Means and method of rotor augmented lift for airplanes

Abstract

An aircraft having a wing provided with a semicircular recess in its trailing edge. A powered rotor rotatable about the axis of the recess and having blades whose tips extend close to the semicircular edge below the upper surface of the wing. The rotor produces direct upward thrust on the aircraft and also creates low pressure over the wing and higher pressure below the wing to augment the direct upward thrust of the rotor. Centrifugally moving air impinges on the edge surface of the recess to produce forward thrust. .Iadd.

I claim: 
     
       1. In an aircraft: a generally horizontal lift producing wing .[.structure.]. .Iadd.portion which produces a lifting force when moved through air, said lift producing wing portion .Iaddend.having a leading edge, a trailing edge and generally horizontally extending upper and lower surfaces, at least a portion of said trailing edge being configured to define a semicircle about a vertical axis.[.;.]..Iadd., .Iaddend.a power driven rotor mounted for rotation about said axis and having generally radial blades below said upper surface extending to close proximity to but .Iadd.spaced .Iaddend.radially inwardly of said trailing edge and arranged to produce downward air flow at said trailing edge .Iadd.said radial blades being rotatable in a plane which intersects said trailing edge, the region rearwardly of said rotor and between said rotor and said trailing edge being free of air directing means whereby said rotor produces direct upward thrust on said aircraft and also creates a low pressure flow field across said upper surface and a high pressure flow field across said lower surface to thereby produce additional lift for said aircraft. 
     
     
       2. An aircraft as defined in claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said trailing edge defining said semicircle defines a generally upstanding and generally rearwardly facing surface radially outwardly of said blades whereby air thrown radially outwardly by said blades produces forward thrust on said aircraft. 
     
     
       3. An aircraft as defined in claim 1 including further means thereon for producing forward thrust on said aircraft, independently of operation of said rotor. .Iadd. 4. In an aircraft: a wing structure for producing lift as it moves in a forward direction through the air, said wing structure including a generally horizontal lift producing wing portion which produces the substantial part of the lift when moved through the air in a forward direction, said lift producing wing portion having a leading edge, a trailing edge and generally horizontally extending upper and lower surfaces, said upper surface having air moving there across at a velocity relative thereto as said wing portion moves in a forward direction and a pressure build up occurring beneath said lower surface, at least a portion of said trailing edge of said wing portion being configured to define a semicircle about a vertical axis, means for augmenting the lift produced by said horizontal producing wing portion including a power driven rotor mounted for rotation about said axis and having generally radial blades extending to close proximity to but spaced radially inwardly of said trailing edge and producing downward airflow at said trailing edge of the wing portion while the wing portion is moving in a forward direction to increase the velocity of airflow across the upper surface of said wing portion and increase the pressure beneath said wing portion, at least a portion of said trailing edge defining said semicircle also defining a generally upstanding and generally rearwardly facing surface radially outwardly of said blades whereby air thrown radially outwardly by said blade produces forward thrust on said aircraft, means for supporting the radial blades so that at all times the plane of rotation of the blade intersects the trailing edge of said wing portion, the tips of said radial blades being located within the depth of the trailing edge during rotation thereof, the line of intersection of the plane of rotation of said blades and the trailing edge of the wing lies in a plane parallel to the forward direction of movement of the wing portion, the plane of the rotor being above the mid-height plane of the trailing edge of the wing portion, the region rearwardly of said rotor and between said rotor and said trailing edge being free of air directing means, the chord distribution of the wing portion being such that the span of the wing portion which lies in front of the semicircle has substantial lift producing characteristics, said semicircle in the trailing edge of said wing portion subtending approximately one-half of the figure of revolution generated by said rotor whereby said rotor produces direct upward thrust on said aircraft and also creates a low pressure field across said upper surface and a high pressure flow field across said lower surface to thereby produce additional lift for said aircraft, and additional means on said aircraft for producing forward thrust on said aircraft while said rotor is rotating. .Iaddend..Iadd. 5. In an aircraft: a wing structure for producing lift as it moves in a forward direction through the air, said wing structure including a generally horizontal lift producing wing portion which produces the substantial part of the lift when moved through the air in a forward direction, said lift producing wing portion having a leading edge, a trailing edge and generally horizontally extending upper and lower surfaces, said upper surface having air moving there across at a velocity relative thereto as said wing portion moves in a forward direction and a pressure build up occurring beneath said lower surface, at least a portion of said trailing edge of said wing portion being configured to define a semicircle about a vertical axis, means for augmenting the lift produced by said horizontal producing wing portion including a power driven rotor mounted for rotation about said axis and having generally radial blades extending to close proximity to but spaced radially inwardly of said trailing edge and producing downward airflow at said trailing edge of the wing portion while the wing portion is moving in a forward direction to increase the velocity of airflow across the upper surface of said wing portion and increase the pressure beneath said wing portion, at least a portion of said trailing edge defining said semicircle also defining generally upstanding and generally rearwardly facing surface radially outwardly of said blades whereby air thrown radially outwardly by said blade produces forward thrust on said aircraft, and means for supporting the radial blades so that at all times the plane of rotation of the blade intersects the trailing edge of said wing portion, the tips of said radial blades being located within the depth of the trailing edge during rotation thereof, the line of intersection of the plane of rotation of said blades and the trailing edge of the wing lies in a plane parallel to the forward direction of movement of the wing portion, the plane of the rotor being above the mid-height plane of the trailing edge of the wing portion, the region rearwardly of said rotor and between said rotor and said trailing edge being free of air directing means, the chord distribution of the wing portion being such that the span of the wing portion which lies in front of the semicircle has substantial lift producing characteristics, said semicircle in the trailing edge of said wing portion subtending approximately one-half of the figure of revolution generated by said rotor whereby said rotor produces direct upward thrust on said aircraft and also creates a low pressure field across said upper surface and a high pressure flow field across said lower surface to thereby produce additional lift for said aircraft. .Iaddend.