Thomas Dicks, an English émigré, founded the Dicks-Luttrell Propeller Company in 1918 with a Westinghouse co-worker. Reorganization by Pittsburgh entrepreneurs resulted in creation of the Standard Steel Propeller Company, which was eager to receive an Army contract for an early experimental controllable and reversible-pitch propeller. Collaboration with the Army's Engineering Division began in 1919. Mechanical hub design was attributed to Dicks, who received the assistance of the Army's Frank Caldwell, a leading propeller designer of the early 20th century.
This highly significant artifact; a predecessor to the modern variable-pitch propeller, was the first design to employ counterweights. Built for the Liberty engine and DeHavilland DH-4 aircraft, the Dicks-Caldwell design appeared satisfactory from the standpoint of mechanical engineering after considerable development, but its excessive weight made it prohibitive. Standard Steel abandoned the design of a variable-pitch mechanism in 1923 and continued its specialization in the construction of metal blades in direct cooperation with the Army.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Date
ca. 1920
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PROPULSION-Propellers & Impellers
Designer
Frank Walker Caldwell, United States of America, 1889 - 1974
Thomas Andrew Dicks, United States of America, 1859 - 1944
Manufacturer
Standard Steel Propeller Co., Pittsburgh, PA
Physical Description
Type: Two-Blade, Ground Adjustable Pitch, Metal
Diameter: 320 cm (126 in.)
Chord: Unknown
Engine Application: Liberty L-12, 300 kw (400 hp)
Dimensions
3-D (Propeller): 320 × 30.5 × 35.6cm, 70.3kg (10 ft. 6 in. × 1 ft. × 1 ft. 2 in., 155lb.)
Storage (Aluminum Pallet): 351.8 × 121.9 × 129.5cm, 364.2kg (11 ft. 6 1/2 in. × 4 ft. × 4 ft. 3 in., 803lb.)
Materials
Steel, Aluminum alloy, Paper, Preservative Coating
Inventory Number
A19340022000
Credit Line
Gift of United States War Department, Air Corps Material Division
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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