GB1021373A - Improvements relating to gas-cushion vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

1,021,373. Air cushion vehicles. HOVERCRAFT DEVELOPMENT Ltd. June 12, 1963 [June 15, 1962], No. 23210/62. Heading B7K. An air cushion vehicle has its supporting cushion contained for at least part of its periphery by a hollow, inflatable wall structure comprising two spaced-apart walls and constraining means connecting said walls, at least a part of said structure being extensible so that it extends when subjected to increase in inflation pressure, means for supplying to inflate the structure and means for controlling and varying the inflation pressure whereby the shape of the structure is varied by extension of said part. A nozzle for forming the fluid curtain comprises inflatable structures 1 and 2 having inner walls 3 and 4 and outer walls 5 and 6 respectively connected at their upper ends to recuperation spaces 7 and 8 to which air is supplied by a pipe 9, air for forming the curtain being supplied via a duct 10. The inner and outer walls are connected by ties 12 and the walls and/or the ties may be constructed of materials having differing degrees of elasticity whereby increase of inflation pressure will cause the structures 1 and 2 to take positions such as those indicated by dotted lines. The invention is described also for use in sidewalls and stability keels and apparatus is described for varying the inflation pressure. Instead of the constraint between the walls of a structure being by cords, the walls can be constrained by the space between them being filled by a foamed rubber or plastic.