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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 1123.PDF
DECEMBER 6, 1928 THE BOULTON AND PAUL "PARTRIDGE All-Metal Single-Seater Fighter »• THE forms of metal construction developed by Boulton &Paul, Ltd., during the last six or seven years, are probably fairly well known to readers of FLIGHT. Less known is,probably, the fact that a large number of parts have been standardised by a very ingenious system in such a mannerthat, to take but one example, a steel spar for aircraft, ranging in size from the single-seater fighter to a twin-engined bomber,can be produced from stock. In the " Partridge," illustrated this week, very extensive use has been made of such stan-dardised parts, with the result that the machine could, should the occasion arise, be produced very rapidly andcheaply. That this has been achieved without sacrificing performance will be clear from the performance figures givenat the end of these notes. General Design The " Partridge is a tractor biplane of orthodox designas regards the general lay-out, having a top plane of larger span and chord than the lower plane. The wing section is a they also give exceptional stiffness to this bay, and afford goodprotection in the event of a crash. In the rear portion of the fuselage, the longerons are of the well-known " closed-joint "type of tube, manufactured from steel strip, which this firm has developed during recent years, and which is used soextensively in the rigid airship R.101. Stock sizes are used in the " Partridge."The fuselage struts are of various types according to the location in the fuselage and the diameter-thickness ratiorequired. Solid drawn high-tensile steel tubes, Boulton & Paul closed-joint tubes in steel and Duralumin, and soliddrawn Duralumin tubes are all employed. The sockets and end fittings are all of standard Boulton & Paul stock parts,and make use of the tubular magnesium pads which this firm uses so extensively. A sketch shows the standardarrangement found in the rear portion of the fuselage. In the front portion the joints are slightly different, particularlythose which carry the front and rear wing spars. These also are illustrated by sketches, from which it will be seen that THE BOULTON AND PAUL " PARTRIDGE " : These two views show the first machine. In thesecond, ailerons will be fitted to both planes. The engine is a Bristol " Jupiter " Series VII supercharged. bi -convex one, presumably with a small travel of the centreof pressure. Great care has been taken in streamlining the fuselage, the carefully thought-out engine cowling being oneof the obvious refinements. Constructional Features It is, however, in the constructional detailsi l aexan that the" Partridge " is particularly interesting, and by the courtesy of Boulton & Paul, Ltd., we are able to illustrate these veryfully. The Fuselage.—The fuselage frame, which is in two parts,a forward portion which carries wings, petrol and oil tanks, pilot, guns, etc., and a rear portion extending from the cock-pit to the Stern post, is of all-metal construction with excep- tion of the covering. In the front portion of the fuselagethe longerons are of high tensile solid-drawn steel tube of stock sizes. The top longerons in the bay occupied by thecockpit are of very large diameter tube, and form the sole support of the Vickers guns. By their great size and strength 1029 use is made of a light alloy sleeve and two high-tension steeldiscs. Bracing is by tie rods throughout with the exception of the side bays of the cockpit, which are braced by diagonaltubes. Great attention has been paid to the fairing of the fuselagein order to obtain as far as possible an unbroken streamline. With the exception of the gun tunnels, which are of sheetsteel, the construction of the fairing is carried out in wood and fabric. Doors of adequate size are provided for access towireless crate, guns, ammunition boxes, oxygen cylinders, petrol filter, instruments, etc. Wings.—As already mentioned, the wings of the " Par-tridge " are of biplane formation, and in the second machine ailerons of the " Frise " type will be fitted to both top andbottom planes, as indicated in the general arrangement drawings. The wing tips are kept square in order to retainsimplicity of construction. It is thought that the square type of wing tip used is as efficient aerodynamically as would be arounded tip. c 2
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