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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0095.PDF
JANUARY 20TH, 1949 65 supply and machining difficulties involved, to split both the upper and lower tubes into pairs: this in itself resulted in a knotty joining problem which, however, was solved in a clever and delightfully simple fashion The mating • '-•'• ends are threaded with a two-start Acme-form thread, 8 t.p.i. and screw into unifying Nitralloy sleeves, which ;. are then grub-screw locked to each. Whereas the Nitralloy sleeve is an external fitting to the cylinder tube . halves, its complement joining the plunger tube halves is necessarily an internal unit, the meeting lips being waisted to avoid pick-up on the phospher-'bronze bearing ring in the ; mouth of the cylinder tube. A'fianged annulus is fitted around the tiase of the cylinder tube to provide anchorage attachments for the bracing struts of the rotor outriggers. Briefly, as may be seen from the sectional drawing, the lay- out of the strut comprises a cylinder in which slides a plunger tube, and inside GREASE JIPPLE FOR SPHERICAL- JOINT -OIL FILLER PLUGS IN THIS SECTION ONE OF TWO -' STRIPS TO PREVENT ROTATION OF TUBES The designed performance curves showing almost constant ground reaction over total stroke for pro- • ' gressive reduction in damping orifice area. The static load on each strut is 5,566 Ib, whilst the ' energy absorbed by each pair of tyres is 2,830ft/7b . which, together with the energy absorbed by the strut, l42,470ft//b, gives the total absorption of 145,300ft/ Ib. (Top) Major units of the automatic damping valve, the- smaller spring and spools being housed coaxially within the larger spring, valve sleeves and body. (Bottom) In the base of the plunger tube is fitted this spring-loaded cam assembly for self-centering action of the twin wheels. o1— 2O 25 3O 35 STRUT CLOSURE,INCHES 55 6O the plunger tube is a ram cylinder, in the base of which is the automatic damping valve. Co-axially within the cylinder tube, and extending down from the head, is a ram tube which, as the leg is closed, forces the oil in the ram cylinder out through the damping valve into the oil chamber in the lower part of the plunger tube. Below the oil chamber is an air chamber—in the base of the plunger tube—the division being made by a free-floating separator piston. The action of the strut is as follows: when a load is imposed, the air (the static inflation pressure of which is I4olb/sq in) is rather compressed as closure of the strut causes the ram to force oil from the ram cylinder through the damping valve into the oil chamber, .since the increase in oil chamber volume pushes the separator piston down and so compresses the air. The energy stored in this com- pression of the air tends to reverse the oil flow through the valve as soon as the load is relieved, but at this point, the larger orifices of the valve are then closed and the oil can return to the ram cylinder only through the very small permanent orifices at the base of the valve, and in this manner, full recoil damping is achieved. Whilst it is true to say that Lockheeds could not well have made a complete success of this particular job had they not previously undertaken considerable experimenta- tion with methods of energy absorption at ultra high rates, there is also little doubt that the de facto production of the Air Horse legs has taught many valuable lessons which can only accrue to the advantage of future, more orthodox, undercarriage designs. NEPTIJ]\TES HERE AT the invitation oi the Royal Navy and the Air Ministry,two Lockheed Neptune P2V patrol bombers of the United States Navy are visiting this country. They have alreadyvisited the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Famborough, and Leuchars, and are likely to visit Eglinton, Northern Ireland,before returning to Farnborough en route to America. The Neptunes are of the same basic type as the TruculentTurtle, holder of the world's long-distance record with a flight of 11,236 miles from Perth, Australia, to Columbus, Ohio,during 1946. They are used by the U.S. Navy for long-distance reconnaissance and anti-submarine patrol. The engines aretwo Wright Duplex Cyclone R-3350S, similar to those fitted to the Constellation and Superfortress, and the latest versions arevery heavily armed. In the nose are six 20-mm guns fired by the pilot; the dorsal turret mounts twin 0.5m Brownings, andthere are two more 20-mm guns in the tail turret. Provision is made for sixteen 5m rocket projectiles under the wing, and B 7 the bomb bay is large enough to accommodate sixteen 500-lbbombs, eight of 1,000 lb or four of 2,000 lb. Other possible loads are two torpedoes, each of 2,165 lb> twelve 325-lb depthcharges, or an unspecified number. of 2,000-lb mines. The electronic equipment is unusually complete and includes notonly " search " radar but a radar bomb release system. The P2V has a span of 100ft, is 77ft nin long, and has amaximum loaded weight of some 58,000 lb. A top speed of over 300 m.p.h. is obtainable, and the normal range withservice load is more than 3,500 miles. With bomb bay tanks this is increased to over 4,000 miles. An additional distinction held by the P2V is that of beingthe largest aircraft to take off from an aircraft carrier. Two unmodified machines were used for the carrier trials, the firstpiloted by Cdr. T. D. Davies, U.S.N., who flew the Turtle on its historic record flight. Assisted take-off was afforded by bat-teries of rockets attached to the fuselage.
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