Improvements in the Propulsion and Navigation of Aerial Vessels.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Apr., 1887
Complete Left, 18th Jan., 1888
Complete Accepted, 18th Apr., 1888
Improvements in the Propulsion and Navigation of Aerial Vessels.'
I WILLIAM NELSON HUTCHINSON General in Her Majesty's Army, of Wellesbourne,
Bideford in the County of Devon, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to
be as follows:-
My invention relates to a novel method of propelling and steering navigable aerial
vessels, and it consists essentially in the application to such vessels of the principle of
the reaction hydraulic propeller, the difference being that in my invention the air is
the fluid by means of which the propulsive effect is obtained.
In carrying out my invention I employ a balloon of suitable form provided with
the necessary cars and motive power engines, and with a suitable number of centrifugal
or other rotary blowing engines driven by the motive power engines which may be of
any suitable description. The centrifugal or blowing engines would be employed in
any suitable number according to the dimensions and boyant power of the aerial vessel,
and would be enclosed in casings provided with discharge nozzles capable of being
adjusted to the direction in which it is desired the vessel should travel.
For the purposes of propelling and navigating an aerial vessel of large size, it is
preferred to employ separate centrifugal blowing engines for propelling the vessel for
assisting in its ascension and descent and for steering it.
The advantages in the use of the atmospheric reaction propellers over the fans on:
the priciple of the screw propeller heretofore proposed are economy in the construction
and maintainance, avoidance of long shafting and consequent vibration, and other
incidental objections.
W. N. HUTCHINSON.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Propulsion and Navigation of Aerial Vessels.
WILLIAM NELSON HUTCHINSON now of the Lodge Silverdale Eastbourne in the
County of Sussex General in Her Majesty's Army, Colonel of the Duke of
Wellington's Regiment do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement:-
The invention has for its object by centrifugal rotary blowing engines to propel and
steer navigable aerial vessels and enable the aeronauts to change their altitude at their
will without loss of gas or ballast. It mainly consists in the application to obtain
propulsion of the reaction-hydraulic propeller, the chief difference being that air is
the fluid by which the propulsive effect is obtained.
The invention can be carried out with any balloon of a form designed for propulsion
such as the cigar, fish-shape, or, what I much prefer, the cylindrical.
From any of these a long car can be suspended carrying the steam engine, or
other suitable propelling power, and several of the air-blowing engines.
Each of these air-blowing engines is furnished with one two-channel pipe, one
channel for aiding progress, the other channel, at right angles to it, for steering and
changing altitude. It has also one or two, as case may be, single channel pipes for
the incoming air. The number of blowing engines employed and their size principally
depend upon the length of the car, and are proportionate to the strength of the
propelling power and the buoyancy of the balloon. Some are by preference fixed
vertically to the sides of the car, some horizontally at its floor. By referring to the
accompanying drawing, all parts of which are lettered, what I propose will be
understood.
Fig. 1 is the before named car carrying the steam engine or other propelling power
and the air blowing engines.
Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the air-blowing engine. It may not inappropriately
be called an atmospheric turbine. A is its light, almost cylindrical, narrow metal
case, which is an immoveable fixture. Within it is the wheel E nearly of the same
diameter as the case A, formed of two thin metal dises separated by and attached to
several (suppose 8) nearly rectangular blades B, tangentially attached, at equal
distances apart, to hubs g on the axle C. The rims of one of the discs is shewn by
the two circular dotted lines. The case is air-tight excepting where the air enters at
the opening around the axle at the inner circular dotted line Fig. 2, to be discharged
through the two-channel pipe Y and F Fig. 2, by preference circular. The channel F
is not seen in Fig. 3. The backward curve given to the blades B increases the flow
of the incoming air at Z Z Fig. 3, which from the centrifugal force imparted by the
rapid revolution of the wheel E is driven violently towards the circumference.
The case preventing all escape of the more or less packed air excepting through

page_text: the two-channel discharging pipe (Y F) the air is ejected with a force proportional to
the size of the blades and the rapidity of their revolution. The reaction caused by
the expelled column striking against the external air gives the required propelling
impulse in a direction opposite to that in which the column of air is discharged.
Circular valves of similar diameter V, V₁, one in each channel, a trifle less than the
diameter of the channels, rotate, as turned by an aeronaut, on central axles fixed at
right angles to each other in the same plane.
On the produced axles of the valves are attached radial arms m n Fig. 2, fixed
each to the centre of a quarter circle bar cogged on its flange. They are actuated
by p, the similarly cogged central section of a wheel. This section is easily turned
on its centre (by an aeronaut) with the aid of suitable machinery attached to its axle,
as the pressure of air on one hemisphere of a valve is balanced by the pressure on the
other, the diameter of both being alike. The valves work clear of each other..
The horizontal, the propelling channel Y Fig. 2, is shewn quite open by its valve.
lying in the vertical central longitudinal plane of the channel. The valve V¹ quite
closes the other channel. As one valve gradually closes the other gradually opens, so
that when one is completely closed the other is completely opened. From the valve V1
Fig. 2. being quite closed all the ejected air aids progress-so also to nearly the same
extent, does the incoming air drawn in through the pipes Z Z' Fig. 3 by, what may
be called, a suction-action consequent on the air within those branches becoming
rarified. Both the thrust and suction-action would be equally effective were it not
for the turn in the current of air caused by the bend necessarily given to the said
pipes where they are attached to the opening at x. By preference these are half-pipes
attached to the side of the case A.
To take the simplest instance when only four of the air-blowing-engines are fitted
to the car (Fig. 1) two horizontally for propelling and steering L & U; and two
vertically for propelling and changing altitude. T is one of them.
The steering channels of the two-channel pipes of L and U point outward in a
direction at right angles to the length of the car. The valves in them being closed
all the discharged air aids progress. To slightly alter his course the aeronaut only
partially opens a valve thus only abstracting a small portion of the driven air. For
rapid alteration of the course the air would be largely expelled simultaneously from
the starboard side at the stern and port side at the bow, or vice versa.
Changes of altitude are as easily effected. An aeronaut so turns the valve in the
downward branch of the air-blowing engine, L Fig. 1 (the branch F Fig. 2) as to
divert downwards any desired portion of the driven air, thus causing the balloon to
rise to any desired level where it will remain as long as the downward discharge is
continued. The upward branch of the other vertically fixed-air-blowing machine
(not drawn) enables the aeronaut to divert upwards any portion of the driven air,
which causes the balloon to sink and remain at the lower altitude as long as the
upward current is permitted. All these changes are effected without any loss of gas
or ballast.
Were the air-blowing engines made double as each could only have one incoming
pipe that pipe would be suitably increased in size.
A pair of the double engines could be fixed near the stern as described for a pair of
the single, and another pair of the double be similarly fixed near the middle of the car,
having their corresponding parts in the same horizontal and vertical planes. The
axle common to the double pair at the stern and the axle common to the other
double pair would be simultaneously similarly actuated by a crank movement.
To diminish resistance to progress a crescent wedge-shaped shield of thin metal
might be fixed to the back of each double air-blowing engine.
In lieu of having two-channel pipes a single-channel pipe could be made to work
on a quarter-circle-turning socket to change the direction of its discharging nozzle,
but as the discharge would not be great in the required fresh direction until the quarter
circle was completed,-when there would be the full discharge, there would be this
disadvantage, that a further mechanical arrangement would be necessary to enable the
aeronaut to control the amount of flow, and there would be the further disadvantage

page_text: that no air would continue flowing directly in aid of propulsion while the pipe was
turning in its socket.
To keep the balloon stationary while landing passengers it occasionally might be
found useful to obtain stern-way, therefore a branch pointing ahead might with
advantage be attached to an air-discharging pipe.
As the larger the balloon the less the proportion of its carrying power expended in
propelling it, given a sufficient size, any amount of H. P..could be floated, and with
sufficient length to the car any number of air-blowing engines could be conveniently
arranged without their interfering with the useful action of each other; for however
great the propelling force of one air-blowing engine it would not prevent aid being
given by one of less power. Thus it becomes difficult to realize the speed that might
not be attained with such a car so propelled, and a correspondingly lengthened
balloon.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what 1
claim is,
The propelling, steering and altering the altitude of navigable aerial Vessels by
means of air-blowing engines, each provided with one two-channel air-discharging
pipe and with one, or two, as case may be, single-channel air receiving pipes
substantially as described.
I also claim the named single-channel pipe worked in a quarter-circle-turning
socket to change direction of the discharging nozzle.
1711
T 1000
W. N. HUTCHINSON,
General.