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AeroClub Module 4 Make A Hovercraft
AeroClub Module 4 Make A Hovercraft
AeroClub Module 4 Make A Hovercraft
Presents
Introduction to RC Modeling
Module 4
Make a Hovercraft
Table of Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3
System of the hovercraft: ................................................................................................................................................. 3
Lift System: .................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Thrust system:............................................................................................................................................................... 4
Steering system: ............................................................................................................................................................ 4
Design: Mechanical Calculations....................................................................................................................................... 4
Lift Calculation .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
Thrust Calculation ......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Propeller Selection ........................................................................................................................................................ 5
PARTS OF A RC HOVERCRAFT AND THEIR PURPOSE ......................................................................................................... 5
List of Materials................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Structure: .......................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Design-1 .................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Design 2 ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Electronic Connections: .................................................................................................................................................. 11
Exercises: ......................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Acknowledgements:........................................................................................................................................................ 12
INTRODUCTION:
Hovercraft can be defined as a self-driven vehicle, dynamically holed by a self-created cushion of slow
moving, elevated pressure air which is ejected against the surface below and contained within a flexible
skirt such that it is totally amphibious and has some ability to travel over less than perfect surface (Fig1).
Air propellers, water propellers,or water jets is usually provide forward propulsion whereas air-cushion
vehicles may be able to attain higher speeds than the ships or most land vehicles of same size. Owing to
lower frictional resistances and exploit a comparatively fewer power than helicopters of the similar weight.
Lift System:
The hovercraft relies on a constant cushion of air to sustain adequate lift. The air evicted from the
propeller was alienated by a horizontal divider into pressurized air exploited for the air cushion and
momentum taken for thrust. The weight distribution on top of the deck was given so that the air was
disseminated from the rear of the deck to throughout the cushion volume in an approximately even
fashion to provide the necessary support. The skirt extending under the deck given containment, better
balance, and permit the craft to traverse more assorted terrain.
Steering system:
Since a hovercraft required the similar frictional and drag effects as boats or cars, steering must be
approached without precise control in mind. This is especially true in our case as the power supply is
limited. Rudders are a main source of steering and are attached to the rear of the duct to direct the flow of
air and the direction of the subsequent momentum transfer from the air to the craft. The driver controls
the movement of the rudders through a joystick located in the front of the craft. A throttle on the engine
situated next to the driver allows him to vary the Speed of the craft.
Lift Calculation
Hovercrafts are supported by a fluid air, which allows the hovering with little or no friction. The amount of
air pressure that is needed is directly related to the weight of the craft. Therefore, the less the weight is for
a hovercraft, the less the air pressure required, which in turn results in energy savings. The cushion
pressure (Pc) multiplied by surface area (A) of the craft equals its lift. Once the lift is equal to the weight of
the hovercraft (C), the craft will lift off and hover.
According to Bernoulli’s equation, the existing velocity of the air from under the skirt through the gap
made from the craft hovering can be calculated by:
Ve =2 𝑃𝑐 𝜌 𝜌 =density of air
The lift design was based on obtaining a hover gap of “1”, which is typical for hovercraft such as this. This
gives us the total area through which air would be escaping, as defined by Ah=L*H
Where, Ahis the area of the space between the ground and the hovering craft in respective unit, L is the
perimeter in same unit and H is the hover gap height, as previously given. The proper design pressures for
a skirt require at least 20% more pressure inside the skirt than the pressure directly lifting the craft over
the area of the underside. If these aforementioned pressures were equal, it is unlikely that the craft would
hover since escaping air would not provide any lift.
The flow rate of air escaping through the hover gap is calculated using the general formula for flow rate
Q=Ah* Ve
Thrust is the force applied by the volume of air passed at the discharge of the fan. For propeller which
pitch to diameter ratio less than 0.6 the formula for thrust is
Propeller Selection
These calculations will give the idea about the selection of the fan or propeller required for the proper
operation of the vehicle
Here “RPM” is the propeller shaft turning speed,“SHP” is propeller shaft horsepower, and “D” is propeller
diameter in inches.
The Common parts of the hovercraft that we are going to build are:
a) Hull: It is a structural member. It is a flat base. All other parts are mounted over the hull, except the
skirt. In our case the flat wooden base along with the thick foam sheet form the structure of the hull.
b) Lift Motor: It is DC motor. It supplies huge amount of air to the skirt. It helps in lifting the hull and the
other components on the hull. The lift motor operates in the range of 9-11V. The RPM of this motor cannot
be controlled i.e. it varies with the voltage only. The controller does not have direct control over this
motor.
c) Thrust Motor: It is a brushless AC motor.. The RPM varies with the voltage supplied. It helps in moving
the hovercraft forward by pushing huge amount of air backward. We can control the RPM of this motor
directly using the transmitter, thus the speed of the hovercraft. Brushless motors are very popular in RC
projects because of their durability and efficiency. But they are expensive.
d) Skirt: It a flexible chamber made of nylon cloth. It forms a cushion of air by allowing continuous flow of
air. There are three main types of skirts: Bag skirt, Wall skirt and Finger skirt. Because of the complexity
involved in the fabrication of the latter two, we will make a bag skirt.
e) Duct: It is a channel that encloses the thrust motor. It makes the thrust of the motor efficient by
reducing the losses that might occur due to divergence of the air flow.
f) ESC: ESC stands for Electronic Speed Controller. It determines how much current has to be sent to the
motor depending upon the signal sent by transmitter. ESC’s are specified by their current ratings. For
example, we will use a 6Amp ESC. The rating of the ESC is decided by the power of the motor. The rating of
the ESC will be given in the data sheets of the motors.
g) Transmitter: It is a kind of remote. You can control what the hovercraft does at a distance away from it
wirelessly. The transmitter comes coupled with a receiver. The transmitter is specified by the frequency of
h) Receiver: It receives the signal sent by the transmitter and reads it. It acts as an antenna. It is connected
to the ESC and the servo. It is powered by the battery. Servo receives power through the receiver.
i) Servo: It is a motor that rotates through only certain angular positions. For example the one which we
will use can rotate both clockwise and anti-clockwise through an angle of 90 degrees and all the
intermediate angles. Generally the servos are used to control the angular positions of the ‘control
surfaces’.
j) Rudder: It is a control surface. It helps hovercraft take turns. It is attached in front of the thrust motor.
Technically speaking rudder controls the yawing of an aircraft or a hovercraft. It directs air in directions
such that the hovercraft takes turn in desired direction. The rudder is coupled to servo i.e. servo controls
the rudder.
k) LiPo battery: It stands for Lithium-Polymer. It is a high power battery. It is most popular among RC
hobbyists mostly because its power to weight ratio is high compared to lead acid batteries. Because of this
high power to weight ratio, the weight of the crafts we build reduces drastically. Also LiPo batteries are
available in various configurations. These are specified by number of cells (Xs) and mAh. All the electronic
components of the hovercraft are powered by this battery.
In this module we will show you how to make a hovercraft of Dimensions 30*25 cm, required thrust and
lift motors and propellers have been selected as explained before. You can accordingly change the
dimensions and come up with the suitable motors and propellers.
List of Materials
Structure:
First let’s build the wooden frame. Gather all the wooden frames (7 in number). They are designed to meet
our requirements. Follow these steps:
Here we have two designs for the hovercraft. First one is relatively easier when compared to the second.
Dimensions of the parts are as shown below.
Design-1
Attach the frames numbered 2 and 3 to the frame numbered 1.You just have to insert the frame 1 into the
lot provided on the frames 2 and 3. Refer to the figures below
Fig (2) Take the frames 1, 2 and 3 and join the way as shown in the adjacent figure (in the direction of
arrow)
Attach this setup to the frame numbered 4 using L-clamps, nuts and bolts. Do not forget to use the
washers while fixing. Dimensions are in centimetre
Here you can see lot of parts cut out from the wooden base. This is basically to reduce the weight as much
as possible by removing the unwanted materials.
Fixing the rudder: Two rectangular pieces of Coroplast and two cylindrical rods are being used. The common base of
both the rudders in mounted on a 9gm servo motor.
The place the entire system on the foam and stick it using Foam Glue.
After everything is done, your hovercraft will pretty much like this.
Design 2
Assembling follows the same procedure as design-1. You can follow the design which is convenient.
Electronic Connections:
The transmitter we are using operates on 2.40GHz frequency. It runs on eight 1.5V batteries
After all these connections are done you can run both Lift and thrust motor simultaneously and control the
hovercraft using the Transmitter.
Exercises:
We hope you have liked the module, and have gained a good deal of factual material from it.
For any queries/feedback please send an email to any one of the following addresses –
dheepaknkhatri@gmail.com, anil316619@gmail.com .
To join aero club, go to the Clubs tab -> Aero Club on the CFI website, and click on Join Aero Club.
Acknowledgements:
This course on Intro to RC Modeling was formulated, prepared and compiled by the following members of
Aero Club:
(In the order of the module of the courses)
1. Anil Kumar
2. Hanut Vemulapalli
3. Dheepak N Khatri
4. Sanjesh Hoskopple
5. Nikhil Gupta
6. GuruPrasad Kallanje