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Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Andrea Galvani, Study on Aerodynamic Evolution, 2014-2015

Andrea Galvani Italy, b. 1973

Study on Aerodynamic Evolution, 2014-2015
Mixed media and drawing reproductions of archival material mounted on aluminium
40 x 60 cm
43 x 63 x 5 cm, framed
Edition of 3
View on a Wall
This composition is a lecture on the evolution of aerodynamic engineering. The seven-cylinder Gnome retort engine, conceived by the three Seguin brothers in France between 1906 and 1908, was powerful,...
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This composition is a lecture on the evolution of aerodynamic engineering. The seven-cylinder Gnome retort engine, conceived by the three Seguin brothers in France between 1906 and 1908, was powerful, light-weight, and strong. It was made of a cutting-edge nickel-steel alloy, and capable of running up to 1,000 revolutions per minute - all in a body less than 77 kilograms (170 pounds). In the photograph below, another radical engine - the Wright Whirlwind J-5 - is being inspected by Charles Lindbergh, who famously flew the first nonstop solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris in May 1927. Lindberg's accomplishment secured the engine's prestige: its reliability and fuel economy made it the top choice among long-distance flyers in the 1920s. Nevertheless, the search for a more powerful engine has never ceased. To the right is the Junkers Jumo 004 - the earliest turbojet engine in operational use, and the very first to successfully incorporate an axial-flow compressor. This version was used at the end of World War II in the Messerschmitt ME 263 jet fighter, diminutively referenced as "Schwalbe" ("swallow") or "Sturmvogel" ("storm bird") in German. Aerodynamic evolution is, needless to say, not without setbacks. Danish inventor Jacob Christian Hansen Ellehammer experimented with various designs for a flying machine, including a proto-helicopter. The photograph on the right pictures a replica of Ellehammer's original 1912 version, which was unfortunately destroyed during a test in 1916.

Cette composition est une conférence sur l'évolution de l'ingénierie aérodynamique. La réplique à sept cylindres Gnome, conçue par les trois frères Seguin en France entre 1906 et 1908, était puissante, légère et résistante. Il était composé d'un alliage d'acier nickel de pointe et capable de fonctionner jusqu'à 1 000 tours par minute, le tout dans un boîtier de moins de 77 kilogrammes (170 livres). Sur la photo ci-dessous, un autre moteur radical - le Wright Whirlwind J-5 - est inspecté par Charles Lindbergh, qui a effectué le premier vol transatlantique en solitaire sans escale de New York à Paris en mai 1927. La réussite de Lindberg assura le prestige du moteur: sa fiabilité et l'économie de carburant en ont fait le premier choix parmi les voyageurs longue distance des années 1920. Néanmoins, la recherche d'un moteur plus puissant n'a jamais cessé. À droite, le Junkers Jumo 004 - le premier turboréacteur en service et le tout premier à intégrer avec succès un compresseur à flux axial. Cette version a été utilisée à la fin de la Seconde Guerre mondiale dans le chasseur à réaction Messerschmitt ME 263, désignée de façon décroissante par "Schwalbe" ("hirondelle") ou "Sturmvogel" ("oiseau de tempête") en allemand. Il va sans dire que l'évolution aérodynamique n'est pas sans revers. L'inventeur danois Jacob Christian Hansen Ellehammer a expérimenté différentes conceptions pour une machine volante, y compris un proto-hélicoptère. La photo de droite représente une réplique de la version originale de Ellehammer datant de 1912, qui a malheureusement été détruite lors d'un essai en 1916.
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Literature

Giorgio Verzotti, Anna Daneri and Andrea Galvani, Andrea Galvani, Italy, 2018, pp.34-35 (illustrated), p.346 text (illustrated)
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