SEMINAR ON

HOVERCRAFT
 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

 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.
oFan :- 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.
oSkirt :- 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
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
THANKS