US3774864A — Cargo aircraft having increased payload capacity …

Claim 1

Independent Claim 278 words

An aircraft comprising a wing having tip-mounted outer bodies each terminating aft in an empennage unit consisting of a fixed vertical surface with a hinged rudder and a fixed horizontal surface mounted on top of said vertical surface with a hinged elevator, and a center body located midway between said outer bodies; said center body having a generally unobstructed interior constituting a cargo compartment, an access opening in at least one end of said center body adapted for on-and-off cargo loading, and a removable door for each said center body opening; said wing having a substantially constant chord length, a sweep back angle, an airfoil section having a thickness to chord ratio in the range of 15 -25 percent, an internal structure defined by the external aircraft skin and comprising at least two vertical webs each extending spanwise and disposed at and along a constant chord location with the most forward and most rearward webs connected to ribs extending substantially in a chordwise direction and to said skin, at least one open cell extending spanwise of said wing between said outer bodies and bonded by chordwise panels attached to the inner face of said skin and interrupted centrally to define an interior height and width corresponding to predetermined size cargo to be placed therein, an access opening in the wall of each said outer body remote from the associated wing cell aforesaid affording entry thereto from the exterior of the aircraft, said opening having cross-sectional dimensions equal to those of the adjacent end of said cell and in substantial alignment therewith for on and off cargo loading, and a removable door adapted to close each said outerbody opening.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 278 words

An aircraft comprising a wing having tip-mounted outer bodies each terminating aft in an empennage unit consisting of a fixed vertical surface with a hinged rudder and a fixed horizontal surface mounted on top of said vertical surface with a hinged elevator, and a center body located midway between said outer bodies; said center body having a generally unobstructed interior constituting a cargo compartment, an access opening in at least one end of said center body adapted for on-and-off cargo loading, and a removable door for each said center body opening; said wing having a substantially constant chord length, a sweep back angle, an airfoil section having a thickness to chord ratio in the range of 15 -25 percent, an internal structure defined by the external aircraft skin and comprising at least two vertical webs each extending spanwise and disposed at and along a constant chord location with the most forward and most rearward webs connected to ribs extending substantially in a chordwise direction and to said skin, at least one open cell extending spanwise of said wing between said outer bodies and bonded by chordwise panels attached to the inner face of said skin and interrupted centrally to define an interior height and width corresponding to predetermined size cargo to be placed therein, an access opening in the wall of each said outer body remote from the associated wing cell aforesaid affording entry thereto from the exterior of the aircraft, said opening having cross-sectional dimensions equal to those of the adjacent end of said cell and in substantial alignment therewith for on and off cargo loading, and a removable door adapted to close each said outerbody opening.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 42 words

The aircraft of claim 1 including spanwise rollers in the corners of each said cell supported by said chordwise panels and said vertical spanwise webs to facilitate the movement of said cargo units thereover after admittance into one of said access openings.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 37 words

The aircraft oF claim 1 wherein said wing further includes a floor structure supported on said chordwise panels attached to the adjacent skin with the intervening space between the floor structure and skin forming a fluid-tight compartment.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 115 words

The aircraft of claim 1 wherein said wing further includes internal spanwise curved diaphragms capable of resisting predetermined internal pressures and combining to enclose the open cargo along the forward, rearward and upward boundaries, the radius of curvature of each upper diaphragm and that of the remote, opposite skin portion being greater than that of the forward and rearward diaphragms, and said webs serve to resist the tension loads created by internal pressure acting against the adjoining differently curved diaphragms, a spanwise walkway between each said web and the associated forward and rearward curved diaphragms to permit the passage of personnel, and at least one cutout in each web to permit crossover between said walkways.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 69 words

The aircraft of claim 1 including a plurality of turbine-driven fan type engines each mounted in a forward position on the upper surface of said wing, the turbine exhaust and fan exhaust streams being separately ducted in a rearward direction with the turbine exhaust duct enclosed in the fan exhaust duct from which it emerges in a constricted nozzle and the fan exhaust duct terminates in a constricted nozzle.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 100 words

The aircraft of claim 5 including a spanwise duct for the passage of compressed air located immediately aft of said cargo cells and terminating rearwardly in a slot forming a nozzle located adjacent the upper surface of a hinged flap defining the trailing edge of said wing, and a pair of diverter valves one located immediately forward of said fan exhaust nozzle and the other located in an opening between said rearward fan exhaust duct and said spanwise duct, said valves being operative to direct the fan exhaust stream alternatively through said fan exhaust nozzle and through said slot nozzle.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 34 words

The aircraft of claim 6 wherein said slot nozzle is defined by a pair of hinged vanes operable to selectively and alternatively define a rearwardly directed nozzle and a forwardly and upwardly directed nozzle.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 56 words

The aircraft of claim 7 further including an opening in said turbine exhaust duct forwardly of its constricted nozzle, a valve adjacent said exhaust duct nozzle operative to selectively and alternatively direct turbine exhaust gas through said constricted nozzle in an aft direction relative to said aircraft and through said opening in a relatively forward direction.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 118 words

The aircraft of claim 6 further including an extension duct connected to said spanwise duct at each outer end thereof and contained within each said fixed vertical and horizontal empennage surface, each said extension duct being located adjacent the associated hinged rudder and elevator and terminating in a slot forming a nozzle located adjacent each external surface of said associated rudder and elevator, said rudder and said elevator being formed with a first surface in contact with and overlying so as to close said slot nozzles on each side thereof when disposed in its neutral position and a second surface in spaced relation to a slot nozzle on one side only thereof when displaced from its neutral position.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 94 words

The aircraft of claim 6 further including an extension duct connected to said spanwise duct at each outer end thereof and contained within each said fixed vertical and horizontal empennage surface, a portion of each said extension duct within each said horizontal empennage surface being located immediately forward of the associated hinged elevator and incorporating a continuous slot forming a nozzle located adjacent each external surface of said associated elevator designed and adapted to discharge exhaust air along only one of said external elevator surfaces when said elevator is displaced from its neutral position.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 81 words

The aircraft of claim 6 further including an extension duct connected to said spanwise duct at each outer end thereof and contained within each said fixed vertical empennage surface and located immediately forward of the associated hinged rudder, said extension duct incorporating a continuous slot forming a nozzle located adjacent each external surface of said associated rudder designed and adapted to discharge exhaust air along only one of said external rudder surfaces when said rudder is displaced from its neutral position.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 72 words

The aircraft of claim 6 wherein each of said outer bodies and said center body incorporates an air cushion to support the weight of said aircraft on adjacent surfaces by creating distributed reaction pressure acting between the underside of said bodies and said supporting surfaces, said pressure being provided by the explusion of compressed air from said engine fan ducts through said spanwise duct into an inflatable elastomeric trunk having peripheral holes.

Claim 14

Dependent Claim 43 words

The aircraft of claim 6 wherein said sweep back angle is between 30*-40* beginning at the sides of the center body and including an incident angle relative to the plane of the surface supporting the aircraft of between about 3 and 8 percent.

Claim 15

Dependent Claim 16 words

The aircraft of claim 13 wherein said wing has substantially zero dihedral and no significant taper.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 22 words

The aircraft of claim 1 wherein three vertical webs are employed located at 20, 40, and 60 percent, respectively, of the chord.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 60 words

The aircraft of claim 6 further including an attachment of continuous elastic fabric secured at and along the outermost edge defining the planform of said wing and at and along the undersurface of said wing inwardly of and substantially parallel to said planform edge, and duct means between said spanwise duct and the portion of said wing underlying said attachment.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1976-11-26	1977-05-28	1977-11-27	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1980-11-26	1981-05-28	1981-11-27	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1984-11-26	1985-05-28	1985-11-27	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Cargo aircraft having increased payload capacity versus weight

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