Patents by Inventor Thomas L. Croswell, Jr.

Thomas L. Croswell, Jr. has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 3930626
    Abstract: The angular configuration of a fluid control surface, with respect to the relative direction of fluid flow, is controlled by selectively heating the structural portions of only one side of the control surface to expand the structural members on the one side with respect to the structural members on the other side for warping the control surface generally from its leading to its trailing edge. Particularly, the camber of an airplane wing is changed by this selective heating for controlling the wing portion lift. Preferably, wires extend generally from the leading edge to the trailing edge of the wing as wing structural members closely adjacent the upper and lower surfaces of the wing, with both sets of wires being prestressed to provide an intermediate camber for the wing portion when the upper and lower wires are the same temperature, a generally symmetrical wing configuration when only the lower wires are heated, and a high lift maximum camber when only the upper wires are heated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 1974
    Date of Patent: January 6, 1976
    Inventor: Thomas L. Croswell, Jr.