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Seminar
On
Hovercraft

Submitted To: Submitted By:

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 Content

 Introduction
 History
 The First Hovercraft
 Basic Structure Of Hovercraft
 Principle Of Working
 Advantages of Hovercraft
 Future of Hovercraft
 Conclusion
 References
 Introduction

A Hovercraft is a vehicle that

 Flies like a plane but

 Float like a boat

 Drive like a car

 It can hover over or move across land or water surfaces while

being held off from the surfaces by a cushion of air.

 A Hovercraft can travel over all types of

surfaces including grass, mud, muskeg,

sand,

quicksand, water and ice .Hovercraft

prefer

gentle terrain although they are capable of

climbing slopes up to 20%, depending upon

surface characteristics.
 History
 The first design by Swedish designer Emmanuel
Swedenborg in 1716.

 The project was short-lived because it was never

built, for soon Swedenborg soon realized that to
operate such a machine required a source of
energy far greater than that could be supplied
by single human equipment.

 Until the early 20th century Hovercraft was not

practically possible, because only the internal
combustion engine had the very high power to
weight ratio suitable for Hover flight.
SOME PICS OF HOVERCRAFT
The First Hovercraft

 Christopher Cockerel thought of using a

load of stuff you might find about the
house to make a hovercraft.
 Cockerel took a set of scales and a long
rod and arranged them so the rod was
vertical.
 He then affixed a vacuum cleaner to the
rod so it pointed down.
 Next he made a hole in a can and affixed
a can that was smaller than the first in
such a way it allowed air in-between the
two cans. Cockerel made the vacuum
cleaner blow instead of suck, blowing air
through the gap in the two cans, and it
worked.
 The scale went down as far as it could!.
Basic Structure Of Hovercraft
Parts Of Hovercraft
o Propeller :- It pushes the
hovercraft ahead by pushing
air behind.
o Fan :- Primary purpose is to
inflate the cushion contained
within the skirt beneath the
craft as well as to provide
thrust with which to propel
the craft forward.
o Skirt :- Part that allows the
hovercraft to clear obstacles.
Generally speaking, the higher
the skirt, the larger the
obstacle that the craft will
clear.
 Principle Of Working
 TO LIFT THE CRAFT BY A CUSHION OF AIR
TO PROPEL IT
USING PROPELLERS.

 The air sucked in through a port by large

lifting
fans which are fitted to the primary
structure
of the craft.

 They are powered by gas turbine or diesel

engine.
 Fan is used to inflate the skirt and rest is
ducted down under the craft to fill area
enclosed by the skirt.

 At the point when the pressure equals the

weight of the craft, the craft lifts up and
air is
escaped around the edges of the skirt.

 So a constant feed of air is needed to lift

the
craft and compensate for the losses.
 ADVANTAGES OF HOVERCRAFT
 Travel over any surface.

 Shortcutting routes.

 Travel rivers up as fast as down,

irrespective of the current.

 Travel in dry water-beds.

 No collision with debris, logs etc.

 Access to 75% of coastal area instead of

only 5% with conventional vessels.
 Hovercraft are very fuel efficient (CO² friendly)
as Hovercraft do not have to plough through the
water but "fly" above the surface. At maximum
speed fuel consumption of a Hovercraft is
approx.
70% less than of a fast patrol boat with similar
payload capacity.

 No turbulence or impact in water as no propeller

churns up the water so sea life remains
untouched
FUTURE OF HOVERCRAFT
The future of
hovercraft seems
uncertain, but there is
a good chance there
will be huge hover
ports all over the
world, like the one in
the picture. Thinner
hovercraft might be
built so civilians can
drive safely on roads.
It also seems likely
that the larger hover
vehicles will become
larger than ever!
Hovercraft are likely
to be capable of high
flight.
 CONCLUSION
Hovercrafts are generally simple mechanisms in
theory. Yet the process from theory to manifestation is
not as easy as it may seem.
A plethora of problems exist and must be faced in order
to attain a well functioning hovercraft.
The plans and designs must be flawless. One must take
under consideration the weight and the shape of each
component in order to avoid problems such as instability
and dysfunction.
One thing is certain; when building a hovercraft, be well
aware of the demands of construction. Be prepared and
willing to embrace failure for it is the only way to
success.
Only after failed attempts will you be able to finally
design an effective hovercraft.
 Reference

 www.google.com
 www.wikipedia.org
 www.studymafia.org
THANKS