Lift and drag characteristics and gliding performance of an autogiro as determined in flight (open access)

Lift and drag characteristics and gliding performance of an autogiro as determined in flight

From Summary: "This report presents the results of flight test of the Pitcairn "PCA-2" autogiro. Lift and drag coefficients with the propeller stopped have been determined over approximately a 90 degree range of angles of attack. Based on the sum of fixed-wing and swept-disk areas, the maximum lift coefficient is 0.895, the minimum drag coefficient with propeller stopped is 0.015, and the maximum l/d with propeller stopped is 4.8. Lift coefficients were found also with the propeller delivering positive thrust and did not differ consistently from those found with propeller stopped. Curves of gliding performance included in this report show a minimum vertical velocity of 15 feet per second at an air speed of 36 miles per hour and a flight-path angle of -17 degrees. In vertical descent the vertical velocity is 35 feet per second."
Date: May 2, 1932
Creator: Wheatley, John B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fuel vaporization and its effect on combustion in a high-speed compression-ignition engine (open access)

Fuel vaporization and its effect on combustion in a high-speed compression-ignition engine

"The tests discussed in this report were conducted to determine whether or not there is appreciable vaporization of the fuel injected into a high-speed compression-ignition engine during the time available for injection and combustion. The effects of injection advance angle and fuel boiling temperature were investigated. The results show that an appreciable amount of the fuel is vaporized during injection even though the temperature and pressure conditions in the engine are not sufficient to cause ignition either during or after injection, and that when the conditions are such as to cause ignition the vaporization process affects the combustion. The results are compared with those of several other investigators in the same field" (p. 629).
Date: May 4, 1932
Creator: Rothrock, A. M. & Waldron, C. D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Characteristics of Clark Y airfoils of small aspect ratios (open access)

Characteristics of Clark Y airfoils of small aspect ratios

This report presents the results of a series of wind tunnel tests showing the force, moment, and autorotational characteristics of Clark Y airfoils having aspect ratios varying from 0.5 to 3. An airfoil of rectangular plan form was tested with rectangular tips, flared tips, and semicircular tips. Tests were also made on one airfoil of circular plan form and two airfoils of elliptical plan form. The tests revealed a marked delay of the stall and a decided increase in values of maximum lift coefficient and maximum resultant force coefficient for aspect ratios of the order of 1 as compared with values for aspect ratios of 2 and 3.
Date: May 5, 1932
Creator: Zimmerman, C. H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Force measurements on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron" (open access)

Force measurements on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron"

This report describes a series of tests made on a 1/40-scale model of the U. S. Airship "Akron" (ZRS-4) for the purpose of determining the drag, lift, and pitching moments of the bare hull and of the hull equipped with two different sets of fins. Measurements were also made of the elevator forces and hinge moments.
Date: May 6, 1932
Creator: Freeman, Hugh B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Tests of nacelle-propeller combinations in various positions with reference to wings 2: thick wing - various radial-engine cowlings - tractor propeller (open access)

Tests of nacelle-propeller combinations in various positions with reference to wings 2: thick wing - various radial-engine cowlings - tractor propeller

This report is the second of a series giving the results obtained in the 20-foot wind tunnel of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics on the interference drag and propulsive efficiency of nacelle-propeller-wing combinations. The first report gave the results of the test of a N.A.C.A. cowled air-cooled engine nacelle located in 21 positions with reference to a thick wing. The present report gives results of tests of a normal engine nacelle with several types of cowling and fairings in four of the positions with reference to the same wing. (author).
Date: May 12, 1932
Creator: Wood, Donald H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Rates of fuel discharge as affected by the design of fuel-injection systems for internal-combustion engines (open access)

Rates of fuel discharge as affected by the design of fuel-injection systems for internal-combustion engines

Using the method of weighing fuel collected in a receiver during a definite interval of the injection period, rates of discharge were determined, and the effects noted, when various changes were made in a fuel-injection system. The injection system consisted primarily of a by-pass controlled fuel pump and an automatic injection valve. The variables of the system studied were the pump speed, pump-throttle setting, discharge-orifice diameter, injection-valve opening and closing pressures, and injection-tube length and diameter.
Date: May 15, 1932
Creator: Gelalles, A. G. & Marsh, E. T.
System: The UNT Digital Library
The effect of area aspect ratio on the yawing moments of rudders at large angles of pitch on three fuselages (open access)

The effect of area aspect ratio on the yawing moments of rudders at large angles of pitch on three fuselages

This reports presents the results of measurements made of yawing moments produced by rudder displacement for seven rudders mounted on each of three fuselages at angles of pitch of 0 degree, 8 degrees, 12 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees and 40 degrees. The dimensions of the rudders were selected to cover the range of areas and aspect ratios commonly used, while the ratios of rudder area to fin area and of rudder chord to fin chord were kept approximately constant. An important result of the measurements is to show that increased aspect ratio gives increased yawing moments for a given area, provided the maximum rudder displacement does not exceed 25 degrees. If large rudder displacements are used, the effect of aspect ratio is not so great.
Date: May 16, 1932
Creator: Dryden, Hugh L. & Monish, B. H.
System: The UNT Digital Library