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Author Topic: John Crocker's diamond airfoil  (Read 1301 times)

Offline minnesotamodeler

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John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« on: January 19, 2008, 05:13:41 PM »
Calling John Crocker!  Here, finally, is the start of the framing of a wing using your spar-less diamond airfoil concept.  Mine's not really spar-less, as you'll note, is carries a 3/4" tall thin spar in the interior of the wing.

The concept as I saw (and see) it is: A nominally diamond airfoil, extra thick, no surface spars to allow the covering to sag significantly between the ribs--point being, it will assume a more typical curved airfoil in those spaces. The ribs may even act as wing fences to control tip vortices, etc. So you have the best of both worlds: A wing that nearly falls together, any flat surfaces serves as a "jig", yet good lift as from a curved airfoil.  The shape of the intermediate airfoil (at the sags) could be controlled by moving the high point of the diamond, more experimenting is needed on that. 

The wing is being built on the planform of my new Rumbler (pictured below in bones), except I will probably leave off the half-ribs to allow the full sag of the covering material.

Come Spring, I'll be making some flight reports.  So far I must say this is the easiest framing-up I've ever done.  Didn't even use any pins, the ribs just sat right down on the TE.

Thanks for the idea, John!

--Ray
--Ray 
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Offline Marvin Denny

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Re: John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2008, 06:22:43 PM »
  Is this going to be for some sort of combat. stunt, or sport.
  also what is the fuselage made from?

 Bigiron
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Offline minnesotamodeler

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Re: John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2008, 06:38:48 PM »
  Is this going to be for some sort of combat. stunt, or sport.
  also what is the fuselage made from?

 Bigiron

Well, the model I'm trying it out on is a combat wing...no fuselage, just motor mount up front and monoboom of sorts behind.

 I chose this design because of ease and speed of construction; also I want to see how it compares with a more conventional airfoiled wing, of which I have several to measure it against.

Note the pictures above--they are not all of the same plane; the last pic is a conventionally-airfoiled version of the same design, typical of what I'll be comparing it with.

Sorry for any confusion.

--Ray
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Roseville MN (St. Paul suburb, Arctic Circle)
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Offline Will Hinton

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Re: John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2008, 11:01:31 AM »
Ray,
Back in the late 1960's we were doing what is now called speed limit combat as a club, only we allowed any profile as long as it used a plain bearing 35 and 60 foot lines with FAI fuel and someone published a plane with this type of airfoil so I built one to try it.  It was very successful!  Flew just as good as the Goldberg profiles most of us had been flying and truly was fast to build.
I think you'll be pleased with your results. y1 y1 y1
Blessings,
Will
John 5:24   www.fcmodelers.com

Offline minnesotamodeler

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Re: John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2008, 04:28:54 PM »
Solomon said it, huh, Will? "Nothing new under the sun...the thing that has been, shall be..."

Always interesting to see how old some of these "new" concepts really are. 

Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll let you know in the Spring how accurate our "thinks" are.

--Ray
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Offline minnesotamodeler

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Re: John Crocker's diamond airfoil
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2008, 08:53:11 PM »
That "diamond" airfoil remeinds me of Riley Wootens Demon combat wing. Or was it the Sneeker. Anyway, I built them both, and the diamond airfoil was far quicker to build for a combat wing. <= y1 #^

Ty, back in my combat days I built a Demon also (that's the diamond a/f, not the Sneeker))--difference being, it used spars at the high point to maintain the diamond shape...John's airfoil lacks them, allowing the covering to sag into a more conventional airfoil between the ribs.
The ribs are extra tall (thick airfoil) to allow space for the sag.  It's really quite a different concept, interesting to me obviously.

Not that I'm knocking Riley's Demon..it did build up quickly, and flew competitively for its time. And I designed and kit a model with diamond airfoil like Riley's with exterior spars, my sport plane "LilDiamond" (pic below). Diamond airfoils are interesting; this hybrid version even more so.

--Ray

--Ray 
Roseville MN (St. Paul suburb, Arctic Circle)
AMA902472


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