London Blitz vs V1

Its my understanding that the ramps looked like a ski-jump
rather than a ski.

They headed downward before turning up? What a hoot!

Still, I was taught to do something similar when taking off from a
short field: head in the wribg direction, hit the right brake at the
last moment, then start the real takeoff run with a bit of momentum.
Called a J Takeoff.

Same logic here?

all the best -- Dan Ford
email:

see the Warbird's Forum at www.warbirdforum.com
and the Piper Cub Forum at www.pipercubforum.com

Cub Driver wrote in message . ..
Its my understanding that the ramps looked like a ski-jump
rather than a ski.

They headed downward before turning up? What a hoot!

Still, I was taught to do something similar when taking off from a
short field: head in the wribg direction, hit the right brake at the
last moment, then start the real takeoff run with a bit of momentum.
Called a J Takeoff.

Same logic here?

Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
in a curved steel tube.

Incidentally I have found a near complete set of drawings for an early
V1 ski-site. All I now need is planning permission from the local
council. And explain that the fact that the ramp being aligned with
the houses of parliament is purely coincidental and I'm in business!
Maybe not. Especially after the fuss they kicked up when I wanted to
test my homemade H-bomb.

Eugene

Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

....

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?
Thanks.

Merlin Dorfman wrote in message ...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?

The pulse jet was started on the ground. It gave increasing thrust as
the ram effect increased but in a static state did not give enough
thrust to get the beast into the air. For this purpuse a steam
catapult was employed. 125 foot long and consisting of a tube with a
slot in it upper surface. A piston with a fin like projection was
inserted into the tube, the fin sticking through the slot and engaging
with a lug in the V1. There was a sealing strip, fed through the
piston, to close the slot. This strip was held in place by the
internal pressure of the steam. Firing consisted of running up the
pulse jet, and then launching the V1 - using approximately 220 pounds
of hydrogen peroxide decomposed with potassium permangate to generate
the steam. Launch velocity was around 105 metres per second. The
piston fell away as it emerged from the launch tube and could be
reused if undamaged. The score marks made by these pistons often gave
PRU vital clues as to where a launch site was. I cannot get a
reliable length for the piston - but it was fairly long. From
photographs I would judge it to be more than half the length of the
V1.

Eugene

Merlin Dorfman wrote in message ...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?

http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/v1.html

has a number of V1 pictures showing the launch pistons.

Merlin Dorfman wrote in message ...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?
Thanks.


The Argus-Schmidt pulsejet was incapable of launching the V-1 by
itself so a steam-driven piston got it moving off the launch ramp at
an appreciable speed which gave enough forward energy to open the duct
flaps and commence the pulse detonation cycle.
The V-1 firing on the ramp does not mean it was operable. It was fired
for exactly 7 seconds to warm it up to operating temperature.
Afterwards, T-Stoff and Z-Stoff were remotely pumped into the steam
generation vessel. Pressure built up until it was sufficient to shear
a restraining bolt sending the launch piston up the tube carrying the
launch trolley and missile with it. By the time it reached the end of
the track (.5 seconds later) the missile had been accelerated at a
rate of 16g up to 250 mph with the pulse jet running independently.
On another thread there is dispute that a pulsejet is a form of
ramjet. I think the description of the firing of the V-1 proves
otherwise.

Rob

"Merlin Dorfman" wrote in message
...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?
Thanks.


The pulse jet was started on the ground, the catapult was needed
for the same reason catapults were used on aircraft carriers
and aboard cruisers for launching seaplanes, it enabled the
use of a short ramp.

Keith

(robert arndt) wrote in message . com...
Merlin Dorfman wrote in message ...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?
Thanks.


The Argus-Schmidt pulsejet was incapable of launching the V-1 by
itself so a steam-driven piston got it moving off the launch ramp at
an appreciable speed which gave enough forward energy to open the duct
flaps and commence the pulse detonation cycle.
The V-1 firing on the ramp does not mean it was operable. It was fired
for exactly 7 seconds to warm it up to operating temperature.
Afterwards, T-Stoff and Z-Stoff were remotely pumped into the steam
generation vessel. Pressure built up until it was sufficient to shear
a restraining bolt sending the launch piston up the tube carrying the
launch trolley and missile with it. By the time it reached the end of
the track (.5 seconds later) the missile had been accelerated at a
rate of 16g up to 250 mph with the pulse jet running independently.
On another thread there is dispute that a pulsejet is a form of
ramjet. I think the description of the firing of the V-1 proves
otherwise.

The priciples of the pulse jet were well understood by scientists. In
1906 an certain engineer by name of Karavodine had constructed and run
a simple tube pulse jet. Schmidt, during the period 1928 - 1930,
added spring-loaded flaps. He was awarded two British patents, in
1931, for his improved pulse jet and even forwarded a proposal for a
flying bomb to the German Air Ministry in 1934. When Argus started
work on its pulse jet they were unaware of Schmidt's work and started
from first principles. It was only after their third experimental
model that somebody at the Air Ministry remembered Schmidt's work and
Argus was then able to use Schmidt's spring-flap valves to produce a
satisfactory engine.

In article ,
Eugene Griessel wrote:
A piston with a fin like projection was
inserted into the tube, the fin sticking through the slot and engaging
with a lug in the V1. There was a sealing strip, fed through the
piston, to close the slot. This strip was held in place by the
internal pressure of the steam.

That sounds complicated in a very German way Any idea why they didn't
use a small solid booster?

Eugene

-bertil-
--
"It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyond-the-fringe political view or
strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an
exercise for your kill-file."

On 18 Jan 2004 21:48:27 -0800, (robert arndt) wrote:

Merlin Dorfman wrote in message ...
Eugene Griessel ) wrote:

...

: Mmmmm - the steel piston which ran in the tube of the V1 launch ramp
: and was powered by steam was quite a a long object. About 16 foot or
: somewhere thereabouts. It would be interesting to see how this worked
: in a curved steel tube.

Is there a Web resource that explains how the V1 was boosted
into the air? Was the pulse jet engine capable of being started on
the ground or was it started after the missile had attained a
certain air speed?
Thanks.


The Argus-Schmidt pulsejet was incapable of launching the V-1 by
itself so a steam-driven piston got it moving off the launch ramp at
an appreciable speed which gave enough forward energy to open the duct
flaps and commence the pulse detonation cycle.
The V-1 firing on the ramp does not mean it was operable. It was fired
for exactly 7 seconds to warm it up to operating temperature.
Afterwards, T-Stoff and Z-Stoff were remotely pumped into the steam
generation vessel. Pressure built up until it was sufficient to shear
a restraining bolt sending the launch piston up the tube carrying the
launch trolley and missile with it. By the time it reached the end of
the track (.5 seconds later) the missile had been accelerated at a
rate of 16g up to 250 mph with the pulse jet running independently.
On another thread there is dispute that a pulsejet is a form of
ramjet. I think the description of the firing of the V-1 proves
otherwise.

Rob

Wrong. The V-1 engine could operate at zero velocity, thus it was
definitely NOT a "ram jet". No one, other than herr Arndt, referrers
to a V-1 as having a "ram jet" engine.

Al Minyard