US3339655A - Skirts for surface effect devices to reduce drag and air cushion disturbances - Google Patents

Skirts for surface effect devices to reduce drag and air cushion disturbances Download PDF

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Publication number
US3339655A
US3339655A US497165A US49716565A US3339655A US 3339655 A US3339655 A US 3339655A US 497165 A US497165 A US 497165A US 49716565 A US49716565 A US 49716565A US 3339655 A US3339655 A US 3339655A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
enclosure
skirts
disturbances
cone
air cushion
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
US497165A
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English (en)
Inventor
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
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 US3339655A publication Critical patent/US3339655A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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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

  • air cushion shall be understood as covering fluid cushions of any kind.
  • This invention relates to a particular enclosure construction helping to solve the problem.
  • the enclosures in shape resemble truncated cones whose major base is closed and secured to the vehicle while the minor base opens towards the ground or water, the cone axes and the front and rear generatrices inclining downwards towards the vehicle rear, the word rear being understood in the light of the direction of vehicle movement.
  • inclining the generatrices in this way facilitates passage of the craft over unevennesses in the surface over which the craft is moving. More particularly in the case of water craft, inclining the rear generatrix facilitates the removal of heavy seas entering an enclosure, whereas were the rear generatrix to be inclined in the opposite direction, the rear part of the enclosure might form a scraper with a sheet of water sticking to it while the craft is in motion.
  • the enclosures can be made of some fairly rigid substance, such as metal, more particularly for a marine craft.
  • the enclosures are made of some air-impervious flexible substance, such as rubberised fabric.
  • the shape according to the invention as just defined makes it difficult to stabilise the enclosure in respect of continuous forcesi.e., the internal air pressure-and transient forcesi.e., reaction of obstacles. Stabilisation can, it is found, be achieved, if, in accordance with the invention, the ratio of enclosure height to enclosure major base, and the angle at the top of the geometric cone hearing it, and the angle of inclination of the cone axis, are chosen within limits to be specified hereinafter.
  • FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a flexible enclosure or skirt according to the invention
  • FIG. 2 shows the same enclosure but sectioned along its plane of symmetry
  • FIG. 3 is a graph showing the limits for the angles on and B of FIG. 2, and
  • FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of a craft having enclosures or skirts according to the invention.
  • the enclosure or skirt shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 have the shape of a truncated cone 1 having its major base secured to the underside of a frame 2 of a land vehicle or to the underside of a ships hull; the minor base 3 of the cone opens towards the surface 4 between which and the craft it is required to produce a lift cushion.
  • the surface 4 is the surface of the ground.
  • a duct 5 from some form of air compressor (not shown), compressed air is supplied to the chamber bounded by the enclosure 1 and the vehicle platform or hull or the like 2.
  • the pressure of the air in the enclosure 1 acts upwards on the frame or hull 2 and tends to lift the same off the ground, and the frame 2 rises as far as an equilibrium position in which the air leaking between the ground and the base 3 is such that the pressure in the enclosure 1 is enough to keep the frame 2 lifted clear of the ground.
  • e e e e e (FIG. 4) are provided below a vehicle, the vehicle can be arranged not to rest directly on the ground but to be borne by air cushions, so that the vehicle can be propelled by a relatively small force.
  • the enclosures it is advisable for the enclosures to be supplied independently of one another so that a brief pressure drop in any single one enclosure does not react on all the others.
  • the enclosure shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in shape resembles a cone having a skew axis AA forming an angle a with the vertical, orientation being such that the axis AA inclines downwards in the opposite direction to the direction F of vehicle traveli.e., so that the axis AA inclines down towards the vehicle rear.
  • the half-angle 3 at the cone apex is so adapted to the angle a that the rear generatrix GG also inclines downwards and to the rear.
  • the advantage of this feature is that it facilitates the removal of any foreign bodies entering the enclosure while the vehicle is in movemente.g., stones or earth in the case of a land vehicle, and water in the case of a marine vehicle.
  • the enclosure is made of a flexible airimpervious substance, such as a rubberised fabric, since the enclosure is then deformable and can adapt itself to unevennesses in the surface of the ground or water.
  • the enclosure can readily be contrived with a conical shape if a strip or band of flexible material is cut appropriately, wound to the shape of the truncated cone, and secured along the joining generatrices.
  • the enclosure can be secured to the vehicle by any appropriate means, for instance, by being clamped by a steel-wire ring 7 to a circular lip or the like 6.
  • a pressure gas cushion sustained movable body comprising a platform with an underface, and a wall depending from said underface and adapted to enclose laterally said cushion, said wall being in the shape of a frusturn of a cone having a closed top larger base attached to said platform and an open bottom smaller base facing the surface over which said body is designed to move, the axis of said frustum of a cone as well as the rearmost generatrix thereof being inclined from top to bottom towards the rear of said body.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Refuge Islands, Traffic Blockers, Or Guard Fence (AREA)
  • Toys (AREA)
US497165A 1965-05-26 1965-10-18 Skirts for surface effect devices to reduce drag and air cushion disturbances Expired - Lifetime US3339655A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR18558A FR1444896A (fr) 1965-05-26 1965-05-26 Perfectionnements aux dispositifs générateurs de coussins d'air ou autre gaz sous pression convenant en particulier aux véhicules terrestres ou aquatiques

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3339655A true US3339655A (en) 1967-09-05

Family

ID=8579998

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US497165A Expired - Lifetime US3339655A (en) 1965-05-26 1965-10-18 Skirts for surface effect devices to reduce drag and air cushion disturbances

Country Status (5)

Country Link
US (1) US3339655A (fr)
DE (1) DE1556927B1 (fr)
FR (1) FR1444896A (fr)
GB (1) GB1120955A (fr)
OA (1) OA02058A (fr)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3463264A (en) * 1966-07-15 1969-08-26 Bertin & Cie Bellows type fluid cushion confining device for surface effect machines
US3511331A (en) * 1966-07-25 1970-05-12 Pneumatiques Caoutchouc Mfg Skirts for vehicles propelled on air cushions
US3677359A (en) * 1970-06-05 1972-07-18 Shair Of Canada Ltd Air cushion vehicle
US3709318A (en) * 1971-06-30 1973-01-09 Air Cushion Vehicles Air cushion vehicle
US3779334A (en) * 1972-06-07 1973-12-18 Aerojet General Co Cells for fluid cushion vehicles
US4100989A (en) * 1975-06-27 1978-07-18 Etat Francais Pneumatic cell for gas confinement in surface effect vehicle

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR80047E (fr) * 1961-06-30 1963-03-01 Bertin Et Cie Soc Perfectionnements aux plates-formes volantes à effet de sol
US3254731A (en) * 1962-03-08 1966-06-07 Ford Motor Co Vehicle skirt element for ground effect vehicle

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
BE627035A (fr) *
DE1190800B (de) * 1961-01-17 1965-04-08 Bertin & Cie Luftkissenfahrzeug
GB1056070A (en) * 1962-12-06 1967-01-25 Hovercraft Dev Ltd Improvements relating to gas-cushion vehicles

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR80047E (fr) * 1961-06-30 1963-03-01 Bertin Et Cie Soc Perfectionnements aux plates-formes volantes à effet de sol
US3254731A (en) * 1962-03-08 1966-06-07 Ford Motor Co Vehicle skirt element for ground effect vehicle

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3463264A (en) * 1966-07-15 1969-08-26 Bertin & Cie Bellows type fluid cushion confining device for surface effect machines
US3511331A (en) * 1966-07-25 1970-05-12 Pneumatiques Caoutchouc Mfg Skirts for vehicles propelled on air cushions
US3677359A (en) * 1970-06-05 1972-07-18 Shair Of Canada Ltd Air cushion vehicle
US3709318A (en) * 1971-06-30 1973-01-09 Air Cushion Vehicles Air cushion vehicle
US3779334A (en) * 1972-06-07 1973-12-18 Aerojet General Co Cells for fluid cushion vehicles
US4100989A (en) * 1975-06-27 1978-07-18 Etat Francais Pneumatic cell for gas confinement in surface effect vehicle

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB1120955A (en) 1968-07-24
FR1444896A (fr) 1966-07-08
OA02058A (fr) 1970-05-05
DE1556927B1 (de) 1970-08-20

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