Siemens-Schuckert 1908 test rig

[Stargazer]

While browsing through unpreviously sorted documents saved from the web, I came across this strange contraption.

All that I know is that it was from the German Siemens-Schuckert company.

Can anyone identify it and/or date it?

 

[hesham]

What is your source ?.

 

[Stargazer]

Did you read what I wrote? "Saved from the web". I have no idea where to find it now!

 

[Jemiba]

Absolutely not sure, but a dark corner in my old memory says, that it was meant as a
kind of "eletric observation balloon", or at least should lead to a tethered, man-carrying
helicopter. Think, I saw it before in a German magazine, but again, I'm not sure.

 

[Michel Van]

My guess is that a Tether "Helicopter", if this a siemens product then test for a mobile transmitter mast/captive ballon.

i know in 1930s AEG tested such concepts for military and Civilian use. so why not it's competitor also ?

 

[Jemiba]

The AEG tethered helicopter is shown here : http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/aeg.php
I may be wrong, but looking at the photo, at the shape of the rotor and at te guy to the left,
I have the feeling, that this photo was taken earlier, than during the 1930s.
But I was wrong, too, with my memories, as I actually found that article about a tethered helicopter
from WW I: It wasn't a German, but an Austrian-Hungarian design, drawn by Lieutenant Petrócz in
1916, it wasn't electrially powered, but by three rotary engines and built the Öffag (Österreichische
Flugzeugfabrik A.G.). And it had contra rotating rotors, see phot from Flugzeug Classic July 2008.
But the system was already tried in WW I !

 

[Michel Van]

...I may be wrong, but looking at the photo, at the shape of the rotor and at te guy to the left, I have the feeling, that this photo was taken earlier, than during the 1930s...

Your are right, jemiba
the man on left on picture has what germans called "Stehkragen" a stand up collar
popular during German empire, this fashion came out of date during Weimar Republic.


in this case, this picture is made between 1903 and 1918, my theory is now that's is a engine on Test-stand

 

[Jemiba]

... my theory is now that's is a engine on Test-stand

May well be, especially as it's just a single rotor without any means to counter torque.

 

[Stargazer]

Finally found the source document for the image I posted:
http://hubtest.kulturserver-nds.de/medien/Foto-und-Tabelle%20Textunten.pdf.htm

According to the main page that links this document, the type may be a SIEMENS Bourcart device of 1908, but I guess a German speaker (Jens, are you there?) could really tell for sure.

 

[Michel Van]

hi Stargazer2006

the link is redirected to here: http://kulturserver-nds.de/home/hubtest/medien/Foto-und-Tabelle%20Textunten.pdf

on PDF there no indication about Siemens Bourcart device
well that is a Siemens-Schuckert document were test objective is cut off in Pdf.
all you can read is Siemens-Schuckert blade/wing...

Translation on German text
first row : Date, series of letters for data, comment
second row: original blade wide
Comment: hub to up, west wind , south east
Third row: form rearward blade edge 7 m/m cut off or stripped away (not clear to read)
Comment: West.
four row: cut off (or stripped away) blade edge reenforced
Comments: East, calm or silently ?, east, south, calm or silently ?,south.

on date the test were made from 7 december 1908 to january or February 1909.

in this data http://kulturserver-nds.de/home/hubtest/medien/Bourcart5x.pdf
lockade the 1909 Test side Bornstedter Feld at Potsdam near Berlin
the text mention engine for a Siemens-Schuckert werk Zeppelins

now this is very interesting then, could this blade used for a Zeppelin engine pod ?

 

[Jemiba]

Stéphane has solved the riddle, congratulations !
The apparatus was used for testing of propellers in a research by the Siemens-Schuckert company,
leading engineer was Mr Bourcart. Researched parameters (at least some of them) were the width,
inclination and angle of attackof the prop blades.
The complete report (in German) can be found here http://kulturserver-nds.de/home/hubtest/medien/Bericht%20Texte1-33%20Text%20und%20Bilder.pdf
especially interesting are the problems mentioned, e.g. splintering of prop blades and shafts, which
were bent when delivered.

 

[Michel Van]

obvious on complex question is the answer easy.

here testing of propellers

in 1908 is just 5 years ago that first propeller aircraft has take off.
there allot research to do in mechanics of the propellers still to do.