Military aeroplanes, simplified, enlarged; an explanatory consideration of their characteristics, performances, construction, maintenance, and operation, specifically arranged for the use of aviators and students . nd the bird are in fact aeroplanes of exactly the same type. 80 But unfortunately we have not yet succeeded in devising a typeof construction as strong and as light as the wing of a bird, with itsmarvelous beams of hollow bone structure. So that while the mono-plane is without doubt the ideal type of flying machine, considerationof the strength and weight involved in the bracing of
Military aeroplanes, simplified, enlarged; an explanatory consideration of their characteristics, performances, construction, maintenance, and operation, specifically arranged for the use of aviators and students . nd the bird are in fact aeroplanes of exactly the same type. 80 But unfortunately we have not yet succeeded in devising a typeof construction as strong and as light as the wing of a bird, with itsmarvelous beams of hollow bone structure. So that while the mono-plane is without doubt the ideal type of flying machine, considerationof the strength and weight involved in the bracing of the aeroplaneswing structure, has led very naturally to the development of combina-tions of wings which offered better arrangements for bracing. It was quite appropriate therefore for a skilled Railway BridgeEngineer, Octave Chanute, to be the first to construct an aeroplanestructure in the form of a double deck truss with strut and cross wirebracing, exactly of the type of bridge, known as a Pratt Truss. Thiscombination of an upper and lower wing fastened to each other, rigidly,is called a Biplane and is illustrated herewith. The upper wing Is less interferedwith than ihelowerwing andremains more efficient. THE BIPLANE The biplane structure has distinct advantages over the monoplane,except in the case of the very smallest machines, because distributingthe required wing area in the form of a biplane results in reducing thespan of the machine, making the chord less, improving the aspect ratioand with a more convenient for bracing. The superimposing of planes over each other has not stopped atthe biplane, but triplanes—three deckers—quadriplanes—and evenfive plane structures have been successfully used on aeroplanes. Ineach case the designer had decided that his gain in having less span,better aspect ratio, less chord, etc., fully justified the the case of large machines, the triplane arrangement has an addedstructural advantage, in that the le
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectairplanes, bookyear19
