An air cushion for amphibious vehicles (hovercraft) is created by forcing air into a special cavity located at the bottom of the case. Of course, during the movement there are certain losses of its contents, which leads to a decrease in the efficiency of the vehicle. However, this problem also has a solution: a flexible fence (skirt), which is made of textile material and supports lifting the machine to a considerable height - from 15 cm to 2 m. Thanks to this, such a vessel is more similar in dynamics to an aircraft.
Movement principle
All hovercraft have a thrust that is provided by the engine - due to it the movement occurs. Some ships are equipped with an engine that simultaneously creates traction and pumps air - a single stream is divided into two substreams. Some cars are also equipped with a twin engine system. In this case, the thrust is created by one engine, and the airbag is supported by the second.
Benefits of New SVPs
The best vessels are those that have a two-tier railing, the lightness of the hull is ensured by the use of composite materials, and the movement and volume of the air cushion are supported by two separate engines.
Bunk fence
It is quite rare in domestic hovercraft, since it requires costs for expensive materials, and the technology for its manufacture does not belong to the category of simple ones. But just such an air cushion is considered more progressive, because it is not afraid of surface irregularities, loose snow and possible mechanical damage. This fence consists of two parts: the upper cylinder with variable pressure and the individual segments that are located under it. Such a fence is used on all European and American SVPs and is called classic. Due to it, while traveling on a perfectly flat surface, the hovercraft "soars" at a height of about 30 cm, and if roughness is still present, individual lower segments will go into the course, which reduce air loss to an insignificant minimum.
Composite case
Composites when creating a body have several advantages. If the addition of aluminum can provide lightness, then corrosion resistance and simple mechanical strength are characteristic only of composite materials. At the same time, the repair of the aluminum case can be carried out exclusively by an experienced welder, and the composite case can be perfectly repaired using ordinary patch and special glue.
Dual engine system
This design guarantees lightness, maneuverability and load carrying capacity. The air cushion will come off the ground even at low speeds, loading and unloading operations can now be performed by one person, and most importantly, reliability and safety will increase many times. Since the pillow is powered by a separate engine with an impressive resource, the failure of the main draft engine will not now lead to the fall of the vessel on the bottom, the consequences of which can be simply catastrophic. You just slowly and carefully plan for a reinforced bottom, thereby avoiding not only damage to the hovercraft, but also the threat of your own life.