GB951081A - Vehicles for travelling over land and/or water - Google Patents

Abstract

951,081. Air cushion vehicles. HOVERCRAFT DEVELOPMENT Ltd. July 11, 1960 [July 21, 1959], No. 24989/59. Heading B7K. In a vehicle supported by a gaseous cushion contained by a curtain of fluid issuing from a peripheral supply port in the bottom of the vehicle, at least part of the curtain forming fluid being recovered through at least one recovery port, the recovered fluid issuing from at least one transfer supply port; the fluid to the supply port is supplied through a tubular supply duct having its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the periphery of the bottom of the vehicle, and the fluid recovered through the recovery port is transferred to the transfer supply port by a transfer duct which is part annular in vertical cross-section and partially surrounds a supply duct. The vehicle shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is approximately oval in plan form and comprises body 1 and superstructure 2. Midway along each side of the vehicle are positioned vertical air intakes 3 and 4, each housing a propeller 5 which propellers deliver air to two supply ducts 7 and 8 formed in the body 1 adjacent and parallel to the periphery thereof, each duct extending from its respective intake to terminate adjacent the other intake. A continuous annular supply port 9 is formed in each duct 7 and 8 and, as shown in Fig. 2 (a section on A-A of Fig. 1) an annular recovery port 10 is spaced inboard of and parallel to port 9. Port 10 is connected by a transfer duct 11 to a part-annular transfer supply port 12 which is part annular in cross-section and partially surrounds the respective duct 7 or 8. The curtain is of simple form in way of the air intakes 3 and 4, and in these regions it is strengthened by increasing the local mass flow. The ports 10 and 12 can be continuous round the periphery, though the recovered air will need to be diverted round the air intakes. When applied to a vehicle having side walls to enclose the air cushion, the invention may take the form shown in Fig. 4 wherein each side wall structure 21 comprises a rearwardly-tapering supply duct 25 formed with a supply port 31 having guide vanes 37, the air being recovered through port 32 and transfer duct 26 to reissue through transfer supply port 33. A vehicle embodying such a construction (Fig. 3, not shown) is described as having an elongated body 20 with a propeller mounted substantially horizontally at the forward end of each duct 25, the ducts being connected at each end of the cushion by transverse ducts provided with supply ports for forming transverse fluid curtains. The undersurface of body 20 may be formed with a buoyancy compartment 22. Specifications 854,211, 919,350, 935,823, 935,824, 935,826 and 944,501 are referred to.