GB874829A - Vertical take-off and landing aircraft - Google Patents

Abstract

874,829. Jet propelled aircraft. SOC. NATIONALE D'ETUDE ET DE CONSTRUCTION DE MOTEURS D'AVIATION. June 30, 1958 [Aug. 14, 1957], No. 20877/58. Class 4. [Also in Group XXVI] A vertical take-off and landing aircraft having a jet reaction propulsion engine fixed therein comprises first means acting on the jet for producing torques about the yaw and pitch axes, second means producing torque about the roll axis, rate gyroscope means detecting the rate of displacement of the aircraft about its three principal axes, a control column, the gyroscope means and control column producing variations in electrical magnitudes which act on the first and second means, and produce torques, and a follow up device interconnecting the control column and the first and second means. In Fig. 2, the outlet of the engine nozzle T, has upper and lower fluid injection slots 2 (one shown) fed through ducts 10, a differential valve 9, and valve 12, from a compresser tap manifold 17, Fig. 1. Similarly, port and starboard fluid injection slots 1 are fed through ducts 4, differential valve 6 and valve 12 from the manifold 17. Operation of valve 6 in either sense from a neutral position increases the flow to one slot 1, and decreases that to the other, deflecting the main jet stream to the left or right to create a yawing torque. Similarly operation of valve 9 from a neutral position creates a pitching torque. Figs. 1 and 5 (part) show the pitch control system, in which electrical signals from a control column 31 and a pitch rate gyro 35 are fed to an amplifier 32 energizing a jack 36 acting on valve 9. The control column 31 unbalances a Wheatstone bridge 33, 34, the diagonal of which energizes one input coil of a magnetic relay 32. The pitch rate gyro 35 unbalances a Wheatstone bridge 38, 39 the diagonal of which energizes a further input coil of the amplifier, and feeds a resistance-capacity integrating circuit 61, 62 energizing a further input coil. The relay contacts 37 energize a reversible jack 36, the energizing voltage of which is fed as a feedback voltage through a phase shifting network to a further relay input coil. A further input may be added from a pitch angle gyro, and further feedback signal may be obtained from a Wheatstone bridge unbalanced by the jack 36. The yaw system is similarly controlled. In an alternative embodiment, the jacks are electrohydraulic, and act on solid spoilers to deflect the jet, and the pitch rate and yaw rate gyros provide further inputs to the yaw and pitch systems respectively. For roll control, oppositely directed nozzles 22b, 24b, at one lateral extremity of the aircraft and a similar pair of nozzles (not shown) at the other lateral extremity, are connected by ducts 21b, 23b, 21a, 23a to a distributer 20 connected to manifold 17. The distributer is controlled by jack 36b, and can supply air to ducts 21a and 21b, or 23a and 23b, to produce rolling torques. The servo system operating the jack 36b is similar to that operating jack 36, the signal from the control column 31 being produced by rotation of the column. A further input signal may represent rate of increase or decrease of the engine rotational speed to compensate for roll produced by acceleration of the engine. Alternatively, roll control may be provided by operation of vanes 42 in the jet pipe, to impart a helical motion to the gases. The engine may be a ram-jet. Specifications 691,302, 745,630 and 750,601 are referred to.