Aircraft with rotary wing

An aircraft is provided with a wing in the form of an annulus having an airfoil shape in radial section, the wing being concentrically mounted on a vertical axle shaft which in turn is rotatably carried by a mounting on the fuselage. Rotation of the wing drives air centrifugally across the upper and lower surfaces to energize the boundary layer, enhance laminar flow, and produce lift. Vanes may be mounted on the inner portion of the surface to increase the flow and thus produce greater life. The vanes may be attached to a stabilizer ring which is eccentrically adjustable by a controlling mechanism to vary the extension of the vanes into and out of the wing at various points in the cource of rotation and thus vary the degree of lift produced. The wing may also be provided within its inner perimeter with airfoil lifting blades which produce additional lift, and the blades may be swung by a stabilizer ring to positions producing a desired thrust in a desired direction as the wing rotates.

DESCRIPTION 
1. Technical Field 
This invention relates to aircraft having annular wings and, more 
particularly, to an aircraft having an annular wing which rotates in its 
own plane to produce lift. It relates also to such a wing having devices 
connected thereto which increase the lift beyond that generated by the 
wing itself and which are capable of varying the amount of the extra lift 
which is generated. 
2. Background Art 
Many efforts have been made over the years to develop an aircraft, 
especially in the small aircraft class, which would have a relatively 
small wing span in comparison with the type presently in use. One scheme 
is illustrated by the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,515,587 to Blandin and 2,730,312 to 
Crookes which show circular or disk like wings having a chord equal to the 
span and intended to fly in the usual manner. The U.S. Patent to Taylor, 
U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,805, shows an airplane having a fixed generally 
annular wing, the chord of the forward portion being somewhat greater than 
that of the aft portion. All of these are intended for conventional 
straight forward flight. 
An example of the vertical lift type is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,104,853 to 
Klein which shows an annular fixed wing with a centrifugal fan in the 
center opening which blows air radially out over the wing to create lift. 
When the craft is tilted, a horizontal force vector is produced which 
causes generally horizontal flight in a desired direction. The U.S. Pat. 
No. 1,786,017 to Matta shows an aircraft having two annular wings in 
tandem with a centrifugal fan in the center opening of each wing to blow 
air radially over the wings to create lift. Deflector rings are arranged 
around the forward portion of each wing to reverse the flow of the exiting 
air and produce horizontal thrust. 
None of the above references discloses a simple direct lift aircraft in 
which a rotating annular wing produces direct lift and is tiltable to 
supply a horizontal thrust vector and which may be provided with movable 
means for varying the lift at desired points about its circumference. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
An aircraft in accordance with the disclosure herein includes a fuselage 
provided with a power plant, a pilot's compartment having pilot operated 
control means and directional control surfaces. A vertically extending 
axle shaft is rotatably mounted at its lower end on the fuselage. An 
annular wing is coaxially mounted at the upper end of the shaft and is 
rotatable about the axis of the shaft. The rotation of the wing applies 
centrifugal force to the air adjacent to the upper and lower surfaces to 
cause radial flow across the surfaces from the inner edge of the wing to 
the outer edge and produce a lifting force. This centrifugal force acts on 
the particles of air in the boundary layer to break them loose from the 
surface and enhance the laminar flow, thus increasing the total lift 
produced. 
Various attachments may be added to the wing to increase the radial flow of 
air and increase the lift or to vary the lift from point to point around 
the circumference of the wing. Upstanding vanes may be connected to the 
radially inner portion of the upper surface of the wing to engage the air 
and drive it more forcefully in a radially outward direction. The vanes 
may be movable for retraction into and extension out of the contour of the 
wing and an eccentrically adjustable stabilizer ring may be connected to 
the vanes to vary the degree of their extension in the course of rotation 
and thus vary the amount of added lift they produce at different points 
around the path of travel of the wing. Also direct lifting vanes may be 
arranged around the inner periphery of the annular wing, and these may be 
fixed in attitude or adjustable to vary their lift and produce a 
horizontal thrust vector on occasion. 
Thus it will be seen that the present invention provides an aircraft 
adapted to achieve flight in various modes including generally vertical 
ascent and descent, hovering, and lateral travel.

BEST MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
An aircraft incorporating one form of the invention is diagrammatically 
illustrated in FIG. 1, in which a fuselage 10 includes a pilot's 
compartment 12, a power plant compartment 14, and a tail assembly 16 
having a rudder 18 and split elevator 20 to allow for control of pitch and 
roll. Pilot operated control means 22 are located in compartment 12 and a 
power plant 24 is located in compartment 14. A vertically extending axle 
shaft 26 is rotatably carried at its lower end 28 in a mounting 30 in the 
upper part of the fuselage, and a rotary wing 32 is concentric with and 
secured by radial struts 70 (FIG. 4) to the upper end 34 of the axle shaft 
for rotation therewith. The wing is in the form of an annulus having an 
airfoil shape in radial section at all points around its circumference, 
and preferably the airfoil shape is symmetrical in chordal section to 
produce lift from relative airflow inward or outward over the wing. 
In this form of the invention a thrust propeller 36 is carried by propeller 
shaft 38 rotatable in bearing 40. A drive belt 42 connects the engine to 
the propeller shaft and the latter in turn is connected through gear box 
44 to the axle shaft 26 to drive the rotary wing. 
When the wing rotates and the aircraft is not moving laterally, the wing 
applies centrifugal force to the air adjacent to the upper and lower 
surfaces to cause radial flow across the surfaces from the inner edge of 
the wing to the outer edge and produce a lifting force. This centrifugal 
force acts on the particles of air in the boundary layer to break them 
loose from the surface and enhance the laminar flow, thus increasing the 
total lift produced. 
The directional control surfaces are located behind the wing and at such 
level that they operate in the airstream flowing rearward from the wing 
and therefore are capable of controlling the attitude and direction of the 
craft in climb, descent, and hoverying flight. 
When the aircraft is hovering, a very slight movement of the elevator will 
pitch the wing downward, for example, producing a horizontal thrust vector 
in the forward direction to add to the effect of the propeller. As forward 
speed increases, the relative wind will overcome the centrifugal effect at 
the forward portion of the wing and air will flow over it toward the aft 
portion, producing lift and adding to the forward thrust effect of the 
rear portion. 
A modified form of the aircraft is illustrated in FIG. 2 in which the axle 
shaft is not connected to the power plant and the wing is freely 
rotatable, while the propeller shaft 38 is directly connected to the power 
plant 24. In this form, a plurality of fixed air directing vanes 46 are 
mounted to the upper surface of the inner portion of the wing and are 
spaced generally equally around the inner periphery. Each vane extends 
substantially vertically and is arcuately curved in the planform of the 
wing in the manner indicated in the movable vanes in FIG. 4. The inner end 
of each vane is curved or angled rearwardly to a predetermined extend with 
respect to the intended direction of rotation of the wing, and the 
rearward angle or curve becomes increasingly more acute from the inner end 
of the vane to the outer end. The wing is adapted to be rotated during 
forward translation by the unequal reaction of the convex and concave 
faces of the vanes presented to the relative airstream at laterally 
opposite side portions of the wing. The wing in this form as in all of the 
other forms of the rotary wings of this invention is free of any 
obstruction to the flow of air at any point around its outer periphery. 
The modification of FIG. 3 consists of two rotary wings 32 of the type 
shown in FIG. 2 arranged concentrically one below the other with the lower 
wing being mounted at the upper end 48 of hollow axle shaft 50 which 
surrounds shaft 26. The lower ends of both shafts are rotatably carried in 
mounting 52 and are connected to gear box 54 on power plant 24. The gear 
box contains the necessary gearing to cause the two axle shafts and their 
wings to rotate in opposite directions to eliminate torque effect on the 
aircraft. When the wings are pitched down to the desired extent by the use 
of elevator 20, suitable horizontal thrust component is produced to move 
the aircraft forward. On each wing the upstanding fixed vanes are 
arcuately curved in the planform of the wing and are angled rearwardly 
with respect to the direction of rotation of the particular wing to force 
the outward airflow in a radial direction. 
Various attachments may be added to the rotary wing to increase the radial 
flow of air and increase the lift of the wing and to vary the amount of 
added lift from point to point around the circumference of the wing. One 
such arrangement is shown in FIGS. 4 to 8. Vanes 56 are mounted on the 
wing 68 along the upper surface of the inner portion of the wing and are 
substantially equally spaced around its inner periphery. The vanes have 
the curvature in the planform of the wing and the rearwardly angling 
attitude with respect to the direction of rotation which has been 
previously described, and the curvature combined with the wing rotation 
causes the air to flow radially outward across the wing. 
Instead of a fixed mounting as contemplated in the previous forms, these 
vanes are movable. A slot 58 for each vane is formed in the upper radially 
inner surface and the interior of the wing. Each slot has the same 
curvature as the vane and also is angled rearwardly to the desired extent, 
as is the chamber 60 within the wing to which the slot leads. Each vane 
slides generally radially into its slot and chamber and is of such size 
and shape that when it is fully retracted, its upper edge is substantially 
flush with the upper surface and it has no effect on the surrounding air. 
This condition is illustrated in FIG. 6. 
To control the extension and retraction of the vanes, a stabilizer ring 62 
is provided. This ring, as can best be seen in FIGS. 6 to 8, is flexibly 
connected to each vane quite close to its inner end. The stabilizer ring 
is smaller in diameter than the inner periphery of the wing and when it is 
held in neutral position, it maintains all of the vanes in equal partly 
extended position as shown in FIGS. 4 and 7. When the stabilizer ring is 
fully displaced laterally or eccentrically, as shown in FIG. 5, the vanes 
at one point are fully extended as shown in FIG. 8 while the diametrically 
opposite vanes are fully retracted as shown in FIG. 6. The amount of 
extension of each vane successively around the circle gradually increases 
through 180 degrees from the FIG. 6 condition to the FIG. 8 condition and 
then gradually decreases through the next 180 degrees. Since the 
stabilizer ring rotates on its eccentric axis with the wing, each vane 
will be at a given amount of extension at the same location in the path of 
travel. This is illustrated in FIG. 5 where it will be seen that as each 
vane reaches point E, it will be fully extended and as it reaches point R, 
it will be fully retracted. The stabilizer ring is located concentrically 
in FIG. 4 and it will be seen that the vanes are equally partially 
extended at all points around the path of travel. 
The curvature of the stabilizer ring in a vertical plane passing radially 
through the ring and the wing corresponds to the curvature of the radially 
inner portion of the upper surface of the wing, and any part of the ring 
which is momentarily in contact with the wing, as in FIG. 6, will lie 
substantially flush on its upper surface. Any part of the ring which is 
radially separated from the wing, as in FIGS. 7 and 8, serves as an air 
flow guide to enhance laminar flow over the upper surface of the wing. 
The lateral position of the stabilizer ring is controlled by control ring 
64 which is connected to the stabilizer ring by a plurality of radially 
extending tie rods 66. The control ring is a part of the controlling 
mechanism 72 which is generally centered around the upper end of axle 
shaft 26 and is actuated by a part of the pilot operable control means 22. 
A diagrammatic showing of the connections of the parts appears in FIG. 19. 
Control means 22 is carried by a pivotal mounting 74 and is connected to 
plate 76 at its lower end to displace it laterally in any desired 
direction. A guide member 78 is connected to plate 76 by cables 80 running 
over pulleys 82 and is moved laterally in response to lateral movements of 
control means 22. 
One construction of controlling mechanism 72 which may be used for the 
purpose of the invention is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 20. A 
pylon structure 84 having a flat upper section 86 is secured to the top of 
fuselage 10 and is formed with a central aperture 88 to provide clearance 
for axle shaft 26. A mounting plate 90 having a similar central aperture 
92 is fixedly mounted on section 86 and has a vertically spaced inwardly 
extending flange 94 to form an annular mounting channel 96. 
Guide member 78 includes a vertically extending cylinder 98 having at its 
lower end an outwardly extending flange 100 which slidably fits in channel 
96 for lateral movement in all directions. The inner diameter of the 
cylinder is large enough to allow the maximum required lateral movement of 
the cylinder without interference with rotating shaft 26. The dimensions 
of flange 94 and 100 are selected to limit the lateral movement of the 
cylinder to the desired extent and to prevent separation of the cylinder 
from the mounting plate. The upper end of the cylinder is formed with a 
radially shorter flange 102, and four lugs or ears 104 are spaced equally 
around the midportion of the outer wall to receive clevises 106 at the 
ends of cables 80, the clevises being connected to the ears by 
conventional clevis pins 108. 
Control ring 64 is formed with an inwardly facing channel 110 which 
surrounds flange 102 in a running fit and is formed with ears 112 to mount 
clevises 114 by means of clevis pins 116. The clevises are at the inner 
ends of the tie rods 66 which are connected at their outer ends to the 
stabilizer ring. In operation, considering FIGS. 4, 5, and 20, the 
stabilizer ring rotates with the wing, and the tie rods and control ring 
rotate with the stabilizer ring. The control ring rotates around flange 
102 of the guide member and is always concentric with it. In FIG. 4, the 
guide member is concentric with the axle shaft and therefore the control 
ring and the stabilizer ring are also concentric with the shaft and with 
the wing, and all of the vanes are equally partially extended. This 
corresponds with the showing of FIG. 20. If cables 80 are moved by member 
22 to move cylinder 98 the full distance laterally then the control ring 
and stabilizer ring will be similarly displaced laterally or eccentrically 
so that their center of rotation will be as seen in FIG. 5. Thus, as any 
given vane approaches point R, it will gradually be fully retracted and as 
it approaches point E, it will gradually be fully extended. Therefore, the 
vanes in the vicinity of R will be ineffective and those in the vicinity 
of E will be fully effective, the total lift at E will be greater than at 
R, and the wing will pitch down at R, with a resulting horizontal thrust 
component in the direction of R to produce forward travel in that 
direction. 
One arrangement for further increasing the total lift is illustrated in 
FIGS. 9 to 12. This form includes all of the features of FIGS. 4 to 8 but 
adds a plurality of lifting airfoil blades 118. A blade is provided for 
each vane and is fixedly attached to the inner end of its respective blade 
by an extension arm 120 extending generally radially inward from the inner 
end of the vane. The blade is set at a suitable positive angle of attack 
and operates at this angle at all times. Consequently, the blades produce 
substantially the same amount of lift at all times during their rotation 
even though they move radially inward and outward with their respective 
vanes as controlled by the controlling mechanism. 
Another modification of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 
18. A rotary wing 122 driven by the power plant in the fuselage is 
provided only with lifting airfoil blades instead of radially extending 
vanes. The blades are movable on their mountings in such fashion that they 
produce greater or less lift at various points in their path of travel and 
produce forward thrust components during the forward and aft portions of 
their path of travel. 
The wing is provided with the same basic controlling mechanism 72 as in 
previous forms but the stabilizer ring 124 is located within the body of 
the wing and connected to tie rods 66 to be actuated in the same way. A 
plurality of brackets 126 are fixedly mounted to the wing at spaced points 
around its inner periphery and each bracket has a hinge mounting 128 with 
its axis parallel to the general plane of the wing and substantially 
tangent to the inner periphery of the wing at the location of the bracket. 
A lifting airfoil blade 130 is provided for each bracket and includes a 
fixed lug 132 at its inner side adjacent to the leading edge. The lug has 
a hinge portion 134 complementary to the hinge mounting 128 of the bracket 
and is pivotally connected thereto by a pivot pin 136. The angle of the 
pivot pin apertures in the lug is selected to provide a substantial 
positive angle of attack when the parts are assembled as best seen in FIG. 
14. 
Each blade also has a hinge type lug 138 at its underside adjacent to the 
inner rear corner. A control rod 140 is hingedly connected at its radially 
outer end to the stabilizer ring at 142 and at its radially inner end to 
lug 138 at 144. FIGS. 14, 15, and 16 show a typical blade in neutral 
position. When the wing is rotating, the blade in neutral position will 
produce lift but not thrust. When the blade is swung up to the position of 
FIG. 17, it has a substantial angle of attack with respect to the vertical 
plane in a direction to produce a thrust component inward of the wing. 
When it is swung down to the position of FIG. 18, it has a substantial 
angle of attack with respect to the vertical plane in a direction to 
produce a thrust component outward of the wing. The blade produces a 
lesser but still substantial amount of lift in either of the extreme 
positions. 
The neutral position of FIG. 16 is shown with blade 130 in a substantially 
horizontal position but angled downwardly at approximately 10.degree.. The 
reason for this is to provide greater lateral stability and control. If 
the blades on opposite sides of the aircraft were exactly horizontal and 
air turbulance were encountered which tilted the aircraft about its 
longitudinal axis, there would be no way to increase lift on the low side 
of the aircraft. However, with a slight angle on the blades in the neutral 
position, correction can be made by moving the stabilizer ring to raise 
the blade on the low side to a true horizontal position to increase lift 
on that side and lower the blade on the high side of the aircraft still 
further to decrease lift on that side to thereby return the aircraft to 
level flight. 
Considering FIG. 13 it will be seen that the stabilizer ring is adjusted to 
full aft. At the right hand side of the aircraft, blade 130 is in neutral 
position producing maximum lift but no thrust. As the wing rotates in the 
direction of the arrows, the stabilizer ring effectively moves gradually 
toward the inner periphery of the ring moving control rod 140 radially 
inward and raising the blade toward the position of FIG. 17 where the 
maximum radial inward thrust is produced. As rotation continues, the blade 
will lower to neutral at the left side of the aircraft and continue 
lowering to maximum down at the aft portion of its travel. It will be seen 
that both maximum thrusts are toward the aft end, producing a maximum 
forward thrust vector, with reduced lifts in the fore and aft quadrants 
and maximum lifts in the side quadrants. Since the stabilizer ring can be 
eccentrically displaced in any direction by manipulation of the 
controlling mechanism, it will be seen that the craft can readily be 
steered in any desired direction. The same is true of the other forms 
utilizing the stabilizer ring. 
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to 
preferred embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations 
and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the 
invention.