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Hovercraft Design Project Steven Myles Dr. Oler ME 3370 26 June 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Design Information a. Basic Design Information and Background b. Design Specifications c. Design Schematics II. Calculations a. Initial Calculations i. Pressure Jump Requirement ii. Blower Flow Rate iii. Net Power Requirement for Lift Motor b. Further Calculations i. Rotational Speed of the Pump ii. III. IV. Diameter of Pump 9 10 c. Comparative Evaluations of Centrifugal and Axial Blowers Relevant Graphs References 6 3

Design Information Basic Design Information and Background The following pages contain the design for a simple hovercraft that will transport one person. The hovercraft is actually only a hover-board, a concept borrowed from Robert Zemeckiss 1989 film Back to the Future II. Basically, the hover-board is a surfboard that hovers. In the film, the skateboard-sized hover-boards make use of magnets in order to hover above the ground, but for some reason they are incapable of working over water (a key plot point). The design in the following pages uses a more conventional hovercraft design in that it achieves lift through use of a motor/fan combination. This solves the only on land problem encountered in the film. However, the crafts size is much more like that of a surfboard than that of a skateboard. The riders own foot-power is used to actually propel the board, much like in the case of a skateboard. However, unlike in the film, this hover-board design requires a fuel supply to be carried on the craft. The hovercraft is to be constructed from polystyrene and wood. The board itself, on which the rider stands, is to be made of wood. The skirt will be made of polystyrene. The fan is mounted in the center of the board with a protective circular aluminum grating over it. The craft will hover 2 in. off the ground (or other surface). A basic drawing of the craft is provided in Figure 1 (page 5). A small motor will be used for lift, in conjunction with a blower. The motor will be mounted at the rear of the board, allowing the rider ample room to stand. Also mounted at the rear of the board will be a gallonsize container for the fuel. The motors crankshaft will be mounted to the lift fan which will be in the center of the board, with a small aluminum grating over it to protect the rider from the fan blades. In the interest of brevity, drag and friction incurred by the board have been omitted from the analysis.

Design Specifications It should be noted that the weights and dimensions provided here are very loose estimates. The craft s floor (the actual board ) is to be made of one-inch thick wood and its skirt (see Figure 2) is to be made of polystyrene. The board is rectangular and the skirt is comprised of polystyrene stretched around the edges of the board. To counterbalance the weight of the motor and fuel supply at the front of the board, the rider must lean slightly backward. This should not be a problem for skaters used to conventional skateboards, as a slight leaning back posture is to ensure balance is commonplace. Component Lift Motor Lift Fan (8.74 diameter) Fuel Supply Board Skirt Weight Estimation (lbf) 8 1 61 15 5 Length (ft) X Width (ft) 0.25 X 0.25 3X3 0.25 X 0.25 6.5 X 2.0 ((6.5 +2.0) X 0.25) * 2

The total estimated weight for the craft is thus 185 lbf (the total for the components above plus an average of 150 lbf for the passenger). The weight of the protective grating over the fan is included in the estimation for the board s weight.

The fuel supply is presumed to be a one-gallon container of gasoline. Its weight is accounted for below.
3 = 680 kg/m * 1slug/ft 3 3 3 3 = 1.32 slug/ft ; V = 1 gallon = 231 in * 1ft 3 3 = 0.1337 ft 3

gasoline

515.38 kg/m

1728 in

* V = mgasoline = 0.1764 slug; Wgasoline = mgasoline * g = 0.1764slug * 32.2ft/s

= 5.68lbf

The weight of the fuel container is rounded up to 6lbf due to the weight of the container.

Design Schematics

Figure 1

Calculations Initial Calculations In order to determine if the hovercraft will actually hover, one must perform calculations to determine the pressure jump requirement and the blower flow rate. Of course, it is also helpful to know the power required by the lift blower.
U W = weight = 185 lbf w = width = 24 in = 2.0 ft L = length = 6.5 ft h = height = 2 in = 0.167 ft = density of air at 1 atm and 68 F = 2.34 * 10 -3 slug/ft 3

Q = volumetric blower flow rate Pfan = the fan power

U U W W 185 lbf = = P1g = pressure jump requirement = Pf = A L * w 13 ft 2 lbf P 1g = 14.23 2 ft U U 1 U2 P1g = P1 Pa = V2 2 U 2P1g 2 * (14.23 lbf/ft 2 ) = = 110.3 ft/s; note that 1 lbf*ft/slug = 1 ft 2 /s 2 V2 = -3 3 2.34 * 10 slug/ft A 2 = 2 * h * (L + w) = 2 * (0.167 ft) * (6.5 + 2.0 ft) = 2.833 ft 2 U Q = V2 A 2 = (110.3 ft/s) * (2.8333 ft 2 ) Q = 312.5 ft 3 /s = 18751 ft 3 /min = 140260 gal/min Pfan = Q * Pf = (312.5 ft 3 /s) * 14.23 Pfan = 8.1 hp lbf = 4446.9 lbf * ft/s; note that 1 hp = 550 lbf*ft/s ft 2

Figure 2

Further Calculations Assuming a pump geometrically similar to a pump with 21in diameter (referred to as Pump 1 below), as discussed in Problem P11.57 (White), the rotational speed and diameter of the pump have been found below. The following analysis also relies heavily on the solution to Problem 6.68 Extended as provided by Dr. Oler. See Figures 3-5 (page 9) for data concerning Pump 1 and Figures 6-8 (page 10) for data concerning the Required Pump (Pump 2).
Data for Pump 1 500 1000 3 ft Q1 = 2000 min 3000 4000 6 8 bhp1 = 12 18 25

n 1 = 3550 rpm

D1 = 21 in
* = 4000 ft 3 /min Q1 * Q1 / Q* 2 = 4000 / 18751 = 0.2133 * = 25hp bhp1 * bhp1 / bhp * 2 = 25 / 8.1 = 3.086

Data for Required Pump CQ =

* Q1 Q* 2 = 3 n 1 D1 n 2D3 2

CP =

* bhp1 bhp * 2 = 3 5 5 n1 D1 n 3 D 2 2

Q n 2 = n1 * Q

* 2 * 1

D1 D 2

and
3

D1 n 2 = D2 n1

3 5

bhp bhp

* 1 * 2

1 5

5 bhp * Q* 2 n2 1 n 2 = n1 * Q * n bhp * 1 1 2 * 2 * 1 5 4 * 2 * 1 3 4

Q bhp 18751 4 8.1 4 = n 2 = n1 * 3550 * Q bhp 4000 25 n 2 = 10515.8 rpm 10516 rpm n 1 5 bhp * 2 D 2 = D1 * n bhp * 2 1 D 2 = 0.728 ft = 8.74 in
3

5 3550 5 8.1 5 = ( 21 / 12 ) * 10516 25

Comparative Evaluation of Centrifugal and Axial Blowers In order to determine if a centrifugal blower, discussed above, or an axial blower is the proper choice in the case of the hover-board, one must consider the specific speed. According to White, at high specific speeds, the most efficient choice is an axial-flow, or propeller, pump, which develops a high flow rate and low head (733). To make our determination, we therefore must calculate the specific speed of the pump in question. According to White (731), the lazy but common form of the
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specific speed equation is: Ns =

(r / min)(gal / min) 2 [ H (ft)]

3 4

H for the blower is assumed to be the vertical distance h = 0.167 ft. Therefore:
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Ns =

(10516 r/min)(140260 gal/min) 2 [0.167 (ft)]

3 4 7

Ns = 1.51 * 10

This most definitely qualifies as a high specific speed, given that White (731) states that the high specific speeds (in which case the axial flow pump is best) are Ns > 10,000. Also, for the purposes described, there is a high flow rate and a low head, which follow from a high specific speed according to White s definition. Therefore, for the design shown and analyzed in the previous pages, the best choice of pump is an axial flow (propeller) pump with diameter D=8.74 in and rotational speed n=10516 rpm.

Relevant Graphs
Figure 3 - Cp for Pump 1 (from Prob. 11.57) Figure 6 - Cp for Pump 2

0.000000016 0.000000014 0.000000012

0.000000005 4.5E-09 0.000000004 3.5E-09

0.00000001 Cp 0.000000008 0.000000006 0.000000004 0.000000002

0.000000003 Cp 2.5E-09 0.000000002 1.5E-09 0.000000001 5E-10

0 0 5 10 15 bhp 20 25 30

0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

bhp

Figure 4 - Cq for Pump 1 (from Prob. 11.57)

Figure 7 - Cq for Pump 2

0.2500

1.2000

0.2000

1.0000

0.8000 0.1500 Cq Cq 0.1000 0.4000 0.0500 0.2000 0.0000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 Q (ft^3/min) Q (ft^3/min) 0.6000

0.0000 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000

Figure 5 - Cp vs. Cq for Pump 1 (from Prob. 11.57)

Figure 8 - Cp vs. Cq for Pump 2

0.000000016

0.000000005 4.5E-09 0.000000004

0.000000014

0.000000012

3.5E-09
0.00000001

0.000000003 Cp 2.5E-09 0.000000002 1.5E-09

Cp

0.000000008

0.000000006

0.000000004

0.000000001
0.000000002

5E-10 0
0.0500 0.1000 Cq 0.1500 0.2000 0.2500

0 0.0000

0.0000

0.2000

0.4000

0.6000 Cq

0.8000

1.0000

1.2000

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References Back to the Future Part II. Dir. Robert Zemeckis. MCA Pictures, 1989. Oler, Dr. J. Walt. Problem 3.160 (from Fluid Mechanics by White) Solution. Texas Tech University Mechanical Engineering 3370 World Wide Web Site. 2001. http://www.me.ttu.edu/faculty/Oler/me4370/homework/p3_160.PDF. (23 June 2001). ---. Problem 6.68 Extended (from Fluid Mechanics by White) Solution. Texas Tech University Mechanical Engineering 3370 World Wide Web Site. 2001. http://www.me.ttu.edu/faculty/Oler/me4370/homework/p6_68 extended.PDF. (23 June 2001). White, Frank M. Fluid Mechanics. 4th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1999.