US3506084A - Cushion sealing device for surface effect machines - Google Patents

Cushion sealing device for surface effect machines Download PDF

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Publication number
US3506084A
US3506084A US737493A US3506084DA US3506084A US 3506084 A US3506084 A US 3506084A US 737493 A US737493 A US 737493A US 3506084D A US3506084D A US 3506084DA US 3506084 A US3506084 A US 3506084A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
cushion
skirt
sealing device
surface effect
plenum chamber
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
Application number
US737493A
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English (en)
Inventor
Marc Henri Jean Faure
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
Original Assignee
Bertin et Cie SA
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bertin et Cie SA filed Critical Bertin et Cie SA
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3506084A publication Critical patent/US3506084A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
    • B60V1/00—Air-cushion
    • B60V1/04—Air-cushion wherein the cushion is contained at least in part by walls
    • B60V1/046—Air-cushion wherein the cushion is contained at least in part by walls the walls or a part of them being rigid
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
    • B60V1/00—Air-cushion
    • B60V1/06—Air-cushion wherein the cushion is formed within plenum chamber

Definitions

  • a plenum chamber structure for said cushion comprising a rigid enclosure borne by the machine and extending generally opposite said surface at a hover-height spacing therefrom, said end closure flaring towards said surface with said hover-height decreasing from the inside outwardly and being at a minimum at the periphery of said end closure, and a yieldable skirt extending outwardly from said periphery and flaring towards said surface at a spacing therefrom which decreases from said periphery to a skirt portion closest to said surface and defining therewith a daylight clearance, whereby said plenum chamber structure forms, in cross-sectional outline, with said surface, a
  • the present invention relates to plenum chamber cushion systems for surface effect machines and more particularly tracked air cushion vehicles.
  • One of the objects of this invention is to design such a plenum chamber so as to obtain an even distribution of the static pressure gradient over the whole extension of the bearing surface. This is attained by giving to the Wall structure of said plenum chamber a shape which flares towards said surface from the inside outwardly.
  • a further object of the present invention is to provide said flaring wall structure with an inner flaring hard wall and an outer flaring flexible wall which extends the former.
  • FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal section of a plenum chamber cushion system according to the invention.
  • FIGURE 2 is a corresponding bottom plan view.
  • the plenum chamber cushion system illustrated in the drawings comprises a hard structure 1 which may be embodied in the platform of the ground effect machine and which forms a rigid end closure 1a for the cushion space 2, a fan 3 being provided for sup lying cushion air.
  • This rigid end closure has an outline which converges outwardly toward the bearing surface 4 as clearly shown in FIGURE 1, so that its hover-height spacing from said surface gradually decreases from the center to the periphery 1b where it is at a minimum.
  • a skirt 8 of flexible fluidtight material is fitted and this skirt also has an outline which converges outwardly toward the surface 4, as illustrated again in FIGURE 1, so that its spacing from said sur- "ice face also decreases from the end closure priphery 1b to a free edge 8a which is closest to surface 4 and defines therewith a daylight clearance 5.
  • the skirt 8 may end with a turned-up edge beyond the daylight clearance 5.
  • the boundary wall of the plenum chamber, opposite the bearing surface 4 has in the outline a shape which converges towards said surface from the center outwards right to the skirt end 8a, with a central or upstream section 1a of hard material and a peripheral or downstream section 8 of flexible material, these sections being joined at a cuspidal edge 1b and having curved convex faces opposite surface 4.
  • This flared shape provides a zone of gradually varying static pressure which extends over the whole radial stretch of cushion 2, thereby improving transverse stability of the machine.
  • yieldable skirt 8 Because of its outwardly flared shape, yieldable skirt 8 will be urged away from surface 4 by the cushion pressure which is exerted on the skirt. The tendency may be counteracted by means of springs 9 and oscillations may be damped by means of dampers 11. Of course, resilience and damping may result from the very material of the skirt, in which case external means such as 9 and 11 may be done away with.
  • a plenum chamber cushion system comprising a rapid end closure formed of a hard structure extending generally opposite said surface at a hover-height spacing therefrom and flaring outwardly towards said surface with said hover-height decreasing from the inside outwardly towards the periphery of said hard structure, and a yieldable skirt flaring outwardly from said periphery towards said suface at a spacing therefrom which decreases from said periphery to a minimum at which said skirt defines with said surface a daylight clearance, whereby said plenum chamber cushion system forms, in cross-sectional outline, with said surface, a convergent passage with a central hard wall section and a peripheral flexible wall section.
  • cushion system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hard structure and said yieldable skirt are both substantially of revolution shape and define with said surface an annular passage which narrows down outwardly to ward said daylight clearance.
  • Cushion system as claimed in claim 4 further comprising oscillation damping means associated with said reslient return means.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid-Damping Devices (AREA)
  • Presses And Accessory Devices Thereof (AREA)
  • Sealing Devices (AREA)
  • Laminated Bodies (AREA)
US737493A 1965-05-07 1968-06-17 Cushion sealing device for surface effect machines Expired - Lifetime US3506084A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR16285A FR1442532A (fr) 1965-05-07 1965-05-07 Perfectionnement aux joints en matériau solide délimitant un coussin d'air

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3506084A true US3506084A (en) 1970-04-14

Family

ID=8578275

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US737493A Expired - Lifetime US3506084A (en) 1965-05-07 1968-06-17 Cushion sealing device for surface effect machines
US737450A Expired - Lifetime US3524518A (en) 1965-05-07 1968-06-17 Plenum chamber cushion system for surface effect machines

Family Applications After (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US737450A Expired - Lifetime US3524518A (en) 1965-05-07 1968-06-17 Plenum chamber cushion system for surface effect machines

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (2) US3506084A (fr)
DE (2) DE1781357A1 (fr)
FR (1) FR1442532A (fr)
GB (3) GB1143198A (fr)
OA (1) OA02230A (fr)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2128206B1 (fr) * 1971-03-11 1975-01-17 Aerotrain
US4328760A (en) * 1979-07-05 1982-05-11 Dome Petroleum Limited Skirt construction
US4399999A (en) * 1982-04-08 1983-08-23 Westinghouse Electric Corp. Segmented annular seal for missle launch tube
US4405136A (en) * 1982-12-27 1983-09-20 Magnetic Peripherals Inc. Pneumatic cartridge seal for computer disc drive cartridge

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3244244A (en) * 1962-11-13 1966-04-05 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Air cushion vehicles having flexible skirts deflectable by subsidiary cushion pressure
US3267882A (en) * 1963-07-31 1966-08-23 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Load carrying unit
US3275270A (en) * 1965-03-17 1966-09-27 Bell Aerospace Corp Aircraft with ground effect type landing gear

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3078940A (en) * 1961-03-03 1963-02-26 Sylvan D Rolle Propellant energized ground effect machine
GB958996A (en) * 1961-07-18 1964-05-27 Vickers Armstongs Ltd Improvements in or relating to air-cushion vehicles
US3282359A (en) * 1961-12-15 1966-11-01 Jr Rigsby C Satterfield Apparatus supported on air cushions for handling unitized loads
US3254731A (en) * 1962-03-08 1966-06-07 Ford Motor Co Vehicle skirt element for ground effect vehicle
GB939869A (fr) * 1962-07-27 1900-01-01
GB1056070A (en) * 1962-12-06 1967-01-25 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Improvements relating to gas-cushion vehicles

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3244244A (en) * 1962-11-13 1966-04-05 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Air cushion vehicles having flexible skirts deflectable by subsidiary cushion pressure
US3267882A (en) * 1963-07-31 1966-08-23 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Load carrying unit
US3275270A (en) * 1965-03-17 1966-09-27 Bell Aerospace Corp Aircraft with ground effect type landing gear

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1143198A (en) 1969-02-19
US3524518A (en) 1970-08-18
DE1781357A1 (de) 1970-04-09
OA02230A (fr) 1970-05-05
DE1481500A1 (de) 1970-05-27
GB1143197A (en) 1969-02-19
FR1442532A (fr) 1966-06-17
GB1143196A (en) 1969-02-19

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