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Aviation History
1916
1916 - 0938.PDF
IfiiCHTl a clutch and reduction gearing. Each of the engines in the side gondolas drives a similar propeller, while the disposition of the engines is slightly different in the rear gondola. Here there are two engines placed side by side in front, each driving through bevel gearing a propeller placed on " A " shaped out riggers' some distance up and out from the side of the main hull, while in the rear of the gondola is another engine driving a single propeller immediately behind the stern of the gondola, as in the case of the other gondolas. Each of the engines was fitted with a pump which can be seen in some of the accompanying photographs. This pump is so arranged that it draws in a mixture of petrol and air, and, on the return stroke, forces the mixture into the cylinders of the engine. When the cylinders have received their charge of gas in this manner the engines are started by means of a hand operated Bosch magneto, OCTOBER <:6, 1916. a " Y " shaped structure some 50 ft. in length, of which the single arm is secured to the front end of the bevel gear casing, while the forked arms are joined to points on the longitudinal girders of the hull. The construction of this " Y " structure was very pretty, each of the three arms being -made up of two very elongated cones welded together in the centre, and each welded along one side. Incidentally these tubes had a fair amount of riveting in them, which at first sight looks somewhat puzzling after the tubes have been closed up, but of course, after thinking it over, various ways suggest themselves in which the riveting could have been carried out. The propellers all appeared to be very similar to those already known to many of our readers through visits to the H.A.C. They were on an average about 17 ft. 6 ins. diameter, and presented nothing par ticularly interesting either in shape or construction. THE VENTILATION OF "L.33."—On the left can be seen one of the ventilating shafts which carry away the gases, and thus render possible the mounting of guns on the top of the airship at both ends, It terminates in a hood projecting beyond the envelope. On the right is seen the tripod mounting of one of the quick-firing guns.. similar to those used on the majority of German aeroplanes. In the front gondola are found several cupboards which evidently contained the food supplies for the crew. Propellers. With the general disposition of these we have already dealt. In the case of the front and side gondolas they are placed immediately behind the stern of the gondola, while in regard to those driven from the rear gondola two are placed on outriggers from the sides of the airship, while the third is just behind the stern of the gondola. The mounting of the side propellers is by means of streamline tubes, two pairs, each of which forms an " A," supporting a propeller, one being placed in front of the gear box and one behind it. Thrust ball bearings are provided inside the bevel gear casing, and the thrust is trans mitted to the framework of the main hull through The Control Surfaces. Another respect in which the "L.33" was reminiscent of Schiitte-Lanz practice was in the arrangement of the tail planes. These were, as nearly as it was possible to judge, symmetrical, the upper and lower fins and rudders being exactly similar, and of the same shape and size as the fixed tail plane and elevator. Rudder as well as elevator were divided to leave room for the conical tail-piece, which projected some distance behind their trailing edges. Constructionally the control surfaces were different from the construction of the hull in that they were built up of rectangular instead of triangular section girders. The control cables passed over quadrants fitted with a groove around their circular portion into which the cables fitted when the movable flap was turned out of the neutral position. Both rudder and elevator, were pivoted some distance behind their leading edge, ball bearings being employed. 934
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