Improvements in Apparatus for Aerial Navigation.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 13th Apr., 1893-Accepted, 20th July, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Aerial Navigation.
I, LOUIS ADRIEN BOISSET of 45 Rue St. Sebastien Paris in the Republic
of France Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for aerial navigation in which an aerostat is
employed. The aerostat is of peculiar fish-like form being enlarged at the front
end and contracted at the rear so that the centre of gravity of the system is in front
of the centre of lateral pressure. This form resembles that of fishes and birds and
presents the least possible resistance to its progress.
The aerostat is enabled to retain this shape even when empty by means of a rigid-
skeleton or framework and is connected to the car by means of a jointed system of,
levers hereinafter described enabling the apparatus to preserve the horizontal
position in a most advantageous manner for steering.
The aerostat is filled with a combination of gases which enable valves and.
ballast to be dispensed with and ensures perfect equilibrium at all altitudes.
The motor employed is of special construction worked by combined liquified:
gases and driving a screw acting by traction at the front part of the machine and at
the rear of the machine steering screws with a thrusting action arranged as
described in the Specification accompanying my application for Letters Patent.
dated 6th October 1891, No. 17012.
same way.
The aerostat is constructed with strong silk cut out in zones corresponding to the
shape of the casing. Two thicknesses of silk are cemented together by means of an
adhesive substance having a solution of india rubber or gutta percha as a base in-
order to render the fabric absolutely impermeable. The joints are formed in the.
When the zones are connected together in position the aerostat presents-
a parabolic ovoide form. A safety valve may be provided at the upper part of the
aerostat and the lower part is attached to two metal strips covered with silk by
which the aerostat is connected to the apparatus employed for retaining the machine
in a horizontal position. The tubes or unions for the introduction and discharge of.
the gases are situated between the said strips.
The aerostat is constructed with a framework or skeleton composed of hoops
connected together by longitudinal curved rods. This framework is composed of
light wood such as bamboo for example or flat or tubular metal or any other
suitable rigid material. All the parts are preferably rendered incombustible by.
means of any suitable fire proofing process.
The car of elongated form and made as light as possible is connected to the
aerostat by vertical rods hinged to the metal strips on the aerostat and to a plate
connected to the bottom of the car. To the lower extremities of these uprights is
attached a system of jointed links or levers connected to a slide arranged between
the uprights and forming a species of jointed parallelogram.
The slides are connected in turn to a system of jointed parallelograms arranged
in the interior of the aerostat. The object of this arrangement is to impart to the
uprights the movement necessary to counterbalance any displacement of the weight
in the car and ensure the parallelism or horizontal position of the car relatively to
the aerostat.
The motor for working the screws may be arranged in the centre of the car.
This motor worked by combined liquified gases is provided with a power which is
constantly repercussed without losing its properties and without requiring great
heat to obtain its motive pressure thus almost entirely obviating the employment of
fuel. No store of water is required for this motor, it occupies little room, is very

page_text: light and possesses the valuable property of being inexplosible. One generator
condenser may be employed to work two motors. The fuel employed may consist
of carburetted hydrogen, petroleum, coal, wood, rags paper or any other suitable
material.
The motor at the forward end may drive the screw at this part of the machine
and a motor at the rear may be employed to work the moveable propelling screws
which also serve to steer the apparatus and retain it in a horizontal position.
These screws rotate in opposite directions and are of special form.
Dated this 20th day of July 1892. ·
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Aerial Navigation.
I LOUIS ADRIEN BOISSET of 45 Rue St. Sebastien Paris in the Republic of
France Engineer 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 :-
•
This invention relates to apparatus for aerial navigation in which an aerostat or
balloon is employed. This improved apparatus is combined with an aerostat or
peculiar fish-like form being enlarged at the front end and contracted at the rear
so that the centre of gravity of the system is in front of the centre of lateral
pressure... This form resembles that of fishes and birds and presents the least
possible resistance to its progress.
The acrostat is enabled to retain this shape even when empty by means of a
rigid skeleton or framework and is connected to the car by means of a compensating
system of jointed levers hereinafter described enabling the apparatus to preserve
the horizontal position in a most advantageous manner for steering.
The motor employed is preferably of special construction such as that described
in the Specification accompanying my application for Letters Patent No. 13409º
worked by combined liquified gases and driving a screw acting by traction at the
front part of the machine and at the rear of the machine steering screws with a
thrusting action arranged as described in the Specification accompanying the
application for Letters Patent dated 6th October 1891, No. 17012.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to
the several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in side elevation and partly
in longitudinal vertical section an apparatus for acrial navigation constructed
according to my invention.
Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus in transverse section.
Figure 3 represents the car and propelling mechanism in plan and Figure 4 is a
side elevation of the car shewing the action of the compensating system of levers
hereinbefore referred to.
The aerostat or inflated part A of the apparatus is constructed with strong silk
cut out in segments corresponding to the shape or developement of the casing of
the aerostat. Two thicknesses of silk are preferably cemented together by means
of an adhesive substance having a solution of india rubber. or gutta percha as a
base in order to render the casing or material absolutely impermeable or gas
tight. The joints are formed in the same way. When the segments are connected
together in position the sides of the aerostat follow parabolic curves so as to present
au ovoid form pointed at the ends as represented in Figure 1.
The fore part A' is thicker than the rear part A so that the centre of gravity
at B is in advance of the centre of lateral pressure.

page_text: The casing is supported upon a skeleton framework composed of hoops a made
of very thin light steel tubing or of bamboo or other light and strong material.
Each hoop is connected by radial steel tubes bor bamboos to a centre piece c.
All the said centre pieces c are threaded upon a tubular rod d of thin steel or
bamboo the extremities of which pass through metal cones e and forming the
pointed ends of the balloon. The hoops a are further connected together by a
suitable number of flat bands g formed by thin strips of aluminium which maintain
the hoops at the required distance apart and converge towards the end cones e
and f
Stays ijk provided in the interior of the framework impart rigidity to the
structure and brace it in the direction of the centre of gravity of the apparatus.
By means of this framework the casing is enabled to retain its inflated form even
when it is not charged with gas.
All parts of the casing, framework and netting are rendered incombustible by
any suitable process for rendering materials uninflammable.
Between the frame and the casing, being attached to the two central hoops by
lacing or otherwise there is provided a band C of silk connected at the lower part
to two extensions m n between which is firmly attached a plate or girder D of
aluminium having the upright bars of the compensating mechanism attached to its
flanges.
This compensating mechanism or combination of links and levers supports a
long and narrow car E made as light as possible. The said car is suspended on
four rods or links arranged in pairs on each side and jointed at their upper
ends to the plate D firmly attached to the band C surrounding the hoops at the
middle of the frame of the balloon whilst their lower extremities are jointed to a
plate forming the bottom of the car. To this same bottom of the car are likewise
jointed levers o o¹ o² o connected in pairs on each side of the car by links pp' p² p³
to two arms g and q fixed on the plate D.
This combination of rods levers and links constitutes a jointed parallelogram
the object of which is to maintain the horizontal position of the car relatively to
the balloon irrespectively of the load that may be placed at the front or rear
of the car and independently of any force tending to displace it relatively to the
balloon. Figure 1 represents the car in its normal position relatively to the
balloon. The positions of the parts of the jointed parallelogram of suspension are
in this case perfectly symmetrical. In Figure 4 it is assumed that a load or force
tends to move the car forwards relatively to the balloon. This figure shews that
the parallelogram in question by the displacements of its component parts
maintains the car invariably in the horizontal position.
Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the effect of this arrangement of the
parts connecting the car to the balloon.
Let it be supposed that the car is simply suspended by means of the four
links 13. Now if the car be pulled in a horizontal direction by one of its
extremities (in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5 for example) the links 11 12 13
move into a diagonal position indicated by dotted lines maintaining the horizontality.
of the car relatively to the inflated part.
But this is not the case when a weight or load is displaced in the car itself from
the rear to the front of the car for example; the links will not produce the required.
effect if employed alone and the horizontal position will not be maintained.
The reason for this is as follows:
The supports of the links are connected to the hoop or encircling band,
on the inflated part. The links then assume an oblique position indicated at e el,
Figure 6 and the front end of the car is necessarily moved away from the horizontal.
line by about 5° for example whilst the rear end of the car rises in the same.
proportion. Or in other words the car performs a tilting movement and forms
with the horizontal line an acute angle of from about 4 to 5 degrees.
Under these conditions the balloon would be thrown out of its equilibrium and

page_text: it would result therefrom that the ascending gas would be thrown into one of the
cones and the ascent would be broken or interrupted.
This renders it necessary to provide the levers o o¹ o o³ and the links p p² p² p³.
It is to be understood that the extremities of the links connected to the car by
bolts or pins may be arranged at distances to be subsequently determined according
to the action and weight of the apparatus necessary for working the machine and
the links may be doubled in their vertical or oblique lines.
Now with regard to the jointed parallelogram the combination of the inflated
part and the encircling band or hoop as well as the supports of the car and its
action all converge to the centre of gravity of the inflated part and consequently
of the band or belt in a vertical line drawn from the upper extremity of the inflated
part following the middle or central supports of the levers o o' and terminating at
the lower part of the car.
Under these conditions being thus balanced the balloon and the car form a very
homogeneous body and if an aeronaut or passenger in the car moves from the
centre of gravity to the front part of the car the latter will rise by advancing and
retaining its horizontal position whilst the inflated part will act by means of the
jointed parallelogram as follows that is to say the supports of the links connected
with the belt or band remain fixed as well as the band and the uprights or supports
of the links 12 13 cause it to take an oblique position inclining forwards whilst
the levers o and o' and the links ppl are drawn towards the rear of the car still
maintaining the horizontal position of the latter.
The motors hereinbefore referred to for working the screws are represented as
being arranged at ss in the axis of the car. These motors which can be worked
by a combination of liquifiable gases are provided with a power which can be
regenerated without requiring great heat to obtain the motive pressure thus almost
entirely obviating the employment of fuel. No store of water is required for this
motor, it occupies little room, is very light and possesses the invaluable property of
being inexplosible. One generator condenser at r may be employed to work the
two motors 5 8¹. The fuel employed may consist of carburetted hydrogen,
petroleum, coal, wood, rags, paper or any other suitable material.
The motor at the forward end drives the screw F provided at this part of the
machine so as to engage with the currents and enable the aerial vessel to success-
fully contend therewith, and the motor s¹ at the rear is employed to work the
moveable propelling screws F' which also serve to steer the vessel and retain it in
a horizontal position. These screws rotate in opposite directions and are preferably
constructed in accordance with the invention described in the Specification of
Letters Patent 17012" herein before referred to.
The aerostat or balloon A is provided with a safety valve and two hydrogen gas
accumulators tt' are placed in the car.
I do not limit myself as to the dimensions of the aerial apparatus or as to the
form and arrangement of the details of construction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is-
1. An apparatus for aerial navigation constructed with an inflated and framed
part presenting a pointed ovoid' shape formed with parabolic curves and attached to
an elongated or narrow car by a combination of links or rods and levers or jointed
parallelograms whereby the car is retained in a horizontal position and the centre
of gravity of the system is maintained in front of the centre of lateral pressure, a
combined gas motor or motors, a screw with a pulling action and moveable screws
with a pushing action actuated by the said motor or motors in the manner and for
the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
2. In apparatus for aerial navigation the construction of the casing of the aerostat
or balloon by means of two coverings of silk cemented together one over the other

page_text: with a solution of gutta percha or india rubber and the combination thereof with a
rigid frame composed of hoops suitably connected together substantially as.
hereinbefore described.
3. In apparatus for aerial navigation the connection of the casing or inflated
part with the car by means of links or jointed rods and levers or parallelograms.
connected to the frame of the said casing or inflated part by means of a belt or
band surrounding the said frame and arranged symmetrically on each side of the
apparatus in the manner and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.
4. In apparatus for aerial navigation the combination of a gas motor with a
screw exerting a pulling action and moveable steering screws exerting a pushing
action so as to obtain with a minimum of weight and expense a sure propelling and
steering action and at the same time retain the horizontal position and stability of
the aerial vessel substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the-
accompanying drawings.
Dated th 19h 1
Ր A
1 1000
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,.
Agents.