From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Complete patent specification by Frank Whittle for improvements relating to the propulsion of aircraft and other vehicles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 147\2\ scan0209 | |
| Date | 14th January 1930 | |
| 347,206 its mover. The final emission of gas may perhaps be directionally controlled for manoeuvring purposes. One or a plurality of the complete power units may be provided in a single vehicle or aircraft and they may to some extent be inter-dependent, e.g. a single turbine may operate subsidiary blowers etc. It may be necessary to provide auxiliary apparatus for starting, fuel injection, lubrication or like purposes. 10 It will be clear that the invention gives scope for wide modification without departing from its principle as herein outlined. 15 Dated this 14th day of January, 1930. F.{Mr Friese} WHITTLE. COMPLETE SPECIFICATION. Improvements relating to the Propulsion of Aircraft and other Vehicles. I, FRANK WHITTLE, late of “Glenhaven”, Regent Street, Coventry, and now of “Hill Crest” Dorrington, Lincoln, British Subject, do hereby declare 20 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 25 propulsion of the type in which air is taken in, compressed, heated, and expelled with high velocity on re-expansion in order to provide a propulsive thrust. 30 The main object of this invention is to provide improved apparatus of the above mentioned type, and in particular improved means for driving the compressor. 35 According to the invention I provide means for propulsion of the above mentioned type characterised by the feature that the compressor is driven by a turbine, and that the pressure drop on ex- 40 pansion takes place in two stages, the first pressure drop taking place through the nozzles of the turbine, and the second pressure drop taking place through the propelling nozzles. 45 Describing the invention in a simple form as applied to aircraft, there is a compressor, preferably of the turbo-centrifugal type, by means of which air as the working fluid is compressed into a heating 50 chamber where heat is added by the combustion of fuel. The air is then expanded through apparatus designed to absorb sufficient of the work of expansion to drive the compressor, and which consists 55 of a turbine rotor, and which is on the same shaft as or connected with the compressing mechanism. The air then passes through a suitably designed tunnel or nozzles to the atmosphere, either having 60 velocity as a result of its expansion through the expansion apparatus, or being capable of further expansion through suitably designed nozzles at the rear, or both. The invention will now be described with aid of the accompanying drawing 65 and diagram in which:— Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the cycle of energy or thermal cycle on which the invention relies fundamentally. Fig. 2 is a part-section showing dia- 70 grammatically a preferred form of the invention, applicable to the propulsion of aircraft. The thermal cycle employed which is shown in Fig. 1 is a pressure-volume dia- 75 gram in which: AG represents the atmospheric line. DC represents compression. CE represents heating at constant pres- 80 sure. EF represents that portion of expansion which is utilised to do the work of compression. FG represents the expansion to the atmosphere providing thrust by fluid re- 85 action. The device consists of a compressor having casing “1” intake passages 2, a rotor “3”, with bucket rings “4” working in conjunction with stator 90 bucket or nozzle rings “5” inside the casing “1” and centrifugal radial blading “7” and diffusers “8” through which the output is delivered under pressure through header or collector ring 95 “9” into combustion or heating chambers “10” in which fuel is burnt. This may be heavy oil or other fuel burning at jets “11”. The chambers “10” are preferably lagged or otherwise heat insu- 100 lated to conserve heat energy, and perhaps lined with refractory material. The heated gases pass into a collector or header “12” from chambers “10” which are of any suitable number and 105 disposition. From header “12” the gases expand through a turbine “13” with buckets “14” and stator “15”, the turbine rotor “13” being fast on the spindle “16”, which is also the driving 110 spindle of the compressor rotor “3”. | ||