I Believe I Can’t Fly!

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

Team Members

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Phil Baah-Sackey, Joe Englin, Chris Lowell, Eu Sung Chung

Problem

• There are some situations where neither aquatic vehicles nor land vehicles can access certain locations.

• In these situations an amphibious vehicle that travelled above the surface could reach these locations.

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Christian Faith Concerns

• Build a safe product, no exposed motors, guarded propeller blades

• Build a reliable product, durable materials, parts don’t need to be replaced often

• Build an efficient product, high fuel economy

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Project

• Design a two person hovercraft – roughly 400 lbs excess weight.

• Attain speeds of at least 25 mph.• No specific customers, but various

applications where a hovercraft would be ideal.

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Design

• Skirt with air splitter• Use two motors• Triangular shape• Dimensions – 10’ x 6’• Mainly foam and plywood

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Initial Design

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Alternative Solutions

• Skirt with holes• Only one motor• Rectangular design• Materials/construction method

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Obstacles

• How to balance the craft (air distribution)

• Throttle and rudder controls• Working with unfamiliar materials• Motor selection/sourcing

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Accomplishments

• Determined rough dimensions• Estimates of required thrust and lift• Constructed a model

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The End

Questions?

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

How Does A Hover Craft Work?

• A hovercraft (or Air Cushion Vehicle) uses pressure differentials to lift itself off of the ground.

Image Copyright www.antonine-education.co.uk

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

How Does a Hovercraft Turn?

• A hovercraft turns similarly to a boat. They typically use a pair of rudders mounted behind the thrust duct to control direction.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

How Does a Hovercraft Stop?

• Hovercrafts can slow down easily because of aerodynamic drag

• Methods of stopping quickly are typically rotating the hovercraft 180 degrees (in small commercial applications), or having a transmission with a reverse gear in large applications.

• For cost reasons ours will be the first.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

How Does a Hovercraft Stay Level?

• In order to balance properly, a hovercraft has to be well designed.

• The weight distribution must be even across the craft.

• Typically this means either passenger relocation, or a series of movable weights. Our design will more than likely be the first.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

What Is the Skirt?

• The skirt is an inflatable tube underneath the hovercraft the keeps the high pressure air underneath the craft, in order to lift it.

• Skirts are made of durable rubberized materials, they are a hovercrafts “tires”

• The skirt is inflated, in our design, by ducting air into it from the lift fan.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

Hull Design

• The hull itself will be made primarily of foam, bonded together and cut to our crafts shape.

• The outside of the hull, on the top of the craft will be covered in fiberglass, and painted so that it is not only smooth, but aesthetically pleasing.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin

Propellers

• We intend to construct both of our propellers ourselves.

• We will bond wood boards together and then cut/sand them to our final design, based on thrust/lift requirement calculations.

Team 1: On Wings Like A Penguin