US3662851A - Air-cushion vehicle with brush support - Google Patents
Air-cushion vehicle with brush support Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US3662851A US3662851A US13986A US3662851DA US3662851A US 3662851 A US3662851 A US 3662851A US 13986 A US13986 A US 13986A US 3662851D A US3662851D A US 3662851DA US 3662851 A US3662851 A US 3662851A
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- skirt
- vehicle
- peripheral wall
- brushes
- air
- 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
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60V—AIR-CUSHION VEHICLES
- B60V1/00—Air-cushion
- B60V1/04—Air-cushion wherein the cushion is contained at least in part by walls
Definitions
- ABSTRACT U-S. l6, 20 An ajpcushion vehicle has a plurality of brushes mounted on [51] II.-
- Air-cushion vehicles utilize an arrangement for producing a cushion of air under pressure beneath the vehicleso as to raise the vehicle a short distance from the supporting surface.
- the supporting surface may be water, ground, snow, ice, etc.
- the air cushion Two principal types of structures are commonly employed for producing the air cushion.
- One type employs an open plenum chamber beneath the vehicle witha relatively large volume of low pressure air supplied thereto.
- the plenum chamber usually is formed of a downwardly extending peripheral wall or skirt which, together with the bottom of the vehicle, forms a chamber which is open at the bottom.
- the other principal type employs a peripheral slot or jet which produces a downwardly and inwardly sloping curtain of air under relatively high pressure.
- the curtain of. air is produced by supplying air under high pressure to a slot in a peripheral wall or skirt.
- peripheral walls or skirts are frequently sufficiently deformable so that, when the vehicle encounters surface obstructions, the wall or skirt can flex without being ruptured.
- Flexible or semi-rigid materials are frequently used for the wall or skirt.
- the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive means for supporting the vehicle when at rest, which does not require retraction and yet does not interfere with normal operation of the vehicle.
- a plurality of brushes are attached to the body of the air-cushion vehicle within the boundary of the peripheral wall or skirt and extending downwardly approximately to the lower edge of the wall or skirt.
- the brushes are sufficiently stiff so that they are capable of supporting the vehicle while at rest without substantial deformation of the peripheral wall or skirt.
- the bristles of the brushes are elastic, if the brushes strike projections or obstacles in normal operation of the vehicle, the bristles bend or part so as to pass over or around the obstacle without injury, and without impairing the operation of the vehicle.
- an air-cushion vehicle is shown of the type described in detail in application Ser. No. 2,810, filed Jan. 14, 1970 by Hugo S. Ferguson for Air Cushion Vehicles", assigned to the same assignee as the present application.
- a body platform has an air propeller ll driven by motor 12.
- Front and rear sets of steering vanes 14 and 15 are controlled by a steering wheel 16.
- the downstream flow of air from the propeller, under the control of the front steering vanes 14, passes through air channels on either side of the operator position (behind steering wheel 16) to the rear steering vanes.
- the body platform 10 is provided with a downwardly extending peripheral wall or skirt 21 which forms an open plenum chamber 22 beneath the vehicle. As described in the above-identified application, air from the lower portion of the propeller is admitted to the plenum chamber through an opening in the body platfonn 10 (not shown).
- the body platform 10 is molded of foamed, closed-cell, rigid polyurethane with a tough skin
- the peripheral wall or skirt 21 is formed of foamed, closed-cell, semi-rigid polyethylene.
- the semi-rigid wall has sufficient flexibility to avoid serious damagewhen traveling over rough terrain.
- the semi-rigid skirt 21 has sufficient elasticity to return to its original condition after being deformed in normal operation, if the weight of the vehicle rests on the skirt for a considerable length of time the skirt will be more or less permanently deformed or set". This will result in changing the clearance of the vehicle from the ground or other supporting surface. Further, if chambers or slots are formed in the skirt, the resulting deformation may seriously affect subsequent performance.
- brushes 23 are attached to the vehicle body in a suitable configuration to provide stable support when the vehicle is at rest.
- the brushes may be attached to the body of the vehicle in any suitable manner.
- the brushes project approximately to the lower edge of skirt 21. If they project slightly below the lower edge, when the vehicle is on level ground the skirt will be slightly above the surface. If the brushes do not extend quite to the lower edge, the wall need give only a little bit and the vehicle will then be resting on the brushes. This may be satisfactory in particular applications.
- a perforated plate 25 with threaded cylinder 26 welded thereto is inserted in the body platform 10 during the molding operation.
- the head 24 of the brush has a central hole therethrough, and a bolt 27 and washer secure the brush in a recess 28 in the body of the vehicle.
- the brushes 23 are designed to have sufficient stiffness to support the weight of the vehicle. Bristles of nylon and polypropylene have been employed with success, and bristles of wire, such as stainless steel, may be employed if desired. The size of the brush, diameter and length of the bristles, and the bristle material may be selected as meets the requirements of a particular application.
- tufts of bristles were set in 1% inch holes in a plywood back 24 about 8 inches in diameter and 1 inch thick.
- Nylon bristles about 55 mils (thousandths of an inch) in diameter were used.
- Each tuft had about 56 bristles and the length of the tufts was 4% inches from the back.
- Three of these brushes provided satisfactory support for a 250 pound vehicle. The brushes were mounted so that the bristles extended about one-quarter inch below the level of the skirt.
- FIG. 5 A ripple bristle is shown in FIG. 5. As indicated in FIG. 6, the filament forming the bristle may be somewhat fluted. With such bristles, the ripples tend to insure contact between adjacent bristles so as to increase the overall stiffness of the brush without reducing the flexibility of the individual bristles.
- the bristles of the brushes can acquire a set if the vehicle is left standing for a long time with the bristles somewhat bent. This might occur, for example, if the vehicle were dragged along the ground to its resting place, and left standing without raising it to allow the bristles to resume their normal straight condition. Although such bending may not be serious, the bending may be reduced or avoided by strengthening the brush as a whole.
- FIG. 4 shows an elastic band 29 encircling the brush near the base of the bristles, so as to strengthen the bristles as an aggregate against bending, while still allowing individual bending of the bristles as may be required to enable them to pass over obstacles, or to part so as to allow smaller obstacles to pass thercthrough.
- the bristle diameter may be increased, say to 7$ inch diameter or more, particularly with longer bristles, to form a stiffer brush while still retaining adequate flexibility to pass over or around obstacles.
- An air-cushion vehicle including a body having a deformable peripheral wall or skirt of impermeable material extending downwardly therefrom and means for producing an air cushion beneath said body within the confines of said peripheral wall or skirt for raising the vehicle above a supporting surface
- the improvement comprises a plurality of discrete separated support brushes fixedly mounted on the under side of said body a substantial distance inwardly of the boundary of said peripheral wall or skirt and spaced therefrom, said brushes extending downwardly and terminating in a plane at a level below the major portion of said peripheral wall or skirt and approximately at the level of the lower edge of said peripheral wall or skirt for supporting said vehicle in the absence of said air cushion, each said brush comprising a plurality of individually flexible bristles, the aggregate of said bristles providing stiff brushes for the said support of said vehicle.
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Brushes (AREA)
Abstract
Description
Claims (1)
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US1398670A | 1970-02-25 | 1970-02-25 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US3662851A true US3662851A (en) | 1972-05-16 |
Family
ID=21762877
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13986A Expired - Lifetime US3662851A (en) | 1970-02-25 | 1970-02-25 | Air-cushion vehicle with brush support |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US3662851A (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4392775A (en) * | 1980-10-09 | 1983-07-12 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force | Flat workpiece pickup |
US5501291A (en) * | 1991-12-09 | 1996-03-26 | Dan/Hover C/O Leif Qvist | Skirt for an air cushion vehicle and filament member thereto |
US20050016783A1 (en) * | 1999-06-15 | 2005-01-27 | Arbortech Industries Ltd. | Air board |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3055446A (en) * | 1959-12-28 | 1962-09-25 | Jack F Vaughen | Air-supported cargo platform or container |
US3172494A (en) * | 1961-04-13 | 1965-03-09 | Hovercraft Dev Ltd | Skirts of flexible filamentary members for ground effect machines |
US3173509A (en) * | 1960-03-21 | 1965-03-16 | Bell Aerospace Corp | Air cushion supported vehicle |
US3207245A (en) * | 1960-11-02 | 1965-09-21 | Reynolds Metals Co | Ground effect machine |
US3208543A (en) * | 1961-07-19 | 1965-09-28 | American Mach & Foundry | Air cushion vehicle |
US3249167A (en) * | 1964-05-01 | 1966-05-03 | Tibbetts Industries | Air-lift vehicle and filament skirt therefor |
US3292721A (en) * | 1963-10-02 | 1966-12-20 | Franklin A Dobson | Toy air car |
-
1970
- 1970-02-25 US US13986A patent/US3662851A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3055446A (en) * | 1959-12-28 | 1962-09-25 | Jack F Vaughen | Air-supported cargo platform or container |
US3173509A (en) * | 1960-03-21 | 1965-03-16 | Bell Aerospace Corp | Air cushion supported vehicle |
US3207245A (en) * | 1960-11-02 | 1965-09-21 | Reynolds Metals Co | Ground effect machine |
US3172494A (en) * | 1961-04-13 | 1965-03-09 | Hovercraft Dev Ltd | Skirts of flexible filamentary members for ground effect machines |
US3208543A (en) * | 1961-07-19 | 1965-09-28 | American Mach & Foundry | Air cushion vehicle |
US3292721A (en) * | 1963-10-02 | 1966-12-20 | Franklin A Dobson | Toy air car |
US3249167A (en) * | 1964-05-01 | 1966-05-03 | Tibbetts Industries | Air-lift vehicle and filament skirt therefor |
Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4392775A (en) * | 1980-10-09 | 1983-07-12 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Air Force | Flat workpiece pickup |
US5501291A (en) * | 1991-12-09 | 1996-03-26 | Dan/Hover C/O Leif Qvist | Skirt for an air cushion vehicle and filament member thereto |
US20050016783A1 (en) * | 1999-06-15 | 2005-01-27 | Arbortech Industries Ltd. | Air board |
US7210549B2 (en) | 1999-06-15 | 2007-05-01 | Arbortech Industries Ltd. | Air board |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US4653788A (en) | Front bumper for motor vehicles | |
US4647109A (en) | Upholstered seat assembly and a one-piece seat and back shell of molded plastic therefor | |
US3182740A (en) | Vehicles for travelling over land and/or water | |
EP0452979B1 (en) | Cleaning vehicles | |
US3926462A (en) | Shock absorbing buffer assembly | |
US5171057A (en) | Truck air ducting apparatus | |
US3211246A (en) | Air cushion vehicle | |
US3279818A (en) | Mud flaps for vehicles | |
US3662851A (en) | Air-cushion vehicle with brush support | |
US3401663A (en) | Catamaran boat construction with center spray shield | |
FR2364789A1 (en) | Plastics bumper attachment for automobiles - has synthetic cellular element attached to chassis to elastically absorb small shocks | |
US4922642A (en) | Long gun muzzle tether and protector | |
US3756343A (en) | Air cushion seal | |
GB952126A (en) | Improvements in or relating to ground effect machines | |
US3350114A (en) | Rubber article | |
US3467215A (en) | Cushion supported vehicles with extensible base area | |
GB1056070A (en) | Improvements relating to gas-cushion vehicles | |
GB1190206A (en) | Improvements in or relating to Flexible Skirt Assemblies for Air Cushion Vehicles | |
US3444952A (en) | Skirt restoring means for gas-cushion vehicles | |
US3709318A (en) | Air cushion vehicle | |
GB1171158A (en) | Improvements in or relating to Air-Cushion Vehicles | |
US3219135A (en) | Air cushion vehicle skirt | |
US3805913A (en) | Air-cushion vehicle edge skirt arrangement | |
RU98108182A (en) | COMBINED AIR Cushion Unit | |
US3306388A (en) | Ground effect vehicles with independent flexible stern skirt section |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: ROWLEY, RICHARD R. Free format text: ASSIGNOR BY BILL OF SALE DOES HEREBY GRANT, BARGAIN, SELL AND CONVEY UNTO ASSIGNEE THE ENTIRE INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:HARVEY, JONATHAN P., TRUSTEE FOR AIR CUSHION VEHICLES, INC., (BANKRUPT);REEL/FRAME:003949/0325 Effective date: 19741017 Owner name: COGSWELL, ARNOLD, NEW YORK Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:ROWLEY, RICHARD R.;REEL/FRAME:003949/0333 Effective date: 19771026 Owner name: COGSWELL, ARNOLD ALBANY, NY Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:ROWLEY, RICHARD R.;REEL/FRAME:003949/0333 Effective date: 19771026 Owner name: ROWLEY, RICHARD R. Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:HARVEY, JONATHAN P.;REEL/FRAME:003949/0330 Effective date: 19771017 |