RU2730302C2 - Cargo hovercraft with controlled air cushion and method of operation thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: transportation.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to air-cushion vehicles. Cargo hovercraft contains fuselage with bottom and compartments for transportation of standard containers and front walls for unloading containers, wings, fuselage bottom and fan-driven power plants driven by GTE. Under lower part of wings and fuselage equidistantly they are located with clearance of insert from porous material. Gaps are connected with fan power units. Method of operation of load-bearing hovercraft is based on formation of dynamic air cushion by using incident flow and directed movement of jets under lower parts of wing. Air cushions on wings and fuselage are formed by squeezing air from fan power plants driven by GTE via porous material in opposite direction.

EFFECT: group of inventions is aimed at take-off and landing of hover ship from both water and land.

5 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to vehicles on an air cushion, in particular to ekranoplans.

Known ekranoplanes made according to the "composite wing" scheme, using as a take-off and landing device blowing air jets under the wing.

As an analogue, we can consider a patent [1] for an ekranoplane containing a fuselage, wings with vertical and horizontal empennages, fan power plants driven by a gas turbine engine and a take-off and landing device with floats and means for deflecting the gas stream under the wing.

However, the jets directed under the lower part of the wing do not fully provide the desired hydrodynamic effect.

As an analogue, we can consider a patent [2] for an ekranoplan containing a fuselage, wings with vertical and horizontal empennages, fan power plants driven by a gas turbine engine and in which the upper surface of the aft fuselage is equipped with a hatch connected to the fuselage with the possibility of its movement relative to the fuselage.

But this ekranoplan also does not use the ability to control the air cushion.

As a prototype, a patent [3] was chosen containing a fuselage 1 with a bottom 2 and compartments 3 for transporting standard containers 4 and frontal walls 5 for unloading containers 4. wings 6 with a bottom 7 of the fuselage 1 and fan power plants 8 driven by a gas turbine engine 9,

The features of such an ekranoplan include the fact that the fan power plants are equipped with means for deflecting gas jets falling under the lower parts of the wings 6 of the ekranoplan.

The disadvantages of such an ekranoplan include the fact that it is adapted only for launching from the water surface and is not adapted for landing on classical runways, significantly reducing the possibilities of loading and unloading several times. A dynamic air cushion in such an ekranoplane is created only by flying at low altitude and creating a static high pressure under the lower part of the wings, reducing the negative effect of tip vortices on the wings. The disadvantages of such an ekranoplan include an ineffective method of increasing the static pressure under the lower part of the wings due to gas jets. A significant increase in the number of air jets is impossible without new ideas. The dynamic component of the pressure due to the jet is insignificant, and the ratio of the jet size to the wing area suggests that the optimal solution is an infinite number of jets supplied under the wings and the fuselage is a method of squeezing out gas through porous inserts. The disadvantages include the fact that this technology applies only to the lower part of the wings, while the many times larger area under the fuselage is formed only due to the aerodynamic screen, which is formed only at a height of 3 to 12 meters. The disadvantages of such an ekranoplan also include a high accident rate in high seas. The aerodynamic quality or perfection, confirming the efficiency and economy of an ekranoplan, is usually 2-3 times higher than that of classical aircraft and reaches 50-60 only at very low altitudes, comparable to the size of the wing chord. For modern aircraft, perfection [i.e. the ratio of lift to frontal resistance] is not higher than 20 dimensionless units. Particular attention should be paid to the fact that the jets under the lower wing are formed in one direction, and the jets through the porous inserts - in the opposite direction, creating predominantly static pressure under the entire lower surface of not only the wings 6, but the entire lower surface of the bottom 2 of the fuselage 1. Proposed the method, of course, needs experimental verification when blowing the wing in TsAGI.

The same patent is used as a prototype when considering the way the ekranoplan works.

The proposed cargo ekranoplan contains a fuselage with a bottom and compartments for transporting standard containers and frontal walls for unloading containers, wings, bottom, fuselage and fan power units driven by a gas turbine engine.

A distinctive feature of the proposed cargo ekranoplan is that under the lower part of the wings and fuselage, inserts made of porous material are equidistantly spaced with a gap, and the gaps are connected to the fan power plants. Other distinctive features include the fact that the gaps in the wings and the fuselage are connected to the fan power units independently of each other, and that the porous inserts are made of stainless steel, and partitions with holes are rigidly installed inside the gap.

FIG. 1 schematically shows the proposed cargo ekranoplan, containing a fuselage 1 with a bottom 2 and compartments 3 for transporting standard containers 4 and frontal walls 5 for unloading containers 4, wings 6, bottom 2 of the fuselage 1 and fan power plants 8 driven by a gas turbine engine 9. Under the number 12 schematically shows a dynamic air cushion. Under the lower part of the wings 6 and the fuselage 1, inserts of porous material 11 are located equidistantly with a gap 10, and the gaps 10 are connected to the fan power units 8. Other distinctive features can be recognized that the gaps 10 in the wings 6 and the fuselage 2 are connected to the fan power units. installations 8 independently of each other, and the fact that the porous inserts 11 are made of stainless steel, and inside the gap 10 are rigidly mounted partitions 13 with holes 14.

FIG. 2 shows a separate fuselage 1 with a bottom 2 and compartments 3 for transporting standard containers 4 and frontal walls 5 for unloading containers 4, wings 6 with a bottom 2 of the fuselage 1 and fan power units 8 driven by a gas turbine engine 9.

FIG. 3 shows a separate cross-section of the wing 6, in which the gaps 10 are connected to the fan power units 8, the porous inserts 11 are made of stainless steel, and inside the gap 10 partitions 13 with holes 14 are rigidly mounted.

Since the gaps 10 in the wings 6 and the fuselage 2 are connected to the fan power units 8 independently of each other, then when flying over 1000 meters, effective control of the flight direction can be carried out by redistributing the air supply through the porous inserts 11 between the left and right wings 6.

The implementation of porous stainless steel inserts 11 is especially important when starting from the water surface and to avoid corrosion due to direct contact with sea water.

Performing inside the gaps 10 rigidly installed partitions 13 with holes 14 allows you to redistribute air flows over the entire inner wing area and provide the required strength of the wings 6.

The proposed cargo ekranoplan works as follows. During loading and unloading operations, the frontal walls 5 are lowered and act as a cargo ladder. FIG. 2 this position is shown in the form of dash-dotted lines. After loading with standard containers 4, the frontal walls 5 are transferred to the working position and fixed with latches, which in Fig. 2 are not shown. Fixation of the working position is displayed on the control panel. The operation is very important, since takeoff from the surface of the water can be accompanied by unwanted filling of cargo compartments with water. The movement of the front walls 5 is realized using a hydraulic drive.

The takeoff and landing of the ekranoplan from water and land are little distinguishable. When starting from the water, you need a set of floats - skegs {in Fig. not shown}. When starting from a classic airfield on land, a part of the air flow from the fan power plants 8 driven by the gas turbine engine 9 is directed through the porous inserts 11 under the fuselage 2 and wings 6, and part for the takeoff run and the formation of a dynamic gas cushion. After takeoff and climb to a certain altitude, the flow ratio is redistributed between the launch and cruise power plants 8.

The bulk of goods delivered along the Silk Road from China to other countries are delivered by sea, due to the cheapness of transportation.

The main disadvantage of such transportation is the slow process. Transportation by classic aircraft is fast, but significantly more expensive. The proposed cargo ekranoplan can take an intermediate position, which is not occupied by anyone. China, as a world economic leader, is primarily interested in this, and financing for the implementation of such a project can be obtained from the banking structures of the PRC. Such a cargo ekranoplan can be in demand when replacing containers 4 with something interesting for the RF Ministry of Defense. There is information in the press that the Russian Federation is restoring the production of ekranoplanes for this purpose. A tempting option can be considered the transfer of such ekranoplan cargo over the ice of the northern sea route.

The advantage of such a cargo ekranoplan is that after takeoff from any airfield, water or land, thanks to the formation of an air cushion on the basis of new principles, it can fly several meters higher than any wave or ice hummock. For the practical development of such an apparatus, turbojet engines with an enhanced bypass ratio or fan power units 8 driven by a gas turbine engine 9 are needed. Intercontinental flights can be based both at the start from the water and at the start and landing at land airfields, which greatly simplifies the loading and unloading of containers 4 types М-2 ULD with dimensions 3.0 × 3.4 × 25.5 m. Separately, we note that the production of pipes and plates from porous stainless steel has long been mastered by the industry of Russia and Kazakhstan and so far has problems only with the sale of this product.

Patent information taken into account:

1. RF patent №2286268 for WIG.

2. RF patent №2471660 for the Ekranoplan

3. Article "Monster on the Screen" Popular Mechanics Magazine, May 2017, May 2017, p. 38-39. A copy of the article is attached.

Claims (5)

1. A cargo ekranoplan containing a fuselage with a bottom and compartments for transporting standard containers and frontal walls for unloading containers, wings, the bottom of the fuselage and fan power units (8) driven by a gas turbine engine, characterized in that under the lower part of the wings and fuselage is equidistant to them located with a gap (10), inserts of a porous material, which are equidistantly with a gap (10) under the lower part of the wings and fuselage, and the gaps (10) are connected with the mentioned fan power units (8). 2. A cargo ekranoplan according to claim 1, characterized in that said gaps (10) in the wings and fuselage are connected to said installations (8) independently of each other. 3. A cargo ekranoplan according to claim 1, characterized in that the porous inserts are made of stainless steel. 4. A cargo ekranoplan according to claim 1, characterized in that partitions with holes are rigidly mounted inside each said gap (10). 5. A method of operation of a cargo ekranoplan, based on the formation of a dynamic air cushion by using an incoming flow and directed movement of jets under the lower parts of the wing, characterized in that the air cushion on the wings and fuselage is formed by squeezing out air from fan power plants driven by a gas turbine engine through porous material in the opposite direction.

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