Design and Implementation of a Single-Manned Hovercraft Caitlin Del Zotto Keith Gooberman Matthew Mayerhofer Noah Weichselbaum Senior Project Advisor: Professor William Keat

Presentation Outline Hovercraft background Design objective Design requirements Safety requirements Alternative design concepts Final concept design summary

Hovercraft Background First invented in 1956-Christopher Cockerell Vehicle supported by a cushion of air Can travel over any surface More efficient than boats Less drag, lower HP, higher efficiency

Hovercraft Background Recreational Uses Cruising, Fishing Family, Diving Transportation, Hunting Commercial Uses Patrol Ice – Flood Rescue Airport Rescue Military Over Water Tours Water Taxi Ferry Service River Rescue Ice Breaking Conservation Farming Camera Craft Ice Fishing Fishing Tours Transport

Design Objectives and Design Requirements Hovercraft must be able to transport one individual Must ride on cushion of air Needs to be able to travel over grass, concrete, dirt, ice/snow, and water Goal is to defeat Ian Keat through obstacle course designed by William Keat

Safety Requirements Must be build to prevent rollover No sharp edges Driver must wear helmet and earplugs Kill switch must be installed Must be able to float Needs to be able to stop relatively quickly Driver needs some type of seatbelt

Alternative Design Concepts LIFT AND THRUST CONCEPTS Splitter System vs. Two Single Systems Cost/Benefit SKIRT Bag, Finger or Jupe

Alternative Design Concepts STEERING Rotating Fan vs. Rudders Cost/Benefit LIFT AIRFLOW Ducted Hull vs. Free Flow

Final Design

Detailed Design

Detailed Design (continued)

Stress/Deformation Analysis Loads: Lift motor – 57lbs Lift fan -4lbs Thrust motor – 87lbs Thrust fan - 8lbs Person – 200lbs

Stress Analysis – lift fan fixed

Stress Analysis – person fixed

Calculations Hull Hover Pressure: *Many preliminary calculations we made using an online calculator: http://www.olshove.com/hoverhome/hovcalc.html

Calculations Simulation data from: Inputs: Hull Width (5’) CALCULATION STAGE 1 – Lift requirements Air Gap(in) 0.5 1 1.5 2 Lift Perimter (ft) 27 Hover Gap (ft²) 1.13 2.25 3.38 4.5 Cushion Area (ft²) 45 Cushion Pressure (lbs/in²) 0.123 Cushion Pressure (atm) 0.0084 Air Velocity (ft/sec) 73.8 Lift Air Volume (CFM) 4981 9960 14940 19920 Lift Air Volume (CFS) 83.02 166 249 332 Engine HP 4.46 8.91 13.36 17.81 Fan Diameter (in) 19.58 27.69 33.91 39.16 Simulation data from: http://www.olshove.com/hoverhome/hovcalc.html Inputs: Hull Width (5’) Hull Length (10’) Gross Weight (800lbs) Hover Height (air gap) CALCULATION STAGE 2 - Lift Fan Engine RPM 3060 # of Blades 5 Blade width [mid] 8.73 6.19 5.05 4.38 Blade Width [base] 11.36 8.03 6.56 5.69 Blade Width [tip] 5.25 3.70 3.03 2.63 Tip Speed (ft/sec) 261.4 369.7 452.7 522.7

Budget Total Hovercraft Budget 2605.00 Lift Engine 400.00 Thrust Engine 1000.00 Lift Fan 250.00 Thrust Fan 350.00 Skirt 180.00 Build Your Own HoverTrek Video 50.00 4 Sheets of 1/8” Plywood 220.00 Skirt Glue/Screws 30.00 Steering Cable 25.00 Fiberglass Hull Material 100.00 Total Hovercraft Budget 2605.00

Summary

Winter Term