RC Hovercraft

Project members:
Rana Bilal
Mujahid Aziz
Naseer Ahmed
Project Advisor
Sir Hassan Ahmed

Contents: (sequence)
• Introduction of hovercraft
• History
• Working principle
• Basic parts of hovercraft
• Design & analysis
• Configuration selection
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Application of hovercraft
• Future of hovercraft
• conclusion

Hovercraft
• As modes of transportation have evolved over the years, finding
more efficient and economic ways of movement have been the
chief goals of developers. It is from this evolution that the
hovercraft arose.

Introduction:
A hovercraft or air cushion vehicle(acv) is a craft designed to travel over any smooth surface supported
by a cushion of high pressure air ejected downwards against the surface below , and contained within a
“skirt”.

Introduction:
A Hovercraft is a vehicle that
Flies like a plane
Float like a boat
Drive like a car

History
1716 Emmanuel Swedenborg (Swedish Designer & Philosopher)
• He first conceptualized the idea of supporting a vehicle
on a cushion of air but his projectwas short lived and his
craft never built.

History
Mid 1870s Sir John Thornycroft (British Engineer)
• He developed the air cushion effect idea further by building and testing a number
of models but no applications were found since the technology to implement the
concept did not exist at the time.

History
1952 Sir Christopher Cockerell (British Engineering)
• He invented the hovercraft and got his idea patented in 1955.
• With diligent work he was able to bring his idea to reality with the first commercial
hovercraft in 1959.
• From there on the idea took with numerous developments with the vehicle.

BASIC PARTS OF A HOVERCRAFT
 Hull
 Vertical Column
 Payload
 Skirt
 Lift fan
 Propeller
 Rudder
 Battery/Engine
 Steering/RC
*** insert a good
quality labeled diagram
here

DESIGN OBJECTIVES
Parameter Objective
Payload Capacity 0.5 -1 kg
Power Battery powered
Control medium RC controlled
Terrain capability Land and water
Running time 10 – 15 min
Cost Economic

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
 Design Constraints:
o Budget : 25k-30k
o Manufacturing facilities
o Materials availability
 Personal skill level
 Project duration

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
Select
configuration
Estimate material,
components req.
Estimate sizing
details
Weight Estimation
Calculate hover,
lift parameters
Calculate thrust
parameters
Select
components
Analysis &
modification

CONFIGURATION SELECTION
1. Lift

2. Air Cushion

3. Thrust

4. Rudder

DESIGN CALCULATIONS
1. Weight Estimation
Components Mass Quantity Net Mass Total mass,weight
Hull 300g 1 300g
1.952kg
Or
19.52 N
Vertical Column 52g 1 52g
Skirt 200g 1 200g
Rudder 100g 1 100g
Bldc Motor 300g 2 600g
Servo motor 200g 1 200g
ESC 100g 1 100g
Battery 400g 1 400

DESIGN CALCULATIONS
2. Lift Force and Air Cushion Pressure
Required lift force = Air cushion pressure * lift area
FL = Pc * AL
Pc = FL / AL
FL = Lift force = Estimated weight = 1.95 kg * g = 19.5 N
AL = Total area covered by hull – Area of lift motor duct
= 0.610 m x - 0.450 m - ∏ x (0.1 mm)2
=0.243 m2
Pc = Air cushion pressure = 19.5 N / 0.243 m2
= 88.76 Pa
Pc = 88.76 Pa

DESIGN CALCULATIONS
3. Drag Force Estimation
Fd = ½* ρ v2 Cd A
Cd = Drag coefficient = 1.05 (for cubic front)
ρ = Density of air = 1.225 kg/m3
A= Frontal Area = 0.095 m2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
1.4
1.6
1.8
0 1 2 3 4 5
DragForce(N)
Velocity (m/s)
Velocity-Drag Graph

DESIGN CALCULATIONS
4. Thrust Requirement
Net force = Thrust – Drag
a = required acceleration
m= mass of hovercraft
Ft = ma + Fd
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
0 1 2 3 4 5ThrustForce(N)
Acceleration (m/s2)
Thrust Force
v=0.5 m/s
v=5 m/s

DESIGN CALCULATIONS
4. Running Time
Total capacity = 10000 mAh
Total current drain (65A ESC) =130A
Running time = Capacity/ Amperage
= 11 min approximately

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
1. Assembly Model

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
2. Front View

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
3. Top View

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
4. Side View

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
6. Vertical Column

STRUCTURAL DETAILS
9. Fan Duct

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
RC Controller
Servo MotorBLDC Motors
ESC Lipo Battery
Connecting Wires

Comparison of Pros & Cons
Advantages Disadvantages
****Did not understand what to add in it

 Commercial hovercraft.
 Leisure hovercraft.
 Military hovercraft.
 Rescue hovercraft.
 Survey hovercraft.
APPLICATIONS

Advantages of hovercraft
 Travel over any surface.
 Shortcutting routes.
 Travel rivers up as fast as down, irrespective of the
current.
 Hovercraft are very fuel efficient (CO² friendly).
 No collision with debris, logs etc.

Disadvantages of hovercraft
 They move a lot air and can be
relatively loud.
 Noise pollution.
 Steep grade can be issue.
 Potential of skirt damage.
 Difficult to control on the land.

Current status
 Literature review has done.
 Design has completed.
 All the detailed drawings are designed.
 Demands are initiated.
 Prototype model has manufactured.

Learning outcomes
 Manufacturing skills.
 Management skills.
 Designing skills.
 Utilization of subjects studied through out the diploma.
 Teamwork.
 Overall experience was good.

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 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.

RC Hovercraft

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