Aeronautics and astronautics – Composite aircraft
Patent
1997-07-29
2000-02-29
Eldred, J. Woodrow
Aeronautics and astronautics
Composite aircraft
244 23R, 244117R, 180116, B64C 3702
Patent
active
060299290
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a ground-effect vehicle for the rapid transport of passengers and/or freight, with at least one fuselage, an undercarriage and ground-effect wings, a tail unit for directional control and a drive system in the form of propeller or fan engines located on the fuselage or the wings.
The transport systems familiar to date for the transport of passengers and/or freight display various disadvantages, in particular poor economic efficiency and substantial environmental pollution. Although large ships can be regarded as cost-effective, they are far too slow and thus not able to cope with large transport volumes in a short space of time. Hovercraft are not economical over medium distances and are also too slow. However, hovercraft have the advantage that they can reach almost any stretch of the coastline without requiring prepared harbour facilities.
Hydrofoils can only be used on water and also need a draught, meaning that special preparations have to be made for loading and unloading these boats.
Although commercial airplanes are fast, it must be noted that, owing to the flight altitudes to be reached, they are uneconomical and harmful to the environment because they consume substantial quantities of fuel when climbing, possibly even more than is consumed during the entire remainder of the flight. Consequently, commercial airplanes are not economical when transporting relatively large weights over medium distances.
As regards the ground-effect vehicles which have become known to date, it has also been found that they are expensive to produce and that they have an increased power requirement when taking off. Additionally, operation in connection with water means that the structure must be highly stable because, when taking off from water and landing on water, for example, the entire structure is exposed to very high loads due to the "hardness" of the water. Therefore, the floats and the overall structure have to be designed in such a way that they can cope with the high loads in the water--at high speeds.
A ground-effect vehicle designed for transporting large loads and for a high passenger capacity is known from FR-A-1411219, for example. In an amphibian version, this ground-effect vehicle is virtually designed as an all-wing or single-wing structure in which fuselage-like pontoons are integrated in the ground-effect wing. The ground-effect wing is designed as a slow-speed flight section, where primarily the interior of the ground-effect wing is used as the freight and passenger compartment. A cockpit for the flight crew is provided in a central area of the ground-effect wing. The structure of this ground-effect vehicle is extremely voluminous and complex, not least because of its amphibian design. As a result of its high transport capacity, this vehicle also has an elevated power requirement.
An air-cushion undercarriage for conventional airplanes is known from FR-A-1469450, increasing the uplift during the take-off phase of the airplane. To this end, an air scoop is formed between the wings and the ground by means of flaps hinge-mounted on the wings, this being pressurised by the thrust generators of the airplane, thus producing a so-called static ground effect. A dynamic ground effect, which takes effect under the wings at a low flight altitude as a result of the special section and the angle of attack of the wings, as well as due to compression of the airstream flowing against the wings, i.e. which increases at rising vehicle speeds, cannot be achieved with the undercarriage described in this publication.
A ground-effect vehicle pursuant to the characterising portion of claim 1 is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,893, for example. In this ground-effect vehicle, the uplift is produced by generation of a dynamic air cushion which only takes effect at a certain travelling speed. The vehicle described there is also an amphibian vehicle. In order to improve the manoeuvrability of this amphibian vehicle at reduced travelling speeds, for example when manoeuvring in ports or the like, U.S.
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Blum Albert
Blum Klaus
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