Dornier Rs I
The Dornier Rs I was a three -engined biplane flying boat on Lake of the resident aircraft manufacturer Dornier works from the period of the First World War. With a wingspan of 43.50 m the Rs I was at that time the largest aircraft in the world. After unsuccessful attempts, including a change of the engine assembly, crack on December 21, 1915 Föhnsturm the plane of its Verankerungsboje and destroyed it in a rocky shore. The machine was internally referred to as " ZWR ", which is probably for " Zeppelin works giant flying boat " or " Zeppelin water giant aircraft " stood. Also were the symbol " FS.I " for " flying boat I" or " airplane Seemoos I" in use. Only later was called the machine retroactively " Rs I " (giant sea plane I).
History
In 1914, Graf Zeppelin instructed the head of its research department Claude Dornier with the development of giant flying boats, whose structure should be designed in metal construction. Flying boats in composite construction, however, were already under the direction of Alexander Baumann Versuchsbau Gotha -Ost and later built in the Zeppelin Staaken shipyard. Dornier had gained the skills necessary for developing experience with the use of steel and duralumin in the then new aircraft for transactions carried out since 1911, systematic studies of the strength of provided for the airship metal profiles. Development and construction were financed entirely by Zeppelin Group without a government contract.
While work initially took place even in the so-called Carboniumwerk on the grounds of air Zeppelin GmbH in Friedrichshafen, pulled the "Department Thu " then to the nearby shipyard Seemoos, where the construction of the flying boat began in January 1915. Because of war -related shortage of personnel, Ludwig Prandtl introduced the aerodynamic tests on the Göttingen model experimental station by himself. Towing tests to optimize the shape of a boat took place in Berlin in the Royal Laboratory of Hydraulics and shipbuilding. The testing on the water began in October 1915, there were fundamental insights for the construction of large flying boats won. However, to a flight test, there was not, because on December 21, 1915, a storm destroyed the device. The project was subsequently abandoned because you looked at a reconstruction to be too expensive, and also the previous attempts could not satisfy. The focus was then to work on a successor already in the development.
Construction
In the structural design initially used the average of the three Maybach HS engines drove a pusher propeller directly, while the two lateral propellers were connected via drive shafts with the two housed in the fuselage engines. After the first taxi tests on 12 October 1915 speeds of 40-50 km / h were reached on the 15th and 16th of the month on the water. However, the talk was not possible. After difficulties with the remote operator and a resulting damage to the upper wing, Dornier had run all three engines in nacelles between the wings. Among themselves they were connected to a catwalk, so that even in flight maintenance was possible. The rolling tests in this interpretation ended on December 21 by a motor accident with damage to the wings and hull. The following night the machine was destroyed due to a storm.
For the entire structural steel has been widely used for highly stressed and Dural claimed for fewer components. The hull had a width of 3.50 m and was a half-timbered framework of transverse frames and longitudinal girders. The boot upper part and the rear part of the tail boom was covered with fabric. The wings were steel spars, ribs duralumin and were covered with fabric. On the lower surface were outside support swimmers who were also made of duralumin. The tail unit was designed in standard design ( a height and a vertical tail ) and braces to increase stability. The tailplane was braced against the side fin.