February 24, 1938

Supplement to

AIRCRAFT ENGINEER
No. 145. XVI\

ENGINEERING SECTION

February 24, 1938

WOODEN BLADES FOR V.P. AIRSCREWS

Interesting Developments Now Taking Place May Have Far-reaching Effects

(Illustrated by " Flight " photographs) OR a great number of years the wooden airscrew held protective coverings which would withstand the effects of rain and hail, not to mention prolonged operation in humid undisputed sway. During the pioneer days of flying atmospheres, frequent spraying by sea-water, such as is wood was the ideal material for airscrews as well as associated with seaplane work, and so forth. One method for aeroplanes, its low cost and the ease with which in particular was evolved in Germany by the Schwarz it could be shaped making it particularly attractive for firm of Berlin. The British rights in this method were experimental work and for construction in small quantities. secured by the Airscrew Co., Ltd., of Weybridge, and In those days flying was done in fine weather only, and fixed-pitch wooden airscrews finished by the Schwarz prothus it did not matter that wooden airscrews were apt to ,cess are now used very extensively in the machines of the suffer severely from the effects of flying in rain or hail. Royal Air Force as well as in British civil aircraft. The As the art of flying developed, aircraft ventured out in process is well known, and consists in covering the wooden less favourable weather conditions, and the wooden airscrew blades with a layer of nitrocellulose, the material being was apt to suffer damage. Also, it was realised that its applied in sheet form and forced into the pores of the wood relatively thick blade sections were not quite as efficient under air pressure in autoclaves. as would be blades of thinner section, such as could be It was inevitable that when the variable-pitch airscrew manufactured of metal. Successful metal airscrews were introduced and gave excellent results in service. The wooden airscrew, in spite of fabric covering and/or varnished surfaces, could not compete from the point of view of durability, and its popularity began to wane. The next stage came when the speed range of aircraft had increased to such an extent that airscrews with controllable pitch were necessary if a good take-off were to be combined with high efficiency at operational speed. In view of the good service given by the fixed-pitch metal airscrew, it was natural that when the variable-pitch airscrew came to be developed it should have metal blades. Of variable-pitch airscrews with metal blades there are now several types in use and giving good service. In the meantime, the champions of the wooden airscrew had not been idle, and they had succeeded in discovering

The first stage. Impregnating a sheet of wood with synthetic resin.

Six blocks of wood being compressed under heat in the hydraulic press. Actually eight blocks can be compressed at a time.