HOVERCRAFT

SUMITTED BY :-

GROUP LEADER

SHIVAM AGGARWAL

GROUP MEMBER

ABHISHEK CHOUDHARY

VIPIN CHAND

ANKIT SINGHKORANGA

ARVIND KUMAR
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project titled HOVERCRAFT submitted
by SHIVAM AGGARWAL to DEV BHOOMI INSTITUTE
OF POLYTECHNIC , DEHRADUN for the award of Diploma in
UTTARKHAND BOARD OF
TECHNICAL EDUCATION
ROORKEE of 2016-2017 is a
bonafide record of the project
work done by him/her under
our supervision. The contents of
this project in full or in parts have
not been submitted to any other
Institute or University for the
award of any diploma.
.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to express our gratitude to The Almighty Shiva Baba,

the most Beneficent and the most Merciful, for completion of project.
We wish to thank our parents for their continuing support and
encouragement. We also wish to thank them for providing us with the
opportunity to reach this far in our studies.
We would like to thank particularly our faculties Mr. JAI PRAKASH
SINGH (HOD) , Mr. AMIT THAKUR (DIRECTOR) for his patience,
support and encouragement throughout the completion of this project and
having faith in us.
 We also acknowledge to all teachers who have taught us other subject
like Web Technology by Mr. GURNAM SINGH GURU which is helpful in
developing the project.
At last but not the least We greatly indebted to all other persons
who directly or indirectly helped us during this work.

.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOMECLATURE
1 INTRODUCTION
2.PHOTOGALLERY
3.LITERATURE REVIEW
4.WORKING OF HOVERCRAFT
5.CREATION OF HOVERCRAFTS
6.COMPONENTS OF HOVERCRAFT
7.THEORY OF HOVERCRAFT
8.THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF HOVERCRAFT
9.RESPONSE TABLES AND VARIOUS DESIGNS CONCEPTS
10.DESIGN OF HOVERCRAFT
11.CONNECTION OF BRUSHLESS MOTOR, ESC & LIPO
BATTERY
12.APPLICATIONS & TARGET MARKETS
13.FEATURES OF A RC HOVERCRAFT
14.RECOMMENDATION
15.COSTING
16.CONCLUSION
17.REFERENCES
 CHAPTER 01
INTRODUCTION

A Hovercraft is a vehicle that flies like a plane but can float like a boat, can drive
like a car but will traverse ditches and gullies as it is a flat terrain. A Hovercraft also
sometimes called an air cushion vehicle because it can hover over or move across land or
water surfaces while being held off from the surfaces by a cushion of air. A Hovercraft can
travel over all types of surfaces including grass, mud, muskeg, sand, quicksand, water and
ice .Hovercraft prefer gentle terrain although they are capable of climbing slopes up to
20%, depending upon surface characteristics. Modern Hovercrafts are used for many
applications where people and equipment need to travel at speed over water but be able
load and unload on land. For example they are used as passenger or freight carriers, as
recreational machines and even use as warships. Hovercrafts are very exciting to fly and
feeling of effortlessly traveling from land to water and back again is unique.
 Fig 1.1: Hovercraft in use
Vehicles designed to travel close to but above ground or water. These vehicles are
supported in various ways. Some of them have a specially designed wing that will lift
them just off the surface over which they travel when they have reached a sufficient
horizontal speed (the ground effect). Hovercrafts are usually supported by fans that force
air down under the vehicle to create lift, Air propellers, water propellers, or water jets
usually provide forward propulsion. Air-cushion vehicles can attain higher speeds than can
either ships or most land vehicles and use much less power than helicopters of the same
weight. Air-cushion suspension has also been applied to other forms of transportation, in
particular trains, such as the French Aerotrain and the British hover train. Hovercraft is a
transportation vehicle that rides slightly above the earths surface. The air is continuously
forced under the vehicle by a fan, generatingthe cushion that greatly reduces friction
between the moving vehicle and surface. The air is delivered through ducts and injected at
the periphery of the vehicle in a downward and inward direction. This type of vehicle can
equally ride over ice, water, marsh, or relatively level land.
Hovercraft is a vehicle that rides on cushion of air over surface. A hovercraft is a
type of submarine, comes in category of cushion vehicle or ACV. This is a vehicle that can
run smoothly over surface with the help of supplied air beneath the hull.
Also called GROUND-EFFECT MACHINE or HOVERCRAFT, any of the
machines characterized by movement in which a significant portion of the weight is
supported by forces arising from air pressures developed around the craft, as a result of
which they hover in close proximity to the Earths surface. It is proximity to the surface
that chiefly distinguishes such craft from aircraft, which derive their lift from aerodynamic
forces created by the movement through the air.
Two main classes of air cushion vehicles exist: those that generates their own
pressures differential irrespective of forward speed; and those, more cslosely related to,
that require true aircraft, that require forward speed before the pressure differential can be
generated. The former are classified as aerostatic craft (ACVs); the latter are called
aerodynamic ground-effect machines (GEMs).
 CHAPTER 02
PHOTOGALLERY

Fig 2.1: Hovercraft in water

Fig 2.2: Hovercraft on sand

Fig 2.3:OPERATIONAL DRAWING

Fig 2.4: Our hovercraft prototype

Fig 2.5: Side view of our hovercraft

Fig 2.6: Front view of hovercraft

 Fig 2.7: Back view of hovercraft

Fig 2.8: Top view of hovercraft

 Fig 2.9: Isometric view of Hovercraft

Fig 2.10: Wireframe model 1 of Hovercraft

Fig2.11: Wireframe model 2 of Hovercraft
 CHAPTER 03

LITERATURE REVIEW

In the beginning
Hovercraft as we know them today started life as an experimental design to reduce
the drag that was placed on boats and ships as they ploughed through water. The first
recorded design for an air cushion vehicle was put forwarded by Swedish designer and
philosopher Emmanuel Swedenborg in 1716. The craft resembled an upturned dinghy with
a cockpit in the centre. Apertures on either side of this allowed the operator to raise or
lower a pair of oar-like air scoops, which on downward strokes would force compressed
air beneath the hull, thus raising it above the surface. The project was short-lived because
it was never built, for soon Swedenborg soon realized that to operate such a machine
required a source of energy far greater than that could be supplied by single human
equipment. Not until the early20th century was a Hovercraft practically possible, because
only the internal combustion engine had the very high power to weight ratio suitable for
Hover flight.
In the mid 1950s Christopher Cockrell, a brilliant British radio engineer and
French engineer John Bertin, worked along with similar line of research, although they
used different approaches to the problem of maintaining the air cushion. Cockrell while
running a small boatyard in Norfolk Boards in the early 1950s began by exploring the use
of air lubrication to reduce the hydrodynamic drag, first by employing a punt, then a 20
knot ex-naval launch as a test craft.
The first recorded design for a hovercraft was in 1716 put forward by Emmanual
Swedenborg, a Swedish designer and philosopher. The project was short-lived and a craft
was never built. Swedenborg realized that to operate such a machine required a source of
energy far greater than any available at that time. In the mid-1870s, the British engineer
Sir John Thornycroft built a number of model craft to check the air-cushion effects and
even filed patents involving air-lubricated hulls, although the technology required to
implement the concept did not yet exist. From this time both American and European
engineers continued work on the problems ofdesigning a practical craft. In the early 1950s
the British inventor Christopher Cockerell began to experiment with such vehicles, and in
1955 he obtained a patent for a vehicle that was "neither an airplane, nor a boat, nor a
wheeled land craft." He had a boat builder produce a two-foot prototype, which he
demonstrated to the military in 1956 without arousing interest. Cockerell persevered, and
in 1959 a commercially built one-person Hovercraft crossed the English Channel. In 1962
a Britishvehicle became the first to go into active service on a 19-mi (31-km) ferry run.

3.1 REVIEW OF PAPERS

3.1.1 Initial Concept
The initial proposal was inspired by an art exhibit displayed at the University of
California, Irvine - Beall Center for Art and Technology. The exhibit featured Jed Berks
Autonomous Light Air Vehicle (ALAV) in which each blimp represented an intelligent and
social life-form (shown in Figure 2). This exhibit combines art and social behavior
concepts through sensor technology and computer science algorithms.
[1]. The blimps were also able to communicate with its human prospectors through
an interactive phone demo.

3.1.2 Proposed ideas

Figure 2: Autonomous Light Air Vehicle exhibit at the UCI Beall Center for Art
andTechnology.

Initially the senior project proposal was an improvement on the ALAV exhibit by
giving each blimp more intelligence and emphasizing the social aspect through the
creation of a swarm project. When a blimp is singled out it performs ordinary defined
functions, but the swarm project occurs when it is attached to the swarm (or other blimps).
It can perform extra functions in which it could not while alone. In order to create this
swarm project, oating vehicles needed to be produced which led into our idea of an
autonomous hovercraft.
3.1.3 Initial Hovercraft Concept
After focusing on the basics of the original concept, building a proper vehicle was
essential. Since it was to improve the original ALAVs, the decision to create a hovercraft
versus a blimp was mainly contributed to the amount of hardware we can fit into each. On
a blimp, the amount of surface area available to carry components was limited compared
to that of a hovercrafts base. The assumption that was taken was customized circuit boards
might be too expensive and time consuming to produce, so components would be larger
than those on the ALAVs.
During the experimental and proof of concept stages, building a hovercraft had
proven to be more di cult than it had seemed. Again, the original concept was deviated and
had become an autonomous hovercraft. The reasoning in which the hovercraft became
autonomous was due to the fact that it would be a necessary feature in having a more
intelligent ALAV-like vehicle. An ability of the hovercraft was to autonomously navigate
around objects in its path or to locate others in its swarm.
Several options arose during the development of the original concept. The
hovercraft can display autonomous features through a self navigating system in which it
would includethe use of a path finding algorithm and sensor technology or by the
detection of a destination.

3.1.4 Final Concept

The autonomous hovercraft was decided to have a beacon detection feature as its
navigation means. The ability to detect a beacon relates back to the original concept of the
swarm e ect when a single vehicle would need to detect its companions in order to form a
swarm. Through several experimental prototypes, the vehicle design and navigation
system were improved. The final product is an autonomous hovercraft that navigates by
detection of a beacon, producing a following hovercraft if the beacon itself is mobile.
Thebeacon consists of an IR transmitter that is recognized by an array of IR receivers on
thehovercraft base. This paper will discuss the research and development into this final
concept.
 CHAPTER 04
WORKING OF HOVERCRAFT

4.1 Principle of working

The principle of working of a Hovercraft is to lift the craft by a cushion of air to
propel it using propellers. The idea of supporting the vehicle on a cushion of air developed
from the idea to increase the speed of boat by feeding air beneath them. The air beneath
the hull would lubricate the surface and reduce the water drag on boat and so increasing its
speed through water. The air sucked in through a port by large lifting fans which are fitted
to the primary structure of the craft. They are powered by gas turbine or diesel engine. The
air is pushed to the underside of the craft. On the way apportion of air from the lift fan is
used to inflate the skirt and rest is ducted down under the craft to fill area enclosed by the
skirt.

Fig 4.1: Principle of working

At the point when the pressure equals the weight of the craft, the craft lifts up and
air is escaped around the edges of the skirt. So a constant feed of air is needed to lift the
craft and compensate for the losses. Thus craft is lifted up. After the propulsion is provided
by the propellers mounted on the Hovercraft. The airs from the propellers are passed over
rudders, which are used to steer the craft similar to an aircraft. Hovercraft is thus propelled
and controlled and its powerful engine makes it to fly.

4.2 OPERATION
A hovercraft rides on air under pressures that is continuously supplied by lift
system and directed into the chamber under the craft. A flexible curtain system called a
skirt is attached to outer perimeter of the craft forms the air chamber and contains the air
beneath the craft.
A hovercraft is propelled forward with a thrust propeller, which is directly driven
by motor that is designed at low rpm that produces maximum thrust with a minimum
noise. There are no brakes in a hovercraft.
Stopping is achieved with reduction of power of motor or running 180 degrees and
applying full thrust.
Steering is achieved by mounting movable rudders mounted behind the thrust
propeller. Since a hovercraft travels on a cushion of air, some period of training is
required.
A hovercraft is also sometimes called an AIR CUSHION VEHICLE or ACV. This
is a vehicle that flies like a boat, can drive on a land like a car but will traverse ditches and
gullies like it is a flat terrain. The hovercraft is unique method of transportation.
Modern hovercraft are used for many applications where people or equipment
travel need to travel at the speed over water and load and unload on land. The hovercraft
motor provides the power to drive large fans that flow air under the craft. The air is
retained by a rubber skirt that enables the craft to travel over a wide range of terrain. The
skirt simply gives away when an obstacle is encountered. The motor also supplies the
power to thrust propeller of some kind that pushes the craft forward on its bubble of air.
Rudders like on aeroplane, steer the direction of the craft.
 CHAPTER 05

CREATION OF HOVERCRAFTS

When building a hovercraft it is imperative that you are sure you have a firm grasp
of the important concepts and principles involved. An elementary knowledge of physics is
required. Ease of use, cost, availability and safety are all significant considerations when
building a hovercraft. Care must be taken in selecting a motor and propeller for the proper
function and stability of the hovercraft and to meet your needs for thrust and lift. A good
skirt design is essential for stability and of course, body designs must be well thought-out
in order to meet your needs for speed and stability. Finally, the rudders must be well
weighed out in order to avoid weighing down your hovercraft and also well shaped in
order to move air as efficiently as possible.

5.1 How does a Hovercraft work-

Hovercrafts work on the two main principles of lift and propulsion. When dealing
with a hovercraft, the existence of lift is imperative for the proper function of the vehicle.
Lift is an essential factor because it is that which allows the craft to ride on a cushion of air
several inches off the ground. This process, the process of attaining lift begins by directing
airflow under the craft. In order to quarantine the air under the air cushion, a skirt is
required. This is done in order to create pressure under the hovercraft which forces the
vehicle off the ground. Attaining the proper amount of airflow is imperative for the
maintenance of the crafts stability. If too much airflow is directed under the craft, it will
then hover too high above the ground, resulting in the hovercraft to tip. Not enough lift
will cause the craft to remain on the ground which defeats the very purpose of the
hovercraft altogether. The source of the airflow which propels the craft of the ground is a
fan. The fan can be used for lift and thrust. It can be dedicated to lift or thrust or even both
simultaneously. In either case the passage where the air flows through to reach the air
cushion affects the stability of the hovercraft. This passage is a hole located on the base of
the craft. Another vital component is the motor. The motor is usually located in the rear of
the vehicle and is the heaviest of the components. Due to the weight of the motor, extra
pressure is required under the area where the motor is positioned in order to attain
hovering capabilities.
That which makes hovercrafts so efficient and different from other vehicles of its
category is that very little force is required for it to move. Propulsion is that which makes
the craft move. The source of this effect is the fan, which is used to move the air for
propulsion. However odd as it may seem, the fan produces more than enough force for the
hovercraft to move. This is achieved through the existence of another major factor:
Hovercrafts have no contact with the ground; therefore any resistance the ground may
produce under other circumstances is now non-existent for the craft. As explained above,
the propulsion of the craft requires a fan but a normal fan is not sufficient. This is because
a normal fan does not blow air straight back. Instead it spins the air in a spiral shape.
Therefore engineers decided to use turbines or stationary blades, that un-spin the air. When
air does not spin more of its kinetic energy can be used for translation and less is required
for rotation. The shape of the body also affects the stability of the hovercraft. The larger
the area of the base, the more stable it will be. Wider base implies greater stability. Longer
and narrower shapes increase speed but decrease stability. Most hovercrafts have rounded
ends, and offer both stability and speed. Unfortunately, the more stable a skirt, the slower
it will go. When the hovercraft is finally able to move it will most definitely require
steering capabilities. This is achieved through the use of rudders. These rudders can be
controlled by a variety of devices including computers. Rudders cannot be too heavy
otherwise they will weigh down the craft because they are located very close to the motor.
The shape of the rudder dictates how well it will be able to move air. When riding a
hovercraft the natural state of motion is easily seen to be constant vector velocity with a
constant rate of rotation. A sloping floor will definitely change your velocity vector
without changing your rate of rotation. In addition to Newtons three laws of motion it will
become obvious that to avoid spinning or tilting the hovercraft you must apply the forces
in line with the center of mass of the combination of the craft and your body.
 Thrust Propellers The propeller used to drive the hovercraft along is usually an
aircraft type with variable pitch blades. Its speed of rotation must remain fixed to that of
the engine and the lift fan. This is because the amount of lift air required dictates the
engine speed to drives the lift fan. In turn the amount of propulsion, which the propellers
provide, must be obtained by varying the propeller pitch and not its rate of rotation. This
system is termed 'integrated lift/propulsion'. A Hovercraft having more than one lift fan
and propeller generally has a separate engine for each fan-and propeller unit. The
propellers used on hovercraft can vary from four-bladed versions and about nine feet in
diameter on the smaller craft to the four propellers on the SRN4 cross-Channel hovercraft.
These are four-bladed and nineteen feet in diameter! On the SRN 4 the pylons on which
they are mounted can be rotated to change the direction of thrust. On smaller craft, rudders
like on aircraft, are used for direction control. 2.4.3. Momentum Curtain.
When early models were built and analysis was done on the airflow using the
plenum chamber type of hovercraft it showed that there were problems with stability. In
addition the craft would require enormous power to maintain a reasonable hover
height.Stability of the hovercraft on its cushion of air remained a real problem despite
some design efforts and a new approach was needed. To solve these problems, a plenum
chamber with a momentum curtain was developed by Sir Christopher Cockerall.
Hovercraft Skirt Despite the momentum curtain being very effective the hover
height was still too low unless great, and uneconomical, power was used. Simple obstacles
such as small waves, or tide-formed ridges of shingle on a beach, could prove to be too
much for the hover height of the craft. These problems led to the development of the
'skirt'. The skirt is a shaped, flexible strip fitted below the bottom edges of the plenum
chamber slot. As the hovercraft lifts, the skirt extends below it to retain a much deeper
cushion of air. The development of the skirt enables a hovercraft to maintain its normal
operating speed through large waves and also allows it to pass over rocks, ridges and
gullies. The skirt of a hovercraft is one of its most design sensitive parts. The design must
be just right or an uncomfortable ride for passengers or damage to the craft and the skirts
results. Also, excessive wear of the skirt can occur if its edges are flapping up and down
on the surface of the water. The skirt material has to be light flexible and durable all at the
same time. For the skirt to meet all of its requirements the design and use of new materials
has slowly evolved. The current skirts use fingers at the lower edge of the skirt envelope
which can be unbolted and replaced. By doing this there is a quick and easy way to
counter the effects of wear without having to replace the whole skirt structure. A shocking
example of the costs is the replacement of the skirt assembly on the SRN 4s which used to
cross the English Channel from the UK to France. The replacement cost for a set of skirts
for this craft is over 5 million US Dollars.
The Engine The SRN 1 and other early hovercrafts used piston type engines. As
models like the SRN 4 and SRN 6 were brought into service they tended to favor the use
of gas turbines. This type of engine is smaller and lighter for a given horsepower and has
been used extensively in turbo prop aircraft. The engine has a main shaft on which is
mounted a compressor and a turbine. A starter motor is connected to one end of the shaft
and the other end is connected to the lift fan and propeller gearboxes. Both compressor
and turbine look like fans with a large number of blades. When the engine is started, the
compressor compresses air from the engine intakes and pushes it into combustion
chambers mounted around the engine. Fuel is squirted into the combustion chambers and
ignited. The compressed air then rapidly expands as it is heated and forces its way out
through the turbine to the exhaust. As the gas pressure rises, the turbine speeds up, thereby
driving the compressor faster. The engine speed increases until it reaches the engine's
normal operating speed. However, the use of these engines results in a very high level of
engine noise outside the craft. In the SRN 6 this meant that it was possible to hear the craft
traveling across the Solent between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight in the UK several
miles away. With the newer generation of craft close attention was paid to engine noise
and fuel efficiency. The current AP188craft that runs on the old SRN6 routes has now
moved back towards piston engines and uses marine diesel engines that are much quieter
and fuel efficient.
Air box The box-like structure at the rear of the hovercraft, right behind the
propeller, the box-like structure is called an air box. The air box takes about 10% of the air
being pushed backward by the propeller and forces it downward, underneath the
hovercraft. There are three small ducts cut into the base of the hovercraft, underneath the
air box. Two of these ducts lead into the skirt, which is basically a bag that goes all the
way around the perimeter of the craft, while the third duct leads directly underneath the
hovercraft. 2.5. HOVERING POWER Take a hovercraft which, complete with crew, fuel
and load, weighs 2,000 pounds (lbs.), and is 15 feet (ft.) long and 7 ft. wide. Its area would
be 15 ft x 7 ft. = 105 square (sq.) ft.
If the craft is to hover, the pressure of air forming the cushion must be 2,000
pounds or greater. This represents 19 pounds. Per sq. ft. Yes, only 19 pounds per square
feet is required to lift the hovercraft which seems much smaller than you might imagine.
From existing designs of Hovercraft that have been developed, it is possible to make some
simple estimate of the powerneeded to lift a Hovercraft. Using 19 pounds per square foot
it is estimated 4 horsepower for each sq.ft. of curtain or skirt area can maintain that hover.
Curtain area is its length times its height. A hovercraft 15 ft. long by 7 ft. wide
would have acurtain length of 44 ft.-twice the length plus twice the width. If we want it to
hover one foot high we would need sufficient power to provide a curtain of44 x 1 sq. ft. At
4 horsepower per sq, ft. we would need 176 horsepower Just to lift the craft up to hover
one foot above the ground. Don't forget we now need to push the craft along as well so
thatengine is the minimum size we can use.

5.2 Hovercraft operation

Piloting a hovercraft is an interesting proposition. Since very little of it actually
touches the ground, there isn't much friction, making it very difficult to steer and also very
susceptible to strong winds. Imagine trying to drive around on top of an air-hockey puck!
We've discovered that the best way to drive it is treat it like a jet ski, i.e. leaning back and
forth and steering very carefully. It is also possible to do a 360-degree turn without
stopping, which is quite a sight.

5.3 Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is defined as the branch of fluid physics that studies the forces
exerted by air or other gases in motion. Examples include the airflow around bodies
moving at speed through the atmosphere (such as land vehicles, bullets, rockets, and
aircraft), the behavior of gas in engines and furnaces, air conditioning of buildings, the
deposition of snow, the operation of air-cushion vehicles(hovercraft), wind loads on
buildings and bridges, bird and insect flight, musical wind instruments, and meteorology.
For maximum efficiency, the aim is usually to design the shape of an object to produce a
streamlined flow, with a minimum of turbulence in the moving air. The behavior of
aerosolsor the pollution of the atmosphere by foreign particles is other aspects of
aerodynamics

CHAPTER 06
COMPONENTS OF HOVERCRAFT

6.1 MAIN PARTS

6.1.1 Lower hull
It is the basic structure on which the Hovercraft floats when the engine is stopped
while moving over water. It supports the whole weight of the craft.

6.1.2 Skirts
They are air bags inflated by air are fitted around the perimeter of the craft hold air
under the craft and thus upon a cushion of air. It enables to obtain greater Hover height.
The material used is rib stop nylon or Terylene.

6.1.3 Lift fan

It is fitted to the primary structure of the Hovercraft. The air is pumped under the
craft between the skirt spaces to produce a cushion of air.

6.1.4 Propeller
It is used to obtain the forward motion of the craft. It is fitted to the top of the craft
and is powered by a powerful gas turbine or diesel engine.

6.1.5 Rudders
They are similar to that used in an aircraft. Rudders are moved by hydraulic
systems. By moving the rudders we can change the direction of the craft.When the
hovercraft is finally able to move it will most definitely require steering capabilities. This
is achieved through the use of rudders. These rudders can be controlled by a variety of
devices including computers. The rudders must be well weighed out in order to avoid
weighing down your hovercraft and also well shaped in order to move air as efficiently as
possible.
Rudders cannot be too heavy otherwise they will weigh down the craft because
they are located very close to the motor. The shape of the rudder dictates how well it will
be able to move air.
CHAPTER 07
THEORY OF HOVERCRAFT

7.1 Development of air cushion by momentum curtain effect

Stability of the Hovercraft on its cushion of air remained a real problem despite
some design efforts and new approach was needed. To solve these problems, plenum
chamber with a momentum curtain was developed by Sir Christopher Cockrell.
His first experiments were conducted with the aid of two cans and a vacuum
cleaner (with blower end). The cans were drilled and bolted so that one can was inside the
other with open ends facing down to some weighing scales, the top of the larger can was
open and had a tube connected to it so that air could be forced in to the top can and around
the smaller can inside.
 Fig 7.1: Development of air cushion by momentum curtain effect
The air traveled around between the inside of the bigger can and outside of the
smaller can and was then let out towards the scales in a narrow ring of air, the cans were
mad4e so that it was possible to remove inner can so the air could be directed in two
ways.
The experiment was conducted in two steps. First the smaller can was removed and
blower switched on. The scales measured the amount of thrust the air from the one can
produced down onto the scales. The smaller can was now replaced inside the larger can so
that the ring of air was produced. Again the blower was switched on and the scales
measured amount of thrust the ring of air produced down onto the scales. Here is the key
discovery because Cockrell observed that the two cans nested inside each other produced
more thrust onto the scales than the simple open can or plenum chamber did, he had
discovered the momentum curtain effect and this was the key ingredient that he patented.
In the full size craft the plenum chamber was also filled in so that a slot round the
bottom edge of plenum chamber wall was former where the air fed in at the top. The slot
produced a curtain of flowing air that was inclined. The high pressure air from the slot
angled inwards towards the centre of the craft helped to contains and sustains the air
cushion. Using this method a stable air cushion could be created. The craft was still riding
on a plenum chamber of sorts but it was created and maintained by the high pressure ring
of air surrounding the lower pressure air in the center.
The momentum curtain arrangement achieved higher hover heights with less
power. It also solved some of the stability problems. The box structure in the center of the
craft around which air escaped was closed to form a buoyancy tank to enable the craft to
float on water when it came to rest.
The design was exactly what was used in first publicly demonstrated Hovercraft
the SRN1, built by Saunders Roe in the United Kingdom it served as a test bed for many
years during Hovercraft development.

7.2 Hull construction

The lower hull of the craft includes the craft floor, side panels, forward and aft
panels till the top skirt attachment line. Most commercially build craft in polyester resin
will use this section to transfer to the top hull.
The lower hull
Needs to have adequate size for the total weight of the craft and payload
Must be strong enough to support craft off cushion (on landing pads)
Have enough freeboard to support craft in displacement mode on water
Must be watertight and as smooth as possible.
The lower hull can be build out of all boat building materials. From simple ply to very
complicated composite panels. The lower hull is as well as section of the craft which
might get the highest abuse during operation and especially landing in unknown areas. As
long as craft is on cushion there is no harm against the hull once our lift unit fails during
operation we can hope for a rigid floor or a soft landing. Even if our craft has landing pads
if the center floor is nearly at same level as landing pads we will only be able to set the
craft smooth on a parking lot or water. All the surfaces will not be leveled enough to
provide a smooth surface. In case we use composite materials- we should try to use a core
material which is easily available at our location. Continuously repairing a composite
panel in the manner of filling just with the resin and glass will over the years change the
properties of this panel.

7.3 Hovercraft skirts

Despite the momentum curtain being very effective the hover height was still too
low unless great, and uneconomical, power was used. Simple obstacles such as small
waves, or tide-formed ridges of shingle on a beach, could prove to be too much for the
hover height of the craft. These problems led to the development of the skirt.
A skirt is a flexible shaped strip fitted below the bottom edges of the plenum
chamber slot. As the Hovercraft lifts, the skirt extends below it to retain much deeper
cushion of air. The development of skirts enables a Hovercraft to maintain its normal
operating speed through large waves and also allows it to pass over rocks, ridges and
gullies.
Skirt is one of the most design sensitive parts. The design must be just right or an
uncomfortable ride for passengers or damage to craft and skirts results. The skirt material
has to be light flexible and durable all at the same time. For skirt to meet all of the
requirements the design and use of new materials has slowly evolved.
There are three types of skirts
Bag skirt
Finger skirt
Bag
Fingerskirt
A Hovercraft skirt is required to fulfill the following functions-
Contain the cushion of air beneath the craft at required Hover height
Have the ability to confirm or contour effectively over obstacles so as to keep
minimum, the loss of cushion air
Return to its original shape after having been deformed
Give adequate stability
Offer little resistance to passage of obstacles beneath it
 Have the ability to absorb a large portion of the energy which is produced on impacts
or collision with obstacles greater than hover height or cushion depth.
7.4 The lifting fan
Fan serves as the backbone of a HOVERCRAFT. It is a part of a propulsion system.
Fans are high specific machines with high efficiencies. The efficiency and delivery pressure
fall when the fan operates at higher flow rates.
In the enclosed space fan operates in a propeller would not be suitable. Firstly the
volume of air needed is very large and a propeller is designed to be most efficient in open air
like on an aircraft. Propellers again are not efficient in applications when an air backpressure
will be applied to the propeller blades as they rotate.
Because of this the lifting on most Hovercraft uses what is known as a centrifugal fan.
This is a fan in which two discs are fitted together and looks rather like a doughnut with
angled slat at their edges.
When the assembly is rotated at high speed air is sucked in to the center hole in the fan
and the slats force it out at the edges. The advantages of the fan are twofold. They operate
efficiently in an environment when back pressure is high and they will move larger volumes
of air for a given rotation speed than a propeller with the same speed and power input
The lifting fan is coupled via a gearbox to the engine. The engine also drives the
propeller on the craft, which provides thrust for forward motion of the Hovercraft.

7.5 Rudders and control of hovercraft

Control of a Hovercraft is accomplished by primarily though the use of rudders like
the type used on aircraft. The main difference would be, however, that Hovercraft generally
utilizes many rudders rather than just one.
On the SRN4 the pylons on which they are mounted can be rotated to change the
direction of thrust. Another method of control is through puff ports or dual thrust fans where
you would slow one down and speed up the other to turn in the direction desired.
The hovercrafts are designed to float like a boat with the engine turned off. To stop the
Hovercraft-Reducing engine RPM will reduce the air cushion height and increased drag
between the skirt and the surface will slow and stop the Hovercraft. Alternatively, the
Hovercraft can be turned 180 degrees and the engine accelerated till the craft stops. In an
emergency situation on most surfaces turning the engine off will stop the Hovercraft
immediately. Building a hovercraft isnt the easiest tasks as there are number of design and
construction principles to adhere to. But with some good guidelines or instructions, some
handiness with tools, time and patience, success is assured.

CHAPTER 08
THE BASIC PRINCIPLE OF HOVERCRAFT

The basic principle of an air cushion is that if you lift an object of the ground using air
you reduce the force required to move the object. Because the object is no longer in contact
with the ground the friction this causes (surface friction) is reduced, making it easier to move
the object.
This also implies that the smoother the surface is the friction. This is also true that
uneven surface with rocks and other obstacles can significantly slow down or even stop and
damage an air cushion vehicle if the chamber containing the air cushion was made of rigid
materials. Hence the use of a flexible skirt and the need of a sufficient lift. This allows the
craft to pass over rocks and other uneven terrain obstacles without too much trouble or
damage or slowing down.

8.1 The basic parts

That said with a hovercraft we can identify three basic construction necessities-
1.) The hull, below which is attached the skirt system.
2.) a propulsion system to move the craft and.
 3.) The lift system to feed air into the plenum chamber below the craft in order
to create the air cushion.
Some hovercraft uses single motor system to provide both the air for the plenum
chamber and propulsion. The difficulty in using one motor is to provide to provide optimal
efficiency for both systems, diving the power for propulsion as well as for the fan to produce
enough air for the lift.

8.2 Power to weight ratio

Although an air cushion vehicle does not require the critical power to weight ratio
precision, as does an airplane in order to operate, it is nonetheless necessary to consider power
to weight ratio at the design stage of an air cushion vehicle, rather than find out later there
isnt enough power to lift or move the craft.
The power to weight ratio determines in large part the amount of ground clearance
between the skirt and the ground surface. The greater the ground clearance the more
efficiently the propulsion system operates. That is not to say that the higher the higher the
hovercraft lifts into the air the better. Lifting too high will cause instability. Such is the power
of the lift that even a severely overloaded and miscalculated power to weight ratio hovercraft
construction will still work, but it is far from ideal.

8.3 Different system requirements

Air pressure can take forms of dynamic pressure (like the force you feel when the
wind blows on our face) and static pressure (like the pressure in a gas bottle). The hovercraft
thrust system concerns mainly with dynamic air pressure and hovercraft lift system is more
concerned with static air pressure.

8.4 Thrust system requirements

In case of the thrust system, it is the acceleration of a mass of air that produces the
thrust. Newtonian physics states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction and this
is exactly what causes the thrust, accelerating air out of the hovercraft causes a thrust
propelling the hovercraft forward. Now this can be achieved in different ways, for example a
small area high velocity jet of air with the same power input. However there are many factors
such as frictional losses in the intake, the propeller, the outlet, and the rudders and within the
air itself. Without going into detailed analysis, these can be expressed, as efficiencies at each
stage but suffice to for this discussion that most losses are proportional to the air velocity
squared. That means in simplistic terms that if we double the air velocity we double the thrust
but we will get four times the losses.
In other words, we can get much more thrust per kilowatt of engine power input with
a system that passes a larger quantity of air at a relatively low velocity compared with a
system that passes a smaller quantity of air at a higher velocity. Therefore the factors to
consider mainly when designing the thrust are air mass flow and reduction of losses.

8.5 Lift system requirements

In the case of a hovercraft lift systems, it is the air pressure that acts upon the
underside of the hovercraft that provides the lifting force to make the hovercraft hover. Also,
because the skirt does not form a perfect seal the hovercraft perimeter there is leakage of the
air that must be balanced by the constant air input from the lift fan.
Hovercraft lift systems usually have rather dirty airflow characteristics so most of the
dynamics pressures of the moving air is lost as it passes around bends and obstructions in the
ducting system. The amount of lost dynamic air pressures can be minimized by designing a
lift system that operates at a low velocity. That leaves static air pressure as the overriding
consideration combined with getting enough air into the lift system to allow for skirt leakage.
Therefore the factors to consider mostly when designing the lift air input system are pressure
characteristics of the fan and the volume flow capabilities of it at the required pressure.
This is a completely different design criterion that what is needed for an efficient
thrust system and the design of the fan result in a completely different device to that which
would be chosen for maximum thrust efficiency.
 CHAPTER 09
RESPONSE TABLES AND VARIOUS DESIGNS CONCEPTS

9.1 Response table & various concepts of body style fordesigning hovercraft

9.2 Response Table & Various Concepts of Body Material for Designing Hovercraft
Note: +, 0 or - was assigned to indicate positive response a neutral response and negative
response respectively w.r.t various features of Hovercraft designs.

9.3 Response table & various concepts of lift mechanism for designing
hovercraft

9.4 Response Table & Various Concepts of Power for Designing Hovercraft
 CHAPTER 10
DESIGN OF HOVERCRAFT

10.1 Specification
Length=140cm
Width=60cm
Cross sectional area of Hovercraft=140*60=8400cm2
Weight of Hovercraft-
Total weight=2kg
Normal operating speed-
V=5m/s
Turing Radius=1-2feet
Power requirement =320W/ 1400KV
Thrust requirement = 900 gm

Note: +, 0 or - was assigned to indicate positive response a neutral response and negative
response respectively w.r.t various features of Hovercraft designs.

Skirt area = 2700 sq. cm

Propeller = 10"*4.7"
Motor brushless DC motor 320W/1400KV, 25 A
ESC- Electronic speed controller Burst current 25 A, in built battery eliminator circuit
Battery- 2200mah , 4200mah , 3 cell , 11.1 V
Servo motor 2-3 kg-cm torque
Body material- 4 mm thick corrugated plastic sheet

10.2 TYPES OF FORCES ACTING ON HOVERCRAFT-

1. Lift force
2. Thrust force
3. Drag force

10.2.1 Lift force

The lift force that we want to produce in our hovercraft is a force that is equal to or
greater than the weight of the hovercraft. Lift is produced by blowing air into the hovercrafts
skirt, creating a high pressure pocket. Since the pressure in the skirt is greater than the
pressure produced by the weight of the hovercraft, an upward force is created. Ideally, we
want the lift force produced to be equal to the weight of the hovercraft in order to maximize
efficiency. If the lift produced is greater than the weight, air will escape the skirt through the
bottom, thus lowering the lift force until equilibrium is obtained. The lift force can be
calculated using the equation:
Lift force= air cushion pressure *area of the skirt
FL = PC*A
Where,
 FL= Lift force
PC= Air Cushion Pressure
A= Area Of The Skirt

Also, for maximum efficiency of the hovercraft lift force should be equal to the
gross weight of the Hovercraft.
Therefore,
FL= weight of the Hovercraft
pc*A= weight of the Hovercraft
2=4200*10-4*Pc
PC =4.76 N/m2 5 N/m2 or 5Pa

Where,
A is the cross-sectional area of the skirt in m2
PC is the air cushion pressure within the skirt in Pa,
the lift, FL in N, should be equal to the weight of the hovercraft.

When designing our hovercraft we need to take lift into consideration. The cross
sectional area and the weight of the hovercraft will determine how much lift our hovercraft
will need to produce. Therefore, considering the lift required is essential when determining
the size and weight of our hovercraft. We must also design our skirt so that it contains the air,
but also allows air to escape from the bottom when the pressure is too high. To ensure perfect
balance, we must control the hovercrafts pitch, vertical movement of the nose, and yaw,
horizontal movement of the nose. It is vital that the pressure is distributed evenly throughout
the skirt and that the center of mass of the hovercraft is properly supported so that no
unwanted moment will be created.

10.2.2 Thrust force

 Thrust, which is created by the propulsion system, is the force which pushes the
hovercraft forward. Having maximum thrust is critical for our hovercraft, as we are designing
it so that it may travel a certain distance in the smallest amount of time.
The momentum of an object is given by
Q=m*v
Where,
Q is the objects momentum in kgm/s,
m is the mass of the object in kg
v is the velocity of the object in m/s

M, mass=Weight/gravitational force
m =2/9.81
m=.2039

According to Newtons Second Law, the force acting on an object is proportional to

the rate of change of the objects momentum. The force on an object can therefore be written
as:
Ft=m(Vo-Vi)/(t2-t1)
Where,
Ft=Thrust force
m= mass of the hovercraft
Vo=outlet velocity
Vi=initial velocity
t2=final velocity
t1=initial velocity
Where t is time in seconds. Mass, m, over time, t, is equal to mass flow rate, .
For a fluid:
Calculation of the mass flow rate
= vA
Where,
 is measured in kg/s,
is the fluid density in kg/m3 ,
v=velocity of the hovercraft,
A is the cross-sectional area of the propulsion system, such as a fan, in m2.
= 1.125*5*4*10-3
=0.0225 kg/s

The thrust force can then be written as:

Ft=(Ve-Vi)
Where,
Vi is the entrance velocity
Ve is the exit velocity, to and from the propulsion system, in m/s.
When the thrust is produced, we must insure that the force is applied collinearly to the
center of mass of the hovercraft to prevent any unwanted yaw, thus allowing the hovercraft to
go straight.
In selecting a propulsion system, we must consider these equations. As an example, if
we were to use fans for thrust, we would have to consider in our design, the area of the fan,
and how fast we can make the propellers turn. This will increase the velocity of the air exiting
the fan, thus increasing the thrust.

10.2.3 Drag force

Drag must also be considered when designing our hovercraft. Assuming that our
design produces enough lift to essentially make the surface frictionless, drag is the only force
that opposes the hovercrafts forward motion.
However, we can reduce this force. The drag is caused when the hovercraft moves
through a fluid, such as air. The drag force can be calculated using the following equation:

Fd=1/2* v2CdA

Where,
 is the density of the fluid,
v is the velocity of the hovercraft relative to the fluid,
A is the cross-sectional area of the hovercraft,
Cd is the coefficient of drag.

As given in following figure, the drag co-efficient of various shapes are

 The coefficient of drag is a unit-less ratio between the drag force and the dynamic
pressure times the area. This coefficient is usually found through experiment and can be
calculated through the equation:
Cd = Fd/Av2/2
Cd = 2Fd/Av2

Since, as per the dimensions our hovercraft is a short cylinder, the Cd can be taken as
1.15.
From these equations, we can determine that drag must be considered when
designing the hovercrafts body shape and size. Our goal is to make our hovercraft design
more aerodynamic by reducing the cross-sectional area of the reference face and eliminating
any flat surfaces perpendicular to the flow of air. Selecting a streamlined design with a thinner
tail end will reduce the wake produced by our hovercraft. A smaller wake means less drag
produced and therefore, lower opposing forces, resulting in a faster hovercraft.

Fd =1/2* v2CdA
Fd = 0.5*1.225*25*1.15*0.84
Fd = 14.79 N

Therefore, Drag force acting on the Hovercraft is 14.79 N , that force also called as
friction force. Drag force acts on the Hovercraft is always Negative.
 CHAPTER 11
CONNECTION OF BRUSHLESS MOTOR, ESC & LIPO BATTERY

Fig 11.1: Connection of brushless motor, esc & lipo battery

 Fig 11.2 : LIPO BATTERY

ESC and Battery Selection

 The electronic speed controller is used as an electrical isolator between the motor and
the MCU, whilst acting as a controller for the electric motor. An Electronic Speed Controller
(ESC) is required in order to provide a high degree of controllability and protect the motor
from incorrect signals and interference levels.
Manufacturers recommendations suggest a 90 A ESC and based on this we selected an
available Dual Sky 90A brushless controller from mode light . Lower rated ESC's were
available, however are undesirable due to incompatibility warnings with high powered motors
operating near maximum performance limitations and known reliability issues.
The selected ESC can operate with up to a 10 cell Lithium Ion Polymer (Li Po),
providing automatic brake settings, battery type recognition, low voltage cut-off protection,
startup modes and variable signal timing.
Due to high costs of a 10 cell battery, a 3 cell Li Po was used, in particular a Hacker
HTFU30C-38006S with a charge capacity of 4500 mah,2200 mah.

Motor Selection

The propulsion motors are used to drive the propellers, providing thrust to accelerate
the hovercraft. Two identical motors are required for a dual vector thrust design . The motors
required a high degree of controllability, the ability to turn on/o_ quickly and operate over a
variety of operational speeds. To achieve this an electric motor was required, as no other
engine can achieve the high degree of controllability needed.
Conceptual thrust design calculations have indicated a minimum 500 W power
requirement, resulting in a design power of 1250 W, with a 2.5 safety factor. Such a high
safety factor is required to ensure adequate thrust for a wide range of propeller diameters,
pitches, blades and operational speeds. Due to the rotational properties of the vectored thrust
design, a motor was required with a high power to weight ratio.
Able to provide high power levels, whilst remaining light weight, so not to restrict the
rotation of the propulsion system.

CHAPTER 12
APPLICATIONS & TARGET MARKETS
12.1 APPLICATIONS & TARGET MARKETS
Small hovercraft are very popular with leisure users, and rental users who sell rides. As
they are all-terrain craft, they are also invaluable for rescue, commercial, environmental
surveys, military and homeland patrol applications. For resellers, there are significant
business opportunities for those able to fully exploit them.
Compared to personal watercraft (Jet Skis) and snowmobiles, Hovercraft are true all
terrain vehicles, able to travel over any flat surface, i.e. sand, mud, water, ice, snow, rivers,
lakes, grass, tarmac. Jet Ski users have to contend with tidal restrictions, whereas marine
grade personal leisure hovercraft (PLH) can operate at high tide or low tide. Hovercraft have
no propellers, so can travel over shallow water areas, without fear of damage from submerged
rocks, coral or marine life.

12.1.1 Target Markets

The following types of customers may have an interest in small hovercraft.
1. Activity Centres
2. Adventure days and corporate activity operators
3. Airports for rescue and bird scaring.
4. Aviation dealers, already selling microlights, ultralights or helicopters.
5. Coastal and Lake property developers.
6. Coastguard Patrol, Police, Military, Coastline inspection, homeland security patrol.
7. Corporate Customers (for rental).
8. Corporate event organisers.
9. Diving operators, ideal for marine life surveys, wreck location.
10. Environment consultants, surveyors, universities involved in marine research.
11. Farmers for flooded ground. Fish and shell fish farmers.
12. Filming companies, before and behind the camera.
13. Fire Departments (Flood, mud, ice rescue)..
14. Fishing, hunting applications for getting to places difficult to reach by other vehicles.
15. Goldmine, mining &Aluminium plants.
16. Hotels and resorts.
17. Jet Skiers fed up with tidal restrictions
18. Karting & race Tracks.
19. Leisure users.
20. Luxury yachts for on board entertainment or to use as super tenders (travel over
submerged rocks or coral).
 21. Marine surveyors, civil engineers building bridge or other marine based construction
projects.
22. Military procurement.
23. Mud, ice and flood rescue organisations.
24. Oil Exploration. Oil exploration companies operating in shallow water areas.
25. Police and rescue organisations.
26. Promotion and advertising agencies.
27. Resorts and Ride Experience organisers.
28. Shellfish farmer.
29. SuperYacht Builders & Captains.
30. Theme parks.
31. Tourism, Tourist Development.
32. TV Company, interesting features, talk shows, documentaries.
33. TV Shows.

CHAPTER 13
FEATURES OF A RC HOVERCRAFT

1) Safe- Our design is safe and environment friendly because we are using motor for lift
and propulsion which does not create an y pollution while running. There is no chance
of fire or explosion, because n usage of fuel, so chance of accident is reduce and our
design become safer.

2) Light Weight- We are using thermocole as base material which are light in weight,
so the overall weight of our design is less.

3) Cost Effective- Our design is cost effective because we are used thermocole or
cardboard for base and body which are low cost material.

4) Easy To Manufacture-Manufacturing of our design is very easy. There is no need of any

machining operation.
5)Capable of Moving Straight Line: - While testing we observe our design model will be
capable to move in straight line.

6.) Portable: -Our design is portable because of lightweight. The weight of our design is
near about improve the thrust and lift system. We can also improve 1.5kg, so we can easy
carry the RCACV.

CHAPTER 14
RECOMMENDATION

In our design process we found that one particular design for our hovercraft was better
than the rest. Although we did not cover the details of the other hovercraft concepts and
designs in as much depth, we found that the final design that we chose is superior in many
ways. We selected this design over the others because it showed that its features would allow
it to perform better than the other designs. Features such as its aerodynamic design,
propulsion system, and lift system showed more promising results than the other designs
when we applied the force equations to the hovercraft. Also, we found that the
material composition of this design was superior to the others. The materials were
attainable and relatively cost efficient. Most parts of the design are easily fixed or
replaced, and it is not costly to do so. We also found that the materials used in this
design are exactly what we needed for the hovercrafts purposes.

Main materials such as carbon fiber, high density foam, and tarpaulin are light, which
will allow the hovercraft to achieve lift and speeds greater than the other designs. The
materials are also sturdy and will be able to absorb any impact that might occur, allowing the
hovercraft to make multiple runs. The power source of the design was superior to others
because it is able to supply the amount of power that we need, as opposed to being too
much or too little, which is what was found to be problematic in the other designs. Not
only is the designs theoretical performance superior to the other designs; we found that it is
much more aesthetically appealing. The smooth streamlined design gives the hovercraft a
slimmer and more aesthetic appeal. The hovercrafts shape is unique to other designs, aiding
in its aesthetical appeal.

Although the hovercraft is much more promising than any other design that we
have considered, it has flaws and must be further evaluated. The materials for the
hovercraft are relatively cost efficient, however the manufacturing cost for many of the
hovercrafts features are much more expensive than many of our other designs. Because it has
a streamlined design many of the parts have to be produced by a CNC, which allows for better
tolerances, but it increases its cost for manufacturing. In our report, we chose to rapid
prototype and vacuum form various parts for better tolerances and higher quality products.
These two processes drastically increased the manufacturing cost, and the cons of the
processes outweighed the pros. In spite of the major flaws, we found through other
sources that these prices can be significantly reduced by using alternative materials, which
would provide us the same functionality as the current, and by using alternative
manufacturing process which would be more cost efficient for specific parts.

Ultimately the designs specifications are promising and show exceptional

theoretical performance. The hovercraft is also more aesthetically pleasing and unique than
any other design we have considered. However, the designs manufacturing cost is way
too high and must be reduced significantly. Since alternative manufacturing processes
show that the manufacturing cost can be significantly reduced, our recommendation
would be to perform more research on these processes and materials before proceeding
with the development and production of our design.

CHAPTER 15

COSTING

Table: Material and parts costing

Sr. No. Part Name Material Quantity Cost
1 Base material Choroplast 1100

2 Skirt material Resin 5 metres 1500

3 Propeller Synthetic fibre 3No 360

4 Dc motor 1400kv 3 No 3600

 5 Li Po battery 4200mah,2200mah 2No 4200

7 Battery charger B6 1 No 1300

8 Remote 6channel 1No 3400

9 ESC 30 ampere 3 No 2250

10 Remote battery Duracell 20 250

11 Hot glue sticks 15 No 300

12 Miscellaneous and 1000

other losses
13 Servo motor 1 No 740

Total cost 2000

0

CHAPTER 16
CONCLUSION

Hovercrafts are generally simple mechanisms in theory. Yet the process from theory to
manifestation is not as easy as it may seem. A plethora of problems exist and must be faced in
order to attain a well-functioning hovercraft.
The plans and designs must be flawless. One must take under consideration the weight
and the shape of each component in order to avoid problems such as instability and
dysfunction. This is a marvelous machine which greatly cuts down the friction which intern
helps it to attain greater speed and more stability.
 Varieties of problems and factors have to be taken into account in designing and
constructing a hovercraft. The difficulties involved in maintaining stability and functional
competency has limited the application to only transportation or for military purpose. The cost
involved in the developing of a hovercraft is also another impediment to the widespread use
of this machine.

CHAPTER 17
REFERENCES

[1] A. K. Amiruddin, S. M. Sapuan and A. A. Jaafar Development of a hovercraft

prototype with an aluminium hull" base, International Journal of the Physical Sciences Vol.
6(17), pp. 4185-4194, 2 September, 2011
[2] Grant Wagner, Michael Butler, Derek Smith, Kyle Palmer, Design and Fabrication of
a Model Hovercraft, Final Report, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute,
Indiana, 2 July 2008
[3] C. Fitzgerald and R. Wilson, Light Hovercraft Design, 3rd Hoverclub of America Inc,
1995, 37-38
[4] Universal Hovercraft, The World Leader in Hovercraft http://www.hovercraft.com
[5] Essay - Hovercraft Physics Introduction Hovercrafts, also Known as Air-cushioned
Vehicles (Acvs),http://www.essaytown.com
[6] How Does a Hovercraft Work, http://www.sciencebuddies.org