is divided at this point and fastened to the engine girder by a bracket, an intermediate member belonging to the girder bridging the gap. Another example of girder work in the Voisin flyer is the outrigger carrying the tail, but this consists of four rectangular spars attached by brackets to the rear trans- verse spars of the main decks. Each pair of spars in a •vertical plane constitutes a lattice girder, and is braced in a similar manner to the spars in the main decks. There as no bracing, however, between the spars in a horizontal plane, other than that afforded at each end by the tail •and the main e'ecks respectively. The girder, to which the chassis is attached, which •carries the engine, the pilot's seat, and the elevator, is a semi-elliptic construction formed by four longitudinal spars braced together by wood struts and diagonal wire- ties. In the vicinity of the engine tubular steel struts are used instead of ash, and the blank end of the girder is finished off with a pressed steel " Copyright. the leadingmember in pilot's seat. MWJS SPATS-. STRUT . is= Vc"ffr..« "'==• member, which braces three sides simul- taneously. Constructive Detail. Considerable attention has already been given to the joints and fasten- ings of the Voisin flyer in other issues of FLIGHT, so that our readers are already familiar with the aluminium socket-brackets by means of which the struts of the machine are fastened to the spars. This in itself is a feature of the Voisin con- struction not alone as a detail but also because of the rigid system which it represents. The joints in the Voisin flyer are designed to be quite rigid throughout, and the ® ® Blackpool and Fylde District Aero Club. StfCH is the new title of that very active organisation which was founded some time ago as a model aero club. M. Bleriot has just accepted the first Vice-Presidency of the Club, and, under the guidance of Mr. Jack Kemp, " Flight" Copyright. Sketch showing the skeleton frame'work forming the deck of the Voisin biplane. tie-wires have tighteners fitted to them, so that they can always be kept taut. On the contrary, the Wright flyer has hook-and-eye joints between the struts and the spars, and the tie-wires are not specially stretched in place; the whole machine is, in fact, built so as to be slack, and therefore able to give when strained. Materials. Ash is used throughout in the construction of the machine, with the exception of the steel tube work employed in the chassis. As timber, ash is characterised by its flexi- bility, and on the Voisin machine it must be confessed that there is not lacking evidence of its capacity in this respect, many of the struts and spars being very much inclined to bend under the load imposed upon them. In flying machine design every effort is, of course, made to keep down the weight, and sections have to be reduced to a minimum in consequence. For the small fittings such as the socket-brackets for the struts, aluminium is employed, and this metal was also used for the main supporting brackets above the springs, until it gave way during a rough landing. Messrs. Short Brothers then introduced a pair of manganese steel brackets when making the repair, and as these members are in any case not large, the increase in weight is in no way comparable with the value of the additional strength thus obtained for such an important member The fabric used for covering the decks is Continental rubber-proofed material. Dimensions. Most of the important dimensions likely to be of primary interest to the reader are given on the full-page plan and elevation. There are a few others, however, which it may be of interest to summarise here. The spacing of the ribs in the main decks is approximately ] ft. 3 ins.; their camber is given by an accompanying diagram. The main transverse spars in the decks are i£ ins. fore and aft and £ in. deep, but the section is not symmetrical, being cut away to sharpen the leading edge. The ordinary ribs have a section of about fV 'n- by f in., while the main ribs of the section are i£ ins. wide at the base. The struts have a maximum width of i| ins. and a maximum depth of 2 ins. They taper slightly towards the extremities, and have a sharp-pointed elliptic section. The longitudinal spars forming the outrigger which carries the tail have a mean section of ij x 1 x ij ins., while the main spars in the central girder which carries the engine and elevator have a section 1^ ins. square. The ribs in the elevator are spaced 1 ft. 4^ ins. apart. The smallest wire used has a diameter of about T]7 in., but their size varies in different places and is much larger where it is employed for staying the chassis. The tubular steel work of the chassis is mostly 1 ins. in diameter. The helical springs used in the suspension are 3 ft. long, 2 ins. mean diameter, and of f in. circular section. ® $ •••--::--•"*--•'r-•••"•- the energetic Hon. Secretary, a period of activity is promised. Councillor Parkinson has promised to take his Bleriot monoplane to Blackpool, and the Club hopes to have its full-sized glider ready very shortly now. 5O7
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