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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0155.PDF
FEBRUARY 15, 1917. other, the terminals being eyebolts similar to thoseused in the front bay. The controls are of the usual type, consisting of a wheel mounted on the top of a vertical tube, the lower end of which is secured to a transverse rocking shaft. A short length of chain passes over a sprocket (/TIGHT Fuselage bracing clip on the Aviatik biplane. •n the wheel axle, and is connected to the cables, leading to the ailerons. The elevator cables pass, the upper one direct to the upper crank lever on the elevator, and the other over a pulley a short distance in front of the control column. A foot bar with heel rests operates the rudder. In plan the main planes are of the usual Aviatik type, with the exception, perhaps, that the backward slope is less pronounced than in older types. The wings are not staggered, but both are given a slight dihedral angle, whereas in the older model the lower wing had a pronounced dihedral, while the upper wing was straight. The angle of incidence, which is One of the metal clips carrying the tubular com- pression strut between the spars. eonstant from root to tip, is about 4°, a fact which, eoupled with the section employed, appears to indicate a considerable lift but no very great speed. Constructionally the wings are chiefly remarkable on account of the placing of the back spar, which is, it will be seen, placed very far forward in the section. The spars are spruce, with the exception of the upper back spar, which is of ash. They are of the box section, the two halves being spindled out and glued together, with the usual hardwood tongues. The ribs are made throughout of poplar, and the webs lightened as shown in one of our sketches. Com- pression struts in the form of steel tubes are placed at intervals, those occurring at the points of attach- ment of inter-plane struts to spars being secured to the strut fitting, while those placed between struts have their own fitting as indicated in the accom- panying sketches. The attachment of the spars to the body forms the subject of another illustration. A short steel tube runs across and inside the fuselage, and is sweated into a collar, which, in turn, is secured to a clip passing under the bottom body rails. Into the outer end of this collar is sweated or welded a short eyebolt that passes between the forked ends of -the fitting on the root of the spar. An L-shaped pin is passed through a groove in the inner rib and through the three holes, thus locking the spar to the body. This pin is prevented from slipping out by the small cover over the slot in the inner rib, which, when closed down, locks the pin in position. A similar arrangement is employed for attaching the upper wings to the four-legged cabane. The inter- plane struts are stream-line steel tubes filled with wood, a practice adhered to practically throughout this machine. The strut fitting is shown in a sketch which does not, we think, need any explanation. The cross bracing, which is in the form of stranded cables, is somewhat peculiar, especially in the inner bay. Here the lift cables are crosses, that is to say, the one runs frpm the top of the front inter-plane strut to the attachment of the rear bottom spar to the body, and the other from the top of the rear strut to the root of the front lower spar. This practice appears to be generally favoured among The chassis of the 1916 Aviatik biplane, German aeroplane constructors, as it is incorporated also in the Albatroses and L.V.G.'s. It has, of course, the advantage of bracing the wings in a fore-and-aft direction, but must, it would seem, put a considerable stress on the inner compression strut inside the upper wing. The landing cables in the inner bay, instead of being attached to the top of the cabane, are anchored to the top body rails, as shown in the front elevation, the object probably being to provide a free movement for the machine gun. As regards the shape of the tail planes, this will be clear from the scale drawings, but a few words con- cerning their construction may be of interest. With the exception of the ribs of the fixed tail plane the control organs are made of steel throughout. The fixed stabilising plane rests on the upper body rails, and as these, as already mentioned, are not horizontal, 155
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