Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, Parts I and II: Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Volume 27 Number 3, Publication 1948, 1911Langley, S. P. (Samuel Pierpont)
History
Langley Memoir on Mechanical Flight, Parts I and II: Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge, Volume 27 Number 3, Publication 1948, 1911
Langley, S. P. (Samuel Pierpont)
Aeronautics; Flight
The difficulties, however, that were experienced were those partially
foreseen. The expansion of the gas made such serious inroads upon the
latent heat of the liquid, that lumps of solid acid were formed in
the reservoir, and could be heard rattling against the sides when the
latter was shaken, while the expansion of the exhaust caused such a
lowering of temperature at that point, that the [p029] pipes were
soon covered with a thick layer of ice, and the free exit of the
escaping gas was prevented.
Such difficulties are to be expected with this material, but here
they were enhanced by the small scale of the construction and the
constant demand for lightness. And it was found to be very hard
to fill the small reservoirs intended to carry the supply for the
engines. When they were screwed to the large case in which the liquid
was received and the whole inverted, the small reservoir would be
filled from one-third to one-half full, and nothing that could be
done would force any more liquid to enter.
In view of these difficulties, and the objections to using a heater
of any sort for the gas, as well as the absolute lack of success
attendant upon the experiments of others who were attempting to use
liquid CO_2 as a motive power on a large scale elsewhere, experiments
were at first temporarily and afterwards permanently abandoned.
The above experiments extended over nearly a year in time, chiefly
during 1892, and involved the construction and use of the small
aerodromes Nos. 1, 2, and 3, presently described.
[p030]
CHAPTER IV
EARLY STEAM MOTORS AND OTHER MODELS
In dealing with the development of the aerodrome, subsequent to the
early rubber-driven models, the very considerable work done and
the failures incurred with other types of motors than steam, have
been briefly dealt with in the preceding chapter, but are scarcely
mentioned here, as no attempts at long flights were ever successful
with any other motor than steam, and no information was gained from
any of the experiments made with compressed air, gas, carbonic acid,
or electricity, that was of much value in the development of the
successful steam machines.
In November, 1891, after the long and unsatisfactory experiments with
rubber-driven models already referred to, and before most of the
experiments with other available motors than steam had been made,
I commenced the construction of the engines and the design of the
hull of a steam-driven aerodrome, which was intended to supplement
the experiments given in “Aerodynamics” by others made under the
conditions of actual flight.
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