FI77614C - Hovercraft. - Google Patents

Description

7761 4

AIRBAG - LUFTKUDDEFARKOST

The present invention relates to an hovercraft consisting of a hull and towers pointing upwards from the hull, at least one of which has a hovercraft fan.

In the hovercraft currently in use, loading and unloading takes place as in car ferries, ships or train carriages, which require expensive port equipment.

Poor visibility is detrimental to passengers, as splashes and airbag fog easily fly through the windows. In sea rescue, the hovercraft is quickly in place due to its speed, but especially in the waves, due to the breadth and shallowness of the hull, the use is clumsy because the waves easily wash over.

The object of the invention is to provide a new type of hovercraft. The hovercraft according to the invention is characterized in that the hull can be filled with water so that it sinks completely below the water surface and only the towers extend above the water surface.

The main advantage of the invention is that the carrying and diving hull can be guided under any floating object such as a barge, rescue ship, timber bundle, oil rig, etc., either to transport it somewhere like any hovercraft, or to separate oil from water, in the case of an oil spill response.

In maritime rescue, for example, a ship that has run aground can be simply lifted off the shore. Because when the hull is diving, only the towers are subject to wave forces, and while the wide flat hull, on the other hand, effectively resists vertical movements, the vessel can be steered very precisely under the ship, even in strong waves. The lifting capacity of the submersible hull 2 77614 is relatively high because its entire volume is available for lifting. Thus, an hovercraft can at least support a ship if it has been torn to the bottom, for example.

It is also possible to use the hovercraft according to the invention as an oil spill response vessel by shaping the lid of the submersible hull into shallow, wide funnels which collect oily water in separators as the vessel slowly rises to the surface under the oil rig. The vessel makes a small up-down movement, moving to a new position in the down position. In this way, it cleans its own area of water from the oil deposited on the surface with each rise. In winter conditions, grilles are installed above the hoppers, on which the ice blocks remain when the surface rises. On top of the grille, oily ice blocks can be washed, for example, with water gutters at the ends of the towers. Oily water flows through the grille into the funnel for separation. The operation is shown schematically in Figure Θ.

* A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by: *: characterized in that the upper ends of the towers have an upper frame in which, for example, bridges, machine platforms, compressors, fans, thrusters, air control devices, crew compartments, cabins, etc. are arranged. and • · the cargo ship provides passengers with good visibility as the cabin is located up at the level of the upper end of the towers, thus out of reach of splashes and hovercraft. The pleasure of a pleasure boat is the same. In addition, the submersible hull can be equipped with chambers for monitoring underwater life.

: "Even when the vessel is stationary, slightly submerged, the waves cannot rock such a vessel.

Another embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the body is divided into a non-water-filled part containing the pressure vessels and a water-filled part comprising cells and lying air ducts on the sides of the body.

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A third embodiment of the invention is characterized in that some of the towers are closable containers at their upper ends which communicate with the channels in the body.

The frame is thus divided, for example, into four almost congruent compartments along the lines of symmetry. Each of the four compartments is divided into smaller compartments, all of which can be independently filled or emptied of water as needed. Compressed air is led to or discharged to the top of the compartments depending on whether it is desired to fill or empty. The compartments, in turn, are divided into honeycombs. The cells communicate with each other through air holes in the top of the partitions. The bottom of the cells has a perforation through which water can flow in and out as the pressure inside the compartment changes. Each cell is connected by a hole near the bottom to a lying side channel from which pillow air can escape through the hole into the cell.

Another embodiment of the invention is characterized in that there are several frames and they are connected to each other by one and the same upper frame. In this case, the vessel resembles long-lived insects in appearance. Relatively small submersible hulls, each equipped with one slender Tor, would be placed at the ends of the legs. As the towers would be relatively far apart, the cockpit and living areas could be raised quite a bit, which would be useful, for example, in finding people stranded on the water. In such a vessel, the air in the air cushion could be developed either on each leg separately or on a common fan at the junction of the legs in the upper hull.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Figure 1 shows a frame according to the invention in a schematic section in the longitudinal direction at the towers.

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Figure 2 shows the frame sectioned transversely at the middle towers.

Figure 3 shows the body from above in a cavalier perspective. The left half of the figure shows the compressed air system diagrammatically.

Figure 4 shows the body in section as in Figure 1, but in dives.

Figure 5 also shows the body in the dives in section as in Figure 2.

Figure 6 shows a vessel according to the invention applied as a passenger and cargo vessel.

Figure 7 shows a lifeboat detaching a ship from shore.

Figure 8 shows an oil spill response vessel.

Externally, the hull of the hovercraft according to the invention is separable from the submersible hull 1 and the upper hull 10 above it, which houses bridges, crew bridges, fans, compressors, propellers, motors, passenger compartments, etc. diving depth and position. The towers 11 also act as air ducts for the air to be blown into the air cushion. Being: in the surface connection on an air cushion, the vessel according to the invention does not differ substantially in operation from the vessels in use. Sista. It can perform all the functions that hovercraft can normally perform. The hull 1 of a ship according to the invention can dive underwater as deep as the length of the towers S, 11 allows. The length of the towers L>, 11 is limited by the fact that the weight of the ship cannot rise arbitrarily. When the ship is diving, the wave forces applied to it remain relatively small.

Diving of the lower hull is made possible by the fact that the the hull may be filled with water until the weight of the vessel is sufficient to weigh it for diving, as shown in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8.

To achieve this, the body 1 is divided into a water-filled part and a water-non-water-filled part. Pressure vessels located in the non-water-filled part 12, engine rooms for water jet engines, etc. In the structural solutions according to Figures 1-8, the pressure vessel 12 is located on two sides of the center line of the vessel. The water-filled part of the body is divided into four completely independent, separate parts so that each of them can be separately filled with water or emptied of water. The dividing lines run along the center lines of the hull. The transversely centered wall rises inside the towers up to the shutter flap 7. Each compartment is divided into smaller compartments which communicate with each other only via side channels 8. These smaller compartments are necessary when something needs to be lifted on the hull, for example a ship on shore when the ship is in an oblique position. The compressed air would then be discharged too early: from the openings in the base which, due to the oblique position of the hull, would remain higher if the separate compartments were too wide. Joja.

A compressed air pipe 13 is led to the upper part of each compartment, along which the air pressure in the compartment can be regulated. If desired, the compartments will be filled with water and the hull will sink under water. When: - the desired depth is reached, the compartments' connection to the free ::: air is cut off by closing the shut-off valves 7 of the towers 11. In this case, the water-filled part of the hull, including the towers, forms a completely closed dive clock from above, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. When the barometric pressure is adjusted to suit the top of the towers, the flow of water ceases. The air-cushioning vessel already floats steadily on the tower buoyancy. The bulk of the ship's weight is carried by the non-water-filled buoyancy 6 7761 4 well for controlling diving depth and position.

If it is desired to rise to the surface, air pressure in the compartments and towers is increased, whereupon water begins to flow out of the openings 4 in the bottom of the ship. The hovercraft fans are started and the vessel rises on the hovercraft. The air compressed by the fans flows down the tower, distributed along the edges of the lower hull into ducts 8 extending to both the bow and stern. From there, the air is discharged from openings 4 near the bottom of the vessel into the circumferential skirt 15 and through it under the vessel. From the other edge of the ducts 8 - also from the openings close to the bottom - air flows to the above-mentioned compartments 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d, where it rinses the rest of the water out of the openings of the bottom.

In order to increase the rigidity of the frame and to reduce the thickness of the cover plate, the compartments of the lower frame are divided into honeycomb cells, the individual cells of which are connected to each other through air openings 3 at the highest point of the partitions. At the bottom of the vessel, at the center of each cell, are openings 4 through which water passes in and out while the vessel is in the diving skis. Through it, the air cushion air also flows as the ship makes its voyage on its air cushion.

Due to the size of the submersible hull, the vessel sinks or rises to the surface very slowly in the horizontal position, but slides easily in the oblique position.

. When you go diving, the ship's skirts are emptied of air. · · * T through valves located on the sides and ends - mainly through the valve that was last on the surface. In order to prevent the hem from being completely filled with water during dives - then it would brake * * effectively the sides - the hem can be provided with a joint placed at the junction of the segment 20 and the bag skirt 15.

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7 7761 4 with a pocket string 17 from which the air cannot be emptied during dives. It pushes the hem up and at the same time in line with the flat body. Thus, the braking effect of the hem can be minimized. A separate non-water-filled part with pressure vessels in the body is not essential for operation. In this case, the entire hull would have a similar honeycomb and not all the air would be released from the cells when diving. The compressed air required for the ascent could also be developed just at the time of ascent. But since quite a lot of air is then needed, the absence of pressure vessels would slow down operations or lead to a very large compressor capacity.

And such a ship might not be so safe anyway.

In a submersible body, it would be possible to divide each cell in half with a flexible membrane, whereby the membrane would follow the lower walls of the cell when the cell is filled with air and the upper walls when the cell is filled with water. In this case, all of the air-cushion air could be passed through the skirt as the membrane closes the cell openings. The solution would also allow the use of something other than gas: because the pressure used: *: the gas would never be able to escape into the open air. For example, to prevent corrosion, a solution could be very appropriate. Especially in small vessels, cell surfaces:. maintenance or even cleaning is difficult because you can’t go inside.

When the towers of an hovercraft form a relatively high air resistance in surface plan very fast ships, it would be possible to use hollow walls placed on the sides of the ship instead of the towers, resembling a reclining bottomless and uncovered barrel or a box with the ends removed. . ·· * .these would be divided into compartments and ducts to fulfill the functions of the towers, so that the structure of the walls could be run as flattened and stretched towers * *, in which case the air duct for the air cushion could be stretched to full length inside the wall. 7761 4 8 fan, in which case a reclining channel 8 would not be needed at all, in which case the submersible sub-hull, for example in pleasure craft, could be made very thin.The air resistance of the wall structure as well as the wave resistance would be only a fraction compared to the tower structure when flowing parallel to the walls. kset rises sharply with a slight change in flow direction.

There could be more bodies to dive. A very light-built pleasure craft, which might want to be able to stand relatively firmly in place in a wave, could resemble long-legged insects in appearance. At its end, three or more feet, would be placed a smaller diving body according to the invention with a single sloping tower. The air cushion air could be developed either on each leg separately or on the upper body at the junction of the legs with a common fan, in which case the legs should be hollow tubes.

A similar vessel could be a cheap substitute for a helicopter to search for and rescue people stranded on the water. Because the legs would be relatively far apart. the cab could be raised relatively upwards without compromising stability. Such a ship would be able to be piloted directly above the person to be rescued, like a helicopter. The reconnaissance conditions are, of course, not the same as those of a helicopter, but would nevertheless be considerably better than in a traditional lifeboat. It would survive better than Kari, be faster, more stable and appear longer.

Tue

Claims (5)

7761 4 Hovercraft consisting of a hull (1) and towers (5, 11) pointing upwards from the hull, at least one of which has a hovercraft fan (6), characterized in that the hull (1) can be filled with water so that it is depressed entirely below the water surface and only the towers (5,11) extend above the water surface. Hovercraft according to Claim 1, characterized in that the upper ends of the towers (5, 11) have an upper hull (10) in which, for example, bridges, machine levels, compressors, fans, propulsion systems, air handling units, crew compartments, passenger compartments and the like are arranged. Hovercraft according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the hull (1) is divided into a water-filled part (12) containing pressure vessels and a water-filled part (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d) comprising cells and on the sides of the hull lying air ducts (8). · '. Air-cushion according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that some of the towers (5) are closable containers at their upper ends which are in communication with the channels (8) in the hull. Hovercraft according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that there are several hulls (1) and they are connected to one another by one and the same upper hull (10).