The quality of the road network in our country leaves much to be desired. The construction of transport infrastructure in some areas is impractical for economic reasons. With the movement of people and goods in such areas, vehicles operating on other physical principles will perfectly cope. It’s impossible to build full-size hovercraft in artisanal conditions, but large-scale models are quite possible.
Vehicles of this kind are capable of moving on any relatively flat surface. It can be a clean field, a pond, or even a swamp. It is worth noting that on such coatings unsuitable for other vehicles, SVP can develop a fairly high speed. The main disadvantage of such transport is the need for large energy costs for creating an air cushion and, as a result, high fuel consumption.
Physical principles of the SVP
High passability of vehicles of this type is provided by the low specific pressure that it exerts on the surface. This can be explained quite simply: the contact area of the vehicle is equal to or even exceeds the area of the vehicle itself. In encyclopedic dictionaries, SVPs are defined as vessels with dynamically generated thrust.
Large and
small hovercraft hover above the surface at a height of 100 to 150 mm. In a special device under the body,
excess air
pressure is created. The machine breaks away from the support and loses mechanical contact with it, as a result of which the resistance to movement becomes minimal. The main energy expenditures are spent on maintaining the air cushion and accelerating the device in a horizontal plane.
Designing: choosing a workflow
For the manufacture of the current model of the SVP, it is necessary to choose an effective hull design for the given conditions. Drawings of hovercraft can be found on specialized resources, where patents are placed with a detailed description of different schemes and methods for their implementation. Practice shows that one of the most successful options for environments such as water and solid soil is the chamber method of forming an air cushion.
In our model, a classic twin-engine scheme with one pumping power drive and one pushing will be implemented. DIY small hovercraft made, in fact, are copy toys of large vehicles. However, they clearly demonstrate the advantages of using such vehicles over others.
Ship hull manufacturing
When choosing material for the ship's hull, the main criteria are ease of processing and low specific gravity. Home-made hovercraft are classified as amphibious, which means that in the event of its unauthorized stopping, flooding will not occur. The hull of the vessel is cut out of plywood (4 mm thick) according to a previously prepared pattern. A jigsaw is used to complete this operation.
The homemade hovercraft has add-ons that are best made from expanded polystyrene to reduce weight. To give them a greater external resemblance to the original, the parts are glued with foam and painted on the outside. Cabin glass is made of transparent plastic, and the rest of the details are cut out of polymers and bent out of wire. Maximum detail is the key to resembling a prototype.
Air chamber dressing
In the manufacture of the skirt, a dense fabric made of polymer waterproof fiber is used. Cutting is carried out according to the drawing. If you do not have experience transferring sketches to paper manually, then they can be printed on a large format printer on thick paper, and then cut with ordinary scissors. The prepared parts are stitched together, the seams should be double and tight.
Do-it-yourself air-cushion ships are supported by the hull on the ground before the injection engine is turned on. The skirt is partially wrinkled and located under it. Bonding of parts is carried out with waterproof glue, the joint is closed by the body of the superstructure. This connection provides high reliability and allows you to make mounting joints invisible. Other external details are also made of polymeric materials: a screw diffuser enclosure and the like.
Power point
The power plant has two engines: a boost and a march. The model uses brushless electric motors and two-blade propellers. Remote control is carried out using a special controller. The power source for the power plant are two batteries with a total capacity of 3000 mAh. Their charge is enough for a half-hour use of the model.
Homemade hovercraft are remotely controlled via radio. All components of the system - radio transmitter, receiver, servos - factory-made. Installation, connection and testing of them is carried out in accordance with the instructions. After power-up, a trial run of the engines is performed with a gradual increase in power until a stable air cushion is formed.
SVP model management
Do-it-yourself hovercraft, as noted above, are remotely controlled via the VHF channel. In practice, it looks like this: in the hands of the owner is a radio transmitter. Engines are started by pressing the corresponding button. Speed control and change of direction are made by the joystick. The machine is easy to maneuver and fairly accurately maintains the course.
Tests have shown that SVP confidently moves on a relatively flat surface: on water and on land with equal ease. The toy will become a favorite pastime for a child aged 7-8 years with sufficiently developed fine motor skills of the fingers.