Inventions That Changed The Way We Think

http://www.aoxj32.dsl.pipex.com/NewFiles/Frank Whittle.html

His parents Moses Whittle, of Kay Street, and Sarah Garlick, of Durham Street, both from Bolton Lancashire, were married at the Primitive Methodist Chapel on Higher Bridge Street on August 17, 1905. Both were 22 years old.

The couple are believed to have met at a local mill where Sarah worked as a card room hand, todays computer programmer, and Moses a mill mechanic. They stayed in Bolton just a short time before moving to Coventry, where Frank was born.

From the age of four to the age of 15 years & 6 months, when FW entered the RAF as an aircraft apprentice fitter/rigger, he had been under the influence of his father and his business.

FW Time Line:

Parents married in Bolton (age 22), 17/08/1905

Frank born Coventry, 01/07/1907

Moved to Leamington ,1916

Started schooling at Milverton school, unknown

At RLS High School, 1918

Fathers business failed Left School, unknown

Enters RAF, 01/09/1923

Axial compressor, (AA Griffith) 1926 Turboprop

FW Solo flight, 1927

First thesis on flight (motorjet), 1928

Finished Cranwell, 01/08/1928

Posted 111 Squadron, 27/081928

Central Flying school, 1929

Centrifugal compressor (fanjet), 08/1929

Met Pat Johnson, 1929

Griffith rejects fanjet as impracticable, 1929

Married, 24/05/1930

Patent (submitted), 16/01/1930

Posted to Felixstowe, 08/1931

Patent granted, 1932

Posted Henlow engineering course, 08/1932

Cambridge in, 1934

Formed Power Jets LTD with Tilling, 03/1936

Cambridge out, 1936

1^st working engine W1, 12/04/1937 earliest at Rugby

1^st flight Heinkel, 178 24/08/1939 earliest

1^st flight W1/2, 15/05/1941 manufacturing at Lutterworth

1^st flight XP-59A Aircomet, 08/1942

N.B. These dates are as accurate as I can get them at the present.

There were three issues to overcome before the engine could leave the test bed for the sky: 1. Fuel injection, 2. Bearing, 2. Surging

http://drive.123-reg.co.uk/F/5022885-166930853

Here is the second tranche of Whittle's papers showing the diagrams and designs.

FW's father seemed to be a great influence on his son Frank. His father was a self taught engineering type working as a foreman in Coventry; then buying his own company in Leamington Spa. He taught young Frank the rudiments of engineering through engineering drawing on a Sunday and later on as a machinist in his business, presumably Frank helped out with drawings and specifications. I wonder how many drawings Frank corrected or upgraded for his father's business? This could have been the foundation of Frank's inventiveness; it must be remembered here that FW was still only in his early teens?

Even at that it still took FW some years to come to the jet engine, in fact the idea did not occur until he was serving a stint as a flying instruction in the RAF in 1928/29.

He had earlier written a thesis called 'Future Developments in Aircraft Design'. This discusses the possibilities of rocket propulsion and gas turbines driving propellers.

It was not until the instructors course, which includes weight of plane, forward thrust and lift that the ideas must have formed, especially seeing the performance of planes and pilots at first hand: then going on to understand the theory of lift and atmospheric/stratospheric flight.

It was the genius of thrust and lift without propeller effort that put FW above the ordinary person.

FW also seems to have been a person that liked pushing the boundaries of life.

So in all maybe we have here the recipe of life that gave the world this invention?

http://www-g.eng.cam.ac.uk/125/achievements/whittle/telgraph.htm

To gain the insight into the thinking of FW we need first of all to have an overview of his life. The site above has a very good brief on this, that is a mini biography. In paragraphs 9 & 10 we see the origins of FW's engineering, but was it natural or taught? I believe it was both, if it wasn't he would not have taken the teaching from his father nor carried it on with such passion later. The question is would the turbine have come about if there was no passion for engineering? So was the passion taught or not and what is the difference between engineers with passion for what they do and one who is simply taught?

Some of the original theory that Frank Whittle went through as the proof of the ability of the gas turbine is simple engineering and fairly easy to follow even at the technician level. With the advantage of 60+ years we can obviously see ways to improve on the original. Some of the initial comments raised in the first few pages of the theory are for the future. As we are now in that future with the intervening technology at our disposal the interest of this blog is to take this invention and think it through with the inventor and look at his ways and methods and throwaway comments that may be applicable now. There is much material, which is to be expected, as this was a big leap both in technology and investment, the leap in social advancement was yet future.

The first file of Whittle papers are at this location:

http://drive.123-reg.co.uk/F/5022885-166927839

As the blog is progressing I shall track comments with a programme called mindmanager the free reader is located at:

https://www.mindjet.com/resources/downloads/mm_viewer_plugin.aspx

I shall post the map at significant contributions or the 1st of the month.

An interesting point comes-up on page 7 of the first file where Whittle describes friction free flight. This would be the 'Pot of Gold' today.