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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1589.PDF
DECEMBER II, 1919 THE IMBER SELF-SEALING PETROL TANK ONE of the outstanding inventions of the War, but one of which the general public has heard little, was the Imber self-sealing tank, which has now to be fitted to all Service aircraft. It is asserted that approximately 75 per cent, of the fatalities, which occurred previous to the invention of this tank by Mr. J. Imber, were directly attributable to the fact that the fuel tanks had been pierced and the leaking petrol had become a source of danger. Many thoughtful persons had given their attention to the problem, but they were baffled by the fact that in many cases when an ordinary bullet passes through a tank it will tear a hole six or eight inches in diameter in the side of the tank force from the point of entering to a distance of approxi mately 2 ft. 6 ins. Thus, when a bullet travels through a tank of large diameter, its momentum is checked before it goes entirely through, while, on the other hand, in a tank of ordinary size, it is found that up to a certain point the further one side wall is from the other, the larger will be the hole torn upon the exit of the bullet. It was readily seen that the pressure generated in the tank would either have to be confined or released. Many inventors sought to confine the pressure, but results showed that when the bullet made its exit the pressure sought exit through the aperture made by the bullet, and in its effort to escape a large rupture is made in the tank. Having acquired a knowledge of the action taking place in a petrol tank when it was pierced, Mr. Imber sought a An Imber tank, in its cradle, as fitted on Airco (De H.) 9a machines On the left, the interior of an Imber tank, and, on the right, the cradle as used on Airco 9a machines opposite to that in which it enters. A large proportion of the devices proposed failed either because they were too heavy or some important detail of the structure was not properly disposed. • •> It may be pointed out that a bullet entering the fuel tank makes an aperture as large as itself, but in emerging a relatively large hole is torn in the metal. On investigating this Mr. Imber came to the conclusion that the larger hole was due to the great pressure of fuel against the far side of the tank. Upon entering the tank the progress of the bullet is somewhat arrested by the liquid, but in its travel through the tank the pressure of the liquid increases both in area and means of perfecting a tank that would not only prevent leaking when pierced, but which wou'd also prevent the escape of the liquid in the event of a bad crash. In the Imber tank the pressure is allowed to escape by providing the tank with a resilient outer rubber covering, so that when the pressure exceeds a certain point the tank yie'ds and the rubber stretches out from the side of the tank under pressure. Naturally, the highest point on the stretched / ^^ - Hi fe JM till] ^^^^ ^fe wT yf 1 w. ~—•————— ' :; A 27-gallon Imber tank after being dropped from a height of 400 ft. from a Handley Page machine. On the left the framework, and, on the right, the covering. After this experience the rubber casing still held the petrol intact £] L-j.' Another Imber tank stripped of its cover after 18 shots had been fired right through it.^Despite this treatment, the tank did not leak 1591
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