WO1986003169A1

WO1986003169A1 - Vehicle which is used as floating and gliding apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1986003169A1
Application number: PCT/BE1985/000019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Gielens
Original assignee: Jan Gielens
Priority date: 1984-11-29
Filing date: 1985-11-20
Publication date: 1986-06-05
Also published as: EP0203117A1; AU5092485A

Abstract

Vehicle which is used as floating and gliding apparatus, with a central part (5) which acts as floating component and merges into two wings (1 and 2) which have a substantial triangle shape with two radiused sides, while the backwards-facing edges of said wings are provided with wing rudders (13 and 14); the vehicle is further fitted with at least one driving means which is secured at the back to an arm (18), which arm is secured on the bottom of the vehicle central part in one point where metacentre and centre of gravity of the vehicle when increasing the speed thereof, strive to a common point, called "natural centre".

Description

"Vehicle which is used as floating and gliding apparatus"

This invention relates to a vehicle which may be used as floating and gliding apparatus .

The object of the invention is to provide a vehicle which may • be used as a boat in the water or as a floating or gliding apparatus on the sand , over the ground or the snow , due notably to the aero- and hydro-dynamic profi¬ ling thereof .

To obtain this according to the invention , said vehicle has a central part which acts as floating component , which part merges sidewise into two wings which , as considered in plan view , have a substantially triangle shape , with* two sides radiused relative to the vehicle symmetry axis , while the backwards-facing edges of said wings are provided with wing rudders , which vehicle is fitted with at least one driving means ( propeller motor , reactor or turbine ) , which is secured at the back to an arm , which arm is secured on the bottom of said central part in a point from said central part where metacentre and centre of gravity of the vehicle as the speed thereof increases , strive to a common point , called "natural centre" .

A characteristic of the invention is further the fact that the corners of said wings , defined by the lines of intersection between the radiused sides of said wings and the end edges thereof as defined by two straight lines which extend on either side of the boat vertical symmetry plane towards said radiused sides , are bent upwards .

A main characteristic of the ^' invention is the fact that the tail end of the central portion has along a vertical lengthwise cross-section, a wedge which lies in a backwards- bevelled flat margin area of said central part , and forms with the horizontal plane an angle of substantially 5 ° . Other details and advantages of the invention will stand out from the following description of a vehicle which may be used as floating . and gliding apparatus , according to the invention. This description is only given by way of example and does not limit the invention . The reference numerals pertain to the accompanying figures .

Figure 1 is a diagrammatically-held top view of the vehicle according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the vehicle according to figure 1 . Figure 3 is a back view of the same vehicle , with parts broken away .

Figures 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 diagrammatically show in side views , four positions of the vehicle corresponding to four possible adjustments of the propeller thereof . The vehicle the main characteristic of which is to be considered in same being usable as floating or gliding apparatus , has in top view , the general shape of a triangle with two radiused sides . Said radiused sides 1 and 2 are actual¬ ly the sides of the wings 3 and 4 which lie on either side of the central part . The central part 5 forms the boat part . The extent of said central part 5 is most clearly visible in figure 1 , where the solid lines 6 and 7 correspond to the sides of the boat part , while the arc-like dotted line 8 shows the portion where the boat part merges into the wings 3 and 4. The circumference of the cockpit is shown in 9 .

As it appears in figure 2 , the lowermost plane of the wings 3 and 4 runs slightly upwards from front to back . The angle formed by said plane with the horizontal may be assumed as - 5 ° .

An important characteristic of the invention lies in the backmost margin area of the bottom of the central or boat part being bevelled downwards . Said bevelled portion 10 ( figure 2 ) forces the vehicle according to the invention to come out of the water or possibly the sand from a specific speed on. Said backmost bevelled portion 10 may be considered as a wedge or "step " .

Another characteristic of the invention is to be seen in the upwardly-directed corners 11 and 12 which are formed behind the wings 3 and 4 , by two intersection lines , namely the backward-facing portion of edges 1 and 2 and two striaght lines which extend on either side of the vehicle sym¬ metry plane , line wherewith the free edge of each one of the wing rudders 13 and 14 also coincides . The profile and the extent of the upward-bent corners 11 and 12 appears clearly from figures 2 and 3 . The stability in the vertical direction as well as in the horizontal direction of the vehicle is enhanced by said upward-bent profile of corners 11 and 12 . The wing rudders 13 and 14 are moved indepen¬ dently from one another from the cockpit 9 , by means of two foot pedals and ac tually through small cables not shown . The operating principle of said foot pedals may be compared to the one of a conventional airplane . The wing rudders 13 and 14 prevent when they are directed "upwards " , that the vehicle should "pi tch up " as it comes out of the water . The vehicle comes out of the water or is lifted thereout when the speed thereof is forced up and actually due to the working of the wedge or "step " 10 provided at the back of the central part or boat part 5 . The adjustment of the propulsion means also , as same will be further explained with reference to figures 4 and 7 hereinafter , plays a substantial part here .

Approximately level with the first third of the cockpit , a small fin 15 is present . Said small fin has a directing function , while the large fin 16 behind the cockpit has an aero-dynamic function and a directing one .

In the embodiment according to the figures , the vehicle is powered by two propeller motors 17 which are secured to the ends of the arms 18 .

The angle which is formed by said arms 18 with the horizontal plane , and the location where both said arms have the engaging point thereof on the vehicle bottom , is of decisive importance .

According to the invention , said point is determi¬ ned by bringing the metacentre and the centre of gravity into coincidence . The bringing into coincidence of metacentre and centre of gravity , called hereinafter "natural centre " , is na- turally the resul t of arrangements made when designing and computing the vehicle according to the invention. Metacentre and centre of gravity strive when increasing the vehicle speed to a common point , called "natural centre " .

Even if the arms 18 are made so to say self-sup- porting , both said arms bear in trough-shaped supports 19 .

Said supports 19 are fixed relative to the boat part and support the arms 18 when the motors 17 are not operating .

According to the figures , said motors drive propellers , but said motors might in principle naturally be replaced by jet engines or turbines . It is also clear that depen¬ ding on the vehicle size , either but one motor might be provided , or more than two , possibly three motors might be built-in . The engaging point of the supporting arms 18 for the various motors or engines should always lie in the already-mentioned "natural centre " . When the vehicle according to the invention is to be used on sand , in desert areas or on ice fields , it may be provided at the bottom with caterpillars or wheels , for example . When the vehicle speed both on water and on the sand , on the snow or on an ice field is forced up , the vehicle speed does lif t said vehicle out of the water or from the ground or the snow . The step or wedge 10 slowly pushes the vehicle out of the water , so that the air which lies between the wings and the water forms a column whereon the vehicle bears . The vehicle may thereby move at a height of - 100 cm above the water or above the ground as a function of the power of the motors 17 , with a speed of more than 200 km/hour .

To make such "lif ting" or "gliding" of the vehicle possible under good conditions , the propellers 20 are orientably set-up in the vertical plane .

Referring to the figures 4 to 7 , it is noticed that the motors 17 are mounted above the end of arms 18 , and that the propellers 20 are connected through a hinge connection to the drive shaf ts 21 of the motors 17 .

The propellers 20 are thus adjustable between a position as shown in figure 4 , and a position as shown in figure 7.

Said four positions of the propellers 20 and the action thereof on the vehicle propulsion are explained herein¬ after with reference to the corresponding figures .

Figure 4 - In this position of the propeller or propellers 20 , a maximum downwards pressure is exerted at the back on the vehicle . Already with a limited speed ( 5 km ) , "lifting" of the vehicle nose is noticed up to the level of the small fin 15 .

Figure 5 - The position of the propeller or propellers 20 causes with a corresponding speed of - 25 km/h , "lifting " of the vehicle back end . Figure 6 - With an adjustment of the propeller or propellers 20 according to this figure , the whole boat part 5 , except fin 15 and "step " or wedge 10 , comes out of the water . The speed is hereby about 50 km/h . Figure 7 - The. increase in speed (about 70 km/h) results in a further pushing out of the water of the vehicle.

Materials the vehicle according to the invention is made of, are derived from the art which has nowadays a tendency to become conventional for the making and finishing of boat hulls from synthetic materials. Thus for example, carbon fibres may be used for the wings, while the boat part may be reinforced with "Kevlar". For the cockpit, plexiglass is mostly considered, while aluminum will be used for the frame and the steering. The surfaces which engage the water and possibly the sand or the ice, will preferably be coated with the already mentioned "Kevlar", that is a product which is brought in the trade by "E.I. duPont de Nemours" and shows known resistance properties. This layer is finished in the usual way with materials which can make from the pertaining surface, an extremely smooth wall.

Even if the vehicle according to the invention may naturally be manufactured with the most varied dimensions, the following data may be given: 1. Water surface area = 3.170 m²

2. Water displacement = 125 dm³ or 125 liters

3. The resistance (axial pressure) at

5 km/h - 12 kg 25 km/h = 38 kg 50 km/h = 110 kg + wing resistance

-70 km/h = 5 kg (the boat leaves hereby the water)

Multiple test runs have shown that the vehicle according to the invention is extremely steerable and skims above the water surface already with a low energy consumption. This is made possible due to the shaping of the vehicle and the very peculiar design of the drive thereof. A prototype proved the possiblity of leaving the water surface and moving about 1 meter above the water surface. Due to the locating of the metacentre , the boat is very stable and due to the lower centre of gravity , the stability moment is particularly high .

As boat , the prototype proved to be a very fast but safe and mostly manoeuvrable and steerable "flying-boat" .

Due to the shaping thereof , the apparatus may be manufactured industrially on a large scale , because industrial dies allow a large throughput under very economical conditions . The vehicle may be built on a small scale without dies . It is clear that the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment , and that changes might be brought thereto without departing from the scope of the patent application .

Claims

1. Vehicle which may be used as floating and gliding apparatus on and above the water and on the ground, characterized in that it has a central part (5) which acts as floating component, which part merges sidewise into two wings (1 and 2) which as considered in plan view, have a substantially triangle shape with two sides radiused relative to the symmetry axis of the vehicle, while the backward-facing edges of said wings are provided with wing rudders (13 and 14), and further characterized in that the vehicle is fitted with at least one driving means (propeller motor, jet engine or turbine) which is secured at the back on an arm (18), which arm is secured on the bottom of the vehicle central part in one point of said central part where metacentre and centre of gravity of the vehicle as the speed thereof increases, strive to a common point, called

"natural point".

2. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the corners (11 and 12) of said wings (3 and 4) defined by the intersection lines between the radiused sides (1 and 2 ) of said wings and the end edges thereof, as defined by two straight lines which extend on either side of the vertical symmetry plane of the vehicle towards said radiused sides 1 and 2, are bent upwards.

3. Vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the bent portion of said corners lies at an angle of about 15° to 25° relative to the horizontal.

4. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 3, characterized in that said wing rudders (13 - 14) are controlled separately by means of foot pedals.

5. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 4, characterized in that said central part which acts as floating element, has walls projecting progressively vertically from front to back, from the lowermost wall of said wings (3 and 4), and further characterized in that as considered in top view, said central part becomes wider towards the back.

6. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 or 5, characterized in that the tail end of said central part has in vertical lengthwise section, a wedge (10) which lies in the flat margin area bevelled towards the back, of the central part, and defines with the horizontal plane an angle about 5°.

7. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 6, characterized in that a vertical fin (15) projects from the lower- most wall of said central part.

8. Vehicle according to claims 1 and 7, charac¬ terized in that said fin as considered in the movement direc¬ tion of the vehicle, lies before said "natural centre".

9. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 8, characterized in that in the lengthwise symmetry plane of the vehicle central part, a fin (16) lies, which lies along the movement direction of said vehicle behind the cockpit ^"(9) and fulfills an aero-dynamic function.

10. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 9, characterized in that said arm (18) whereon said driving means

(17) (propeller motor, jet engine or turbine) is secured, forms with the vertical plane an angle which lies between 15° and 25°.

11. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 and 10, characterized in that said arm (18) is built as self-sup¬ porting towards the back, and a support (19) is provided for said arm, approximately in the centre of said arm.

12. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 11, characterized in that when making use of one propeller motor, the propeller is mounted in the centre thereof to be orientable on said arm (18), all this in such a way that said propeller is movable between a position wherein same exerts a vertical downwardly-directed thrust, to a position wherein same exerts a horizontally-directed thrust.

13. Vehicle according to one of the claims 1 - 12, characterized in that besides the propeller motor, jet engine or turbine mounted on said arm (18), a driving means is provi¬ ded which can exert at the back, a vertical downwardly-direc¬ ted pushing force.