Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-11-27
Testing AerOplane Motors


Barrow.ir. Furness, England, has q
unique piece of apparatus that has
been rugged up exclusively for the
testing of motors and propellers built
for flying machines. whether aero
planes or dirigible balloons. The DIM
culties In the way of telling in adj
vance Just what a propeller or mo-
tor could do when Aging through the
air are easily seen 10 be great. the
old tests for land and in the water
we're plainly worth little when one
wanted to know Just what certain
piece of machinery would do when
flying free in, the atmosphere.
Consequently, a clever engineer has
produced a flying machine that is sta
tionary. yet absolutely free as air, and
on this machine all new motors ana
propellers can be tested. IL has De
come very necessary to study the eie-
ments of the propeller. One desires
to know exactly the connection thar
| exists between the movement OF the
propeller and what advance In the
| air the aeroplane can make Tor eacn
turn.
l This, of course, depends largely Oh
| the weight to be moved and the power
THAT can be produced. This fSct,when
known, enables the engineers TO de-
termine the speed Of the motor that
should be used with the variousiy
| manufactured propellers. The at
tempt is being made 10 decide If the
laeroplane does better with one screw,
or il two, as in ocean steamers, are
better, or If air machines can give
the best results with three propeilers.
The novel machine erected in Bar
row-in.Furness, England. consists OF
a central iron pillar around when
two iron beams have been arranged
to turn with absolute freedom. These
two beams are about $50 feet in
length and are Joined together by
small iron bars. There is G movable
arm 100 feet in length, on the end OF
which are mounted the various aero
plane motors.
In the center of this moving plat
form there is big cabin containing
motor OF 100 horsepower and the
arious scientific instruments that
control and REGISTER the movements
of the screws hat are tested. The
entire business, cabin, motor, and
everything all partake OF the rotary
movement about the central pillar.
The steel platform and all Its con-
tents are tied to the top OF the cen
trail pillar with s,eel ropes whose e!as-
ticity maintains everything on per-
feet level On one end then. the aero
plane propeller is mounted, and on
the other end ballast is placed IN a
sheet irou receptacle in order TO make
everything perfectly balanced, Tor the
ballast can be changed in amount as
required for each test. !!
Motors can be tested up to l.l0o
revolutions per minute and for speeds
Nm 10 70 miles an hour. Also, as the.
floating platform is reversible, motors
intended to be either in front or De.
hind the aviator can be equally wen
tested. Anew invention enapses the
engineers to tell, the wind pressure
against the. propeller: blades to within
Der cent, and the pressure has been
found at fines to amount to 40
pounds, With this new invention ~
is hoped to discover many novel FACTS
concerning the advantages Of various
sorts OF aeroplane propellers without
forcing adventurous sviators to risk
their lives with new motors anc pre-
peI,ers thst have never been actually
tried out in the air.