US3382945A - Devices supported by air cushions - Google Patents

Devices supported by air cushions Download PDF

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Publication number
US3382945A
US3382945A US471243A US47124365A US3382945A US 3382945 A US3382945 A US 3382945A US 471243 A US471243 A US 471243A US 47124365 A US47124365 A US 47124365A US 3382945 A US3382945 A US 3382945A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
skirts
transverse
skirt
portions
cushions
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
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US471243A
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English (en)
Inventor
Bertin Jean Henri
Guienne Paul Francois
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bertin Technologies SAS
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Bertin et Cie SA
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bertin et Cie SA filed Critical Bertin et Cie SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3382945A publication Critical patent/US3382945A/en
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
    • B60V1/00—Air-cushion
    • B60V1/16—Flexible skirts

Definitions

  • the object of this invention is to reduce the resistance to forward motion of the vehicle, thereby decreasing specific power consumption, increasing speed and pay load, etc.
  • Resistance to forward motion is the cumulative result of various factors, such as: aerodynamic drag of the vehicle, action of the waves striking the understructure, scraping of the wave crests and scoopin g of water by the skirts.
  • these resistance producing effects are each and all minimized by arranging the inner skirts which are inside the peripheral skirt, behind each other along at least two longitudinal rows substantially parallel to the normal direction of motion of the vehicle, and by inclining rearwardly from top to bottom the skirt portions which extend transversely to this direction of motion.
  • the skirts in the same row are contiguous at least at their lower end, leaving no room accessible to water from the outside, between consecutive skirts.
  • FIGURE 1 is a schematic underneath half-view of a first form of embodiment of the invention
  • FIGURE 2 is a schematic longitudinal section taken along line IIII of FIGURE 1;
  • FIGURE 3 is an underneath half-view of an alternative constructional form
  • FIGURE 4 is an underneath view of a further embodiment of the invention.
  • FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional View taken along line V--V of FIGURE 4.
  • FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of a third form of embodiment of the invention.
  • FIGURE 7 is a slightly enlarged fragmental view corresponding to FIGURE 1.
  • FIGURE 8 is a cross-section taken along line VIII VIII of FIGURE 7.
  • FIGURES 1 and 2 shows a platform 1 supported on a plurality of air cushions 2, 2a, 2b.
  • the air cushions 2 and 2a are bounded by small unit skirts adjoining one another to form a set such as designated by reference numeral 5.
  • the air cushion 2b is bounded by a peripheral skirt 4 and is formed between the latter 3,382,945 Patented May 14, 1968 and the outer wall of the sets 5.
  • the pairs of skirts of each set 5 thereof have a common wall 6 and are positioned one behind the other.
  • a supply conduit 3 has port inside each unit skirt of the set 5 thereof whereby to supply the air cushions 2, 2a.
  • the normal direction of travel of the vehicle is shown by the arrow V.
  • the front transverse portion 41 of the peripheral skirt 4, as well as the front portion 51 of the inner skirt 2 located foremost with respect to the direc tion of travel V of the vehicle, and the transverse partition walls 6, have a lower edge positioned rearwardly of their upper edge, the latter being secured to the underneath of platform 1.
  • the peripheral skirt 4 is closed at the rear by a doublethickness wall transverse portion 42-43 of V-section which is inflated by pressurized fluid supplied through the medium of an auxiliary conduit 3b.
  • the front partition 42 of this Wall portion 42-43 like the transverse partition walls 6, has a lower edge located rearwardly of its super edge.
  • the reverse arrangement is used for the rear partition 43, thereby ensuring relatively great rigidity for the double-thickness rear wall portion of the skirt 4.
  • the rearmost inner skirt 2a with respect to the direction of travel of the vehicle is likewise closed at the rear by a double-thickness wall transverse portion 52-53 which is inflated by pressurized fluid supplied by an auxiliary conduit 3a.
  • the front partition 52 has its lower edge located rearwardly of its upper edge.
  • the longitudinal wall portions 54 of the inner skirts which are distended by the internal pressure of the cushions 2, 2a, are restrained by the transverse walls 51, 6 and 52, 53; similarly, the longitudinal portions 44 of the peripheral skirt 4 may be restrained by strut members 7, in the form of Wires or walls, preferably located in the plane of the adjacent Walls 6 and shown more clearly in FIGURES 7 and 8.
  • the peripheral skirt may be distended solely by the air escaping from the inner skirts.
  • the longitudinal wall portions 44a of the peripheral skirt 4 are cut so as to join onto those inner skirts of each set 511 thereof which are positioned at the front and rear of the platform 1 respectively.
  • the set 5a is incorporated into said lateral wall portions.
  • the two partitions 62 and 63 jointly forming such a wall have their lower edges 64: joined together and their upper edges spaced from each other.
  • the two sets 5b have distinct side walls 55 lying in the longitudinal symmetry plane of the platform 1, and these walls are flat and simply applied against each other in the known manner by the internal pressure of the cushions 2, 2a, but in the drawings the walls 55 are shown as being spaced from each other to emphasize their distinctness.
  • Each common wall comprises a front transverse partition 62 the lower edge of which is located rearwardly of the upper edge, and a rear transverse partition 63, and these two partitions, jointly with the longitudinal wall portions 54,, 55, form chambers distended by the conduits 3 opening thereinto. This also applies to the rear transverse wall which is similarly formed of two wall portions 62a and 63a.
  • the front transverse partitions 2, 62:: are preferably provided at their bottoms with a plurality of holes 8 through which the gas conveyed through the conduits 3 flows into the corresponding cushion 2, 2a.
  • FIGURE 6 for a third alternative embodiment of the invention, wherein the front transverse wall portion of the foremost unit skirt of the set 50 is likewise of double thickness.
  • This wall portion comprises not only a front partition 51 the lower edge of which is located rearwardly of the upper edge, but also a rear partition 56, and this wall portion forms a pres sure equalizing chamber supplied through a conduit 3 for the air cushion 2 located immediately behind it.
  • the partition 56 is formed with holes 9, but a number of additional orifices 10 are provided along its lower edge to drain out any water that may have penetrated accidentally between the partitions 51 and 56.
  • the common transverse walls 62, 63 also serve as a pressure equalizing chambers, but in this case for the air cushion located immediately behind each of these walls, with orifices 9, 10 being provided in their rear partition 63.
  • the rearmost wall portion 620, 63a is distended by an individual conduit 3a and may be formed with holes 8 therein, as shown in FIGURE 5.
  • the front partitions 51, 62 and 62a of the transverse wall portions of the skirts are thereby rendered completely fluidtight, which is an advantage for a vehicle designed to travel over water.
  • a multi-cushion vehicle or like movable body comprising a plurality of cushion bounding skirts made of flaccid, fluidtight material, one of said skirts extending peripherally all around the others and said others being lined up along at least two longitudinal rows substantially parallel to the normal direction of motion of said body, said skirts having transverse portions extending parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to said direction and said transverse portions inclined rearwardly from top to bottom.
  • peripheral skirt comprises longitudinal portions generally parallel to said direction of motion, said body further comprising strut means connecting each of said longitudinal portions to at least one skirt of the adjacent longitudinal row.
  • Movable body as claimed in claim 1 further comprising further transverse skirt portions extending generally perpendicular to said direction of motion and inclined forwardly from top to bottom, said further transverse skirt portions being attached at the boLtom to one of said former-mentioned, rearwardly inclined transverse skirt portions, thereby to bound therewith a downwardly tapering chamber, and means for supplying pressure fluid to said chamber.
  • Movable body as claimed in claim 6, further comprising passage means through at least one of said inclined transverse skirt portions for discharging pressure fluid from the respective chamber into the adjacent skirt bounded cushion.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
  • Air Bags (AREA)
US471243A 1964-07-23 1965-07-12 Devices supported by air cushions Expired - Lifetime US3382945A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR982800A FR1409903A (fr) 1964-07-23 1964-07-23 Perfectionnement aux véhicules à coussin d'air et jupe souple

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3382945A true US3382945A (en) 1968-05-14

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US471243A Expired - Lifetime US3382945A (en) 1964-07-23 1965-07-12 Devices supported by air cushions

Country Status (4)

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US (1) US3382945A (fr)
FR (1) FR1409903A (fr)
GB (1) GB1119562A (fr)
OA (1) OA01769A (fr)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3677359A (en) * 1970-06-05 1972-07-18 Shair Of Canada Ltd Air cushion vehicle
US3946828A (en) * 1974-06-17 1976-03-30 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Slantback, compliant surface effect vehicle skirt
US4042060A (en) * 1974-08-05 1977-08-16 Bertin & Cie Air-lift vehicles
US4096921A (en) * 1977-06-10 1978-06-27 Paul Francois Guienne Vehicle supported by an air cushion

Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB925425A (en) * 1960-09-20 1963-05-08 Westland Aircraft Ltd Improvements in or relating to flexible skirts for ground effect vehicles
GB935620A (en) * 1960-10-25 1963-08-28 Westland Aircraft Ltd Improvements in or relating to "ground effect" vehicles
US3191705A (en) * 1959-09-25 1965-06-29 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Vehicles for travelling over water
GB997518A (en) * 1961-01-17 1965-07-07 Bertin & Cie Improvements in or relating to ground effect vehicles
US3249166A (en) * 1962-12-06 1966-05-03 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Ribbed cushion bounding walls for ground effect machines
US3252535A (en) * 1962-03-22 1966-05-24 Westland Aircraft Ltd Ground effect vehicles
US3253667A (en) * 1963-08-06 1966-05-31 Gen Motors Corp Multiple elevation air bearing device
US3254731A (en) * 1962-03-08 1966-06-07 Ford Motor Co Vehicle skirt element for ground effect vehicle

Patent Citations (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3191705A (en) * 1959-09-25 1965-06-29 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Vehicles for travelling over water
GB925425A (en) * 1960-09-20 1963-05-08 Westland Aircraft Ltd Improvements in or relating to flexible skirts for ground effect vehicles
GB935620A (en) * 1960-10-25 1963-08-28 Westland Aircraft Ltd Improvements in or relating to "ground effect" vehicles
GB997518A (en) * 1961-01-17 1965-07-07 Bertin & Cie Improvements in or relating to ground effect vehicles
US3254731A (en) * 1962-03-08 1966-06-07 Ford Motor Co Vehicle skirt element for ground effect vehicle
US3252535A (en) * 1962-03-22 1966-05-24 Westland Aircraft Ltd Ground effect vehicles
US3249166A (en) * 1962-12-06 1966-05-03 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Ribbed cushion bounding walls for ground effect machines
US3253667A (en) * 1963-08-06 1966-05-31 Gen Motors Corp Multiple elevation air bearing device

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3677359A (en) * 1970-06-05 1972-07-18 Shair Of Canada Ltd Air cushion vehicle
US3946828A (en) * 1974-06-17 1976-03-30 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Slantback, compliant surface effect vehicle skirt
US4042060A (en) * 1974-08-05 1977-08-16 Bertin & Cie Air-lift vehicles
US4096921A (en) * 1977-06-10 1978-06-27 Paul Francois Guienne Vehicle supported by an air cushion

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
OA01769A (fr) 1970-01-14
GB1119562A (en) 1968-07-10
FR1409903A (fr) 1965-09-03

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