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Göttingen Wind Tunnel for Testing Aircraft Models

Description: Given here is a brief description of the Göttingen wind tunnel for the testing of aircraft models, preceded by a history of its development. Included are a number of diagrams illustrating, among other things, a sectional elevation of the wind tunnel, the pressure regulator, the entrance cone and method of supporting a model for simple drag tests, a three-component balance, and a propeller testing device, all of which are discussed in the text.
Date: November 1920
Creator: Prandtl, L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hydrostatic Test of an Airship Model

Description: An airship model made by the Goodyear Rubber Company was filled with water and suspended from a beam. The deformations of the envelope were studied under the following conditions: 1) both ballonets empty; 2) forward ballonets filled with air; 3) rear ballonets filled with air; and 4) both ballonets filled with air. Photographs were taken to record the deflections under each of these conditions, and a study was made to determine the minimum head of water necessary to maintain the longitudinal ax… more
Date: March 1922
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Ground Influence on Aerofoils

Description: The question of ground influence on airplanes has recently attracted some attention in view of the claims made by certain designers that the landing speed of their airplanes is much decreased by an increase in lift coefficient due to the proximity of the ground in landing. The results of wind tunnel tests indicate that ground effect is not entirely beneficial. It decreases the landing speed and cushions the landing shock somewhat. However, it does so at the expense of an increased length of pre… more
Date: December 1921
Creator: Raymond, Arthur E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Test of Oil Scraper Piston Ring and Piston Fitted With Oil Drain Holes

Description: Tests were conducted to determine whether or not a properly located and properly designed oil scraper piston ring, installed on a piston provided with oil drain holes of sufficient area, would prevent the excessive oiling of the Liberty engine, particularly with the engine running at idling speed with full oil pressure. Results showed that excessive oiling was in fact prevented. It is strongly recommended that scraper rings and pistons be adopted for aircraft engines.
Date: August 1922
Creator: McDewell, H. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Effect of Staggering a Biplane

Description: This investigation was carried out by request of the United States Air Service at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology wind tunnel in 1918. As the data collected may be of general interest, they are published here by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The lift, drag, and center of pressure travel are determined for a biplane with a stagger varying from +100% to -100%. It is found that the efficiency and the maximum lift increase with positive stagger.
Date: September 1921
Creator: Norton, F. H.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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High thermal efficiency in airplane service

Description: Described here is a method by which high average fuel economy has been achieved in aircraft engines. Details are given of the design of certain foreign engines that employ an unusual type of fuel-air ratio control in which the change in power produced by a mixture change is due almost entirely to the change in the power producing ability of the unit weight of the mixture. The safety and performance features of this type of control are explained.
Date: December 1920
Creator: Sparrow, S. W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Recent Efforts and Experiments in the Construction of Aviation Engines

Description: It became evident during World War I that ever-increasing demands were being placed on the mean power of aircraft engines as a result of the increased on board equipment and the demands of aerial combat. The need was for increased climbing efficiency and climbing speed. The response to these demands has been in terms of lightweight construction and the adaptation of the aircraft engine to the requirements of its use.
Date: September 1920
Creator: Schwager, [Otto]
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Causes of cracking of ignition cable

Description: From Summary: "The experiments described here show that the cracking at sharp bends, observed in the insulation of internal combustion engine high tension ignition wires after service, is due to a chemical attack upon the rubber by the ozone produced by the electric discharge that takes place at the surface of the cable. This cracking does not occur if the insulating material is not under tension, or if the cable is surrounded by some medium other than air. But it does occur even if the insulat… more
Date: February 1921
Creator: Dempsey, J. B. & Silsbee, F. B.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Horizontal Buoyancy in Wind Tunnels

Description: Note presenting an examination of horizontal buoyancy in wind tunnels, including an examination of the relative flow, static pressure gradient, horizontal buoyancy computation, and methods of computation in practical use are provided.
Date: November 1920
Creator: Zahm, A. F.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Steadiness Factor in Engine Sets

Description: Technical notes discussing the steadiness factor in engines and the calculations that can be used to arrive at it. Factors affecting the steadiness factor are detailed, including the mass of parts, torque, engine rotation, and power.
Date: December 1920
Creator: Margoulis, W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Effect of the Nature of Surfaces on Resistance as Tested on Struts

Description: The chief concern was to measure the variations of resistance brought about by the nature of the surface of the struts. The struts were spanned with aviation linen, and then covered with one coat of varnish. The top surface was not perfectly smooth after this treatment, being slightly rough owing to the threads and raised fibers of the fabric. The results of the measurements of the surfaces are shown by the dotted lines of the curves plotted in several figures.
Date: February 1921
Creator: Wieselsberger, G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Measurements of Rudder Moments on an Airplane During Flight

Description: Tests indicated that: 1) C airplanes with two struts are extremely susceptible to aileron maneuvers, slight alterations of the aileron sufficing to compensate great unequalized moments; 2) great unequalized moments can be produced or neutralized by the unequalized alternation of the angle of attack below the outer and inner struts. Adjustment below the outer strut is the more effective of the two. 3) When a load of bombs is suspended beyond the center of the airplane, below the wings, the bombs… more
Date: January 1921
Creator: Heidelberg, V.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Center of pressure coefficients for airfoils at high speeds

Description: "It has been customary to calculate the strength of the rear wing beam for the 'high speed' condition on the assumption that the center of pressure was at 0.50 of the wing chord. It can be shown that this assumption is not justified, regardless of the utility of a 'high speed' condition in strength calculations" (p. 1).
Date: April 1922
Creator: Diehl, W. S.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A Variable Speed Fan Dynamometer

Description: Fan brakes used as absorption dynamometers in testing internal combustion engines have the disadvantage that a given fan will run only at one speed when the engine is delivering full power. In order to be able to vary the speed at which a given power will be absorbed, English manufacturers have for some time been using a cylindrical housing around the fan with one or two variable openings in the periphery. Here, results are given of tests conducted to determine how great a range of speed can be… more
Date: December 1920
Creator: Wood, Karl D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Airplane Superchargers

Description: Discussed here are the principles and operation of aircraft engine superchargers used to maintain and increase engine power as aircraft encounter decreases in the density of air as altitude rises. Details are given on the design and operation of the centrifugal compressors. A method is given for calculating the amount of power needed to drive a compressor. The effects of the use of a compressor on fuel system operation and design are discussed. Several specific superchargers that were in operat… more
Date: May 1921
Creator: Noack, W. G.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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On the Resistance of the Air at High Speeds and on the Automatic Rotation of Projectiles

Description: Here, the laws governing the flow of a compressible fluid through an opening in a thin wall are applied to the resistance of the air at high speeds, especially as applied to the automatic rotation of projectiles. The instability which we observe in projectiles shot into the air without being given a moment of rotation about their axis of symmetry, or without stabilizing planes, is a phenomenon of automatic rotation. It is noted that we can prevent this phenomenon of automatic rotation by bringi… more
Date: April 1921
Creator: Riabouchinski, D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Absolute Coefficients and the Graphical Representation of Aerofoil Characteristics

Description: It is argued that there should be an agreement as to what conventions to use in determining absolute coefficients used in aeronautics and in how to plot those coefficients. Of particular importance are the absolute coefficients of lift and drag. The author argues for the use of the German method over the kind in common use in the United States and England, and for the Continental over the usual American and British method of graphically representing the characteristics of an airfoil.
Date: June 1921
Creator: Munk, Max
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The 300 H.P. Benz Aircraft Engine

Description: This report provides a description of the Benz 300 H.P. aircraft engine containing 12 cylinders placed at a 60° angle. It includes a detailed description of the development of the constructional points, particularly the cylinders, pistons, and connecting rods, as well as the engine fitting, lubrication, oil pumps, bearings, oil tank, fuel pump, carburetors, and cooling system. There are seven pages of illustrative figures at the end of the report.
Date: January 1921
Creator: Heller, A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gordon Bennett Airplane Cup 1920

Description: The characteristics of the airplanes built for the Gordon Bennett Airplane Cup race that took place on September 28, 1920 are described. The airplanes are discussed from a aerodynamical point of view, with a number of new details concerning the French machines. Also discussed is the regulation of future races. The author argues that there should be no limitations on the power of the aircraft engines. He reasons that in the present state of things, liberty with regard to engine power does not le… more
Date: April 1921
Creator: Margoulis, W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The optical wing aligning device of the Langley Field tunnel

Description: Described here is a convenient and accurate method of aligning the wing chord with the airflow. The device was developed to permit rapid and accurate alignment of airfoils and models with the airstream passing through the tunnel. It consists of three main parts: a projector, a reflector, and a target. The arrangement, which is shown in a figure, has proven satisfactory in operation. It is far better than the old method of sighting across a long batten, as the operator of a balance may see the t… more
Date: January 1921
Creator: Norton, F. H. & Bacon, D. L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Dynamometer Hub for the Testing Propellers and Engines During Flight

Description: The need for a device to measure flight resistance, engine and propeller power, and efficiency during flight grew in proportion to the demand for increased flying capacity in military types of aircraft. Here, a dynamometer hub was inserted between the engine and the propeller. Taken as a whole, the tests that were conducted show that though the dynamometer is a sensitive instrument liable to numerous derangements, it is undeniably useful even in its present form, when handled with care and skil… more
Date: July 1921
Creator: Enoch, O.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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On a New Type of Wind Tunnel

Description: Discussed here is a new type of wind tunnel, its advantages, the difficulties attendant upon its use, and the special methods required for its operation. The main difference between the new type of wind tunnel and the ones now in operation is the use of a different fluid. The idea is to diminish the effect of viscosity.
Date: May 1921
Creator: Munk, Max
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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A New Method of Testing in Wind Tunnels

Description: Now, in existing wind tunnels, using a horsepower of 100 to 300, the models are generally made to a 1/10 scale and the speed is appreciably lower than the speeds currently attained by airplanes. The Reynolds number realized is thus 15 to 25 times smaller than that reached by airplanes in free flight, while the ratio of speed to the velocity of sound is between a third and three quarters of the true ratio. The necessary increases in either the diameter of the wind tunnel or the velocity of the a… more
Date: August 1921
Creator: Margoulis, W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Similitude tests on wing sections

Description: Report presenting an exploration of the application of model test results to full size construction, which assumes that either the resistance varies as the square of the speed within, the range of speeds in question or that the mechanical similarity law is fulfilled by the model test. The latter requires that the relation of airflow to the model be exactly like that for the large machine.
Date: April 1921
Creator: Kumbruch, H. & Bacon, D. L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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