SOLVING OUR AIR PROBLEMS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2902, 14 October 1916, Page 6

SOLVING OUR AIR PROBLEMS

RESULTS OF A YEAR OF RESEARCH

SAFETY AND MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

The report of the Advisory-.Commit-tee for Aeronautics, of which Lord Rayleigh is chairman, for th'tf year 1915-16, which has, just been issued, records a large increase in w-ork done for war' purposes. In the main, says the report,, the work has been directed to nlee'ting the immediate needs of the services in regard to the design and development of aircraft. Experiments' havd been carried out on the aero-dynamic .properties of bombs, and investigations and .calculations hare.been made-with regard to the flight '.of bombs, with a view to increased accuracy of aiming. The Commandant of the Central Flying School has, furnished valuable assistance and information from the results of. experiments-there undertaken: _ A close study of the conditions affecting the aeroplane compass, with a view "to its development and. improvement,was undertaken at the ■ Royal Aircraft Factory by Dr. Keith Lucas, F.R.S. As a result, a type of instrument s'pecially. adapted for employment' on an aeroplane .under the varying conditions which arise in flight 'ivas.ultimately produced and standardised. This is the R.A.F. Mark II Compass, which is now being made by contract in large numbers. Fliers are much' indebted to Dr. Lucas' for the success attained in this investigation. <

Full scale rosoarch by experiment and observation on aeroplanes in'flight has been continued at the Royal Aircraft Factory, and written records of tho flight path, both controlled and uncontrolled, have been obtained, Many improvements in engines,.air-strews, and controls can* only he made as the outcome of experiment 011 actual machines, and these' tcstsoccupv the larger part of the flying time of the necessarily restricted number of aeroplanes .available. Stability First.

As regards aerodynamic qualities*it has become increasingly important to predict with accuracy the performance and stability of an aeroplane, while, itexists only in drawings. It lias been' possible, by the. issue at the outbreak of war of complete working drawings, to obtain strong, stable, and. service-' able aeroplanes ill quantity from firms \vbo had no previous experience of aircraft building. The value of strength and good construction in saving aeroplanes from damage and reducing the amount of work required for tlieir efficient- upkeep in the field has bpeu fully borne out by the experience of the Expeditionary Force. Recent laboratory tests have shown that raf-wires of the tvpe developed at the factory show fit tie or no aerodynamic disadvantage 'as compared with wires of stream-line section, and in view of their mechanical advantages and easier production, they have accordingly been standardised and their use has been put at the disposal of aeroplane constructors. Universally jointed end fittings have been employed as an additional precaution against the effect of vibration.' ' Great attention lias been paid, to the thorough testing of all metals used in ,air> craft construction, and a. specimen from every bar is individiU'lly tested. Owing to the high demand for ni'ld steel of less good qiinlitv for shells, the difficulty found in. obtaining the better "class of material required for much of the work on aeroplanes has been overcome by micrographie and temperature studies'of the metal at the factory, and

the ■ treating of the _'steel as delivered till the 'better quality is secured.

New machines and new wing sections haye been designed to tako advantage of new knowledge, and appreciable improvement for a- given engine power and weight has been obtained, development proceeds by the making of a few trial machines,' and four main types have been standardised for contract In, new types guidance has bo(su received from the expcrienco of the Royal Flying Corps in the field, and .in. all cases it jias been found possible to secure stability under ordinary flight conditions. Certain aeroplano constructors have taken advantage of a new device for saving weight in -design',' of a fair-shap-ed design of tail, a steerable rear skid, and .other details. Special attention jias been-given to the provision of suit--ablo landing gear, and in large machines an air and oil recoil mechanism has been successfully introduced. The improvement 31 air-coo?cd and of watercooled .engine design and construction has been the subject of continued study,_ resulting in netf designs and their development! with the. help of the firms concerned. Two new devices arc being tested for improving the performance at heights. A new air-speed indicator of the metal diaphragm type has been designed and tested. A Two. wireless telegraphy " sets 'of very light weight have, been designed and tested, " and the investigations' relative to finding the true vortical.on aeroplanes in ■ flight have progressed satisfactorily, as well as the evolution of optical systems for convenient observation of bombs dropping' from aeroplanes.

Experiments with various types of fabric liavo been in progress in'connection tfTth 'visibility and weight. It has also been found that a method of abandoning the use of poisonous ingredients can be relied upon. The greater part of the deterioration of the film 011 aeroplane wings has been found to .be due to the actinic portion of the sun's rays. Effective. protection can be obtained by the application of a finishing varnish containing pigment. The use of the pigment is also serviceable in certain cases in rendering aeroplanes, when on the ground, . less visible from above./

,'i'lie assistance of the Committee lias been given to the Air .Department of the Admiralty in connection with a •number of important problems, in

which laboratory experiment was desired in, conjunction with investigatory work proceeding on the full scale. Among the questions dealt with may he mentioned the design of airships, both rigid and non-rigid, the mooring of airships over the spa, points in connection, with the design, of seaplanecarrying ships, tho design of- windscreens near airship sheds, and the equilibrium-and stability of kite balloons.