Frederick William Lanchester

Name: Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX
Author: Frederick William Lanchester

Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

Summary

“Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX”, published in 1916, is a work by Frederick William Lanchester. It explores elements such as bullet, burster and impact.

Quotes from Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (Frederick William Lanchester)

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ The art of designing an expanding bullet is so to proportion things that under the average conditions the degree of expansion is that found to be most desirable; thus the depth of the hole, or the extent of the slits, or the amount of the sheath cut away may be varied to whatever extent desired. The object to be attained is that the bullet shall expend its whole energy in inflicting the maximum possible injury, but at the same time it must not go to pieces or spread to such an extent that its penetration is lacking. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ Any bullet is considered an expanding bullet if it be so made as to spread or mushroom on impact with its objective. But it is more usual to restrict the term to bullets having some special provision artificially to assist or facilitate their expansion, and, generally speaking, the objective is assumed to be game or other living quarry of some description. Evidently, if the target be hard enough, every bullet will expand to some degree. The means usually adopted in the case of the solid-lead bullet is to drill or form a hollow in the nose, as familiar to all who have used the sporting rifle. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ It is evident that, for the purpose under contemplation, the destruction of the less substantial structural parts of aeroplanes, etc., if we are able to secure the proper and immediate expansion of the bullet on impact without the use of an explosive charge, every useful purpose will be served. The bullet energy, even reduced to about one-quarter of its initial value by 1,000 yards flight, is more than sufficient, if definitely expended in the impact, to destroy any strut or spar or other light constructional part, without any aid from an explosive charge. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ One of the main factors contributing to the spreading or expansion of a bullet is the centrifugal force of the bullet itself; all that is required of the impact is so to break down the structure of the bullet as to permit it to expand. The direction of motion of the peripheral portions of the bullet make at all points an angle with the axis of flight at least equal to the angle of the rifling, which is commonly about 1 in 10 to 1 in 12. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ It might be imagined that the employment of some higher explosive would give a capacity of greater direct bursting energy, but the high explosive is not so called by reason of any greater total energy content, but rather on the effects of its rapidity of action ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ Taking this as a criterion, it is clear that if we can obtain the necessary rapidity of expansion, there is ample energy in a single hit to sever any ordinary wing or similar structural member.
§ 63. The Light Weight Shell. Apart from the question of the explosive or expansible bullet, we have already seen that the 14 oz. limit of projectile weight is an irksome restriction when we are dealing with aeroplane armament. Not only is the gun required weighty and cumbersome, but the weight of the ammunition is, save for machines of exceptional size, almost prohibitive. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ Any non-metallic structural material, such as timber, is bored cleanly through, and if initially designed with a reasonable margin of safety, the resulting injury to it is negligible. The position is similar to that which existed, before the adoption of explosive shell, in the attack on the wooden ship by the artillery or cannon of a century ago. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Frederick William Lanchester, Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (1916)

“ A desirable solution to the problem would appear to lie in the direction of a bullet composed of pellets or shot embedded in a matrix of only just sufficient strength to hold together, so that on comparatively light impact the component pellets will be released, and each will follow its individual direction of motion. ”

Frederick William Lanchester

Summary

Quotes from Aircraft in Warfare — Chapter IX (Frederick William Lanchester)

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