Gliding on Air:
The Creation of a Hovercraft
Megan Hodge
Independent Study
Fall Semester
Project Objective
“Applied Science”
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hands on Independent Study
Study a hovercraft and how it works
Design a prototype
Build a full-sized hovercraft
Project Timeline
Planning
Course,
Project
Approval
Contact
Bluebills
Advisor
Study and
Explore Various
Resources
Lab on
Pressure
Study Designs for
Prototype
Project Timeline (Cont.)
Prototype
(Build and
Troubleshoot)
Begin looking
into larger
hovercraft
designs
Choose
design (wall
skirt vs. bag
skirt, $)
Acquire
Materials and
Build
Hovercraft
Test,
Troubleshoot,
Write Up
Results
What is a hovercraft?
• A vehicle that can ride on air and travel over
various surfaces
• Requires air pressure to build up underneath
to lift it off the ground
• Used in the military, local and world wide
competitions, and some are used for daily
transportation
How does it work?
• Fan/Air Source inflates skirt enough so that the
air pressure inside can lift the hovercraft off the
ground
• Bag skirt contains holes to allow air to escape and
push out from underneath to help with the lift
and ensure that the skirt won’t burst
NORPOR
Great Advice from Mr. Porter (Boeing Retiree)
Needs: Accomplish project for Independent Study
Objective: Create a functioning hovercraft
Resources: Designs online, Dr. Dann
Planning: Choose design, gather materials
Operations: Build
Reviews: Does it work?
Redirection: What needs to be fixed/improved?
Prototype
Materials:
• Computer Fan
• Paper Plate
• Low Voltage Power
Supply
• Wires
Prototype Challenges
• Computer wiring not long enough
• Weight to lift ratio
• Skirt design
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpI1BDt92lY
&feature=player_embedded
Large Scale Hovercraft
• Design Selection Process (Bag Skirt vs. Wall
Skirt)
Materials and Equipment
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Electric Leaf Blower
6ft Plastic Sheeting
4 ft. 3/8" Plywood
Duct Tape
Plastic Lid
Bolt 2in 1/4-20
Nut 1/4-20
Fender Washers
Staple Gun
Jigsaw
Pencil and String
Costs
•
•
•
•
Leaf Blower- $15 CraigsList
Plastic Sheeting- $29.99 Ace
Plywood- $12.10 Home Depot
Nuts and Bolts- $4 Home Depot
Total: about $61
(everything else I had at home (jigsaw, duct
tape, plastic lid) or borrowed (staple gun from
my grandpa)
Building
1. Measure and
trace circular
base (diameter of
4 ft.)
2. Cutting the base
3. Drill center hole
for bolt
4. Cut hole for
blower
Building (Cont.)
5. Measure, cut,
and staple on
plastic sheeting
6. Cut holes in
plastic
Results
Test #1
Modifications
Test #2
Test Run
Modifications
What I Learned
• Setting up and executing the planning process
• How to find various resources (additional
help, online sources)
• Application of physical concepts to make
hovercraft work
• What an engineer does from start to finish
• How to work with tools and design
Thanks to…
Ken Porter- BlueBills
Mr. Klingler- Independent Study Advisor
Dr. Dann- Teacher at Menlo School
Dad and Mom- “Sponsors”
Grandpa- Staple Gun
Hovercraft Terminology
• skirting- keeps the air underneath the vehicle (surrounding the air
cushion) to ensure that the air stays in (variations in the skirting can
change the hovercraft's ability to move over various surfaces)
• lift air- the air that is pushed into the level underneath the vehicle
that causes it to lift off the ground once enough force has built up
• thrust- moves the hovercraft forward often created by a fan that
pushes air in the back of the hovercraft
• lift- the amount of weight that a hovercraft can lift off the ground is
equal to the cushion pressure x the area of the hovercraft
• fluid- takes the shape of the container surrounding it (air inside the
bottom of the hovercraft)
• buoyant- when the force the pressurized air exerts on the surface
equals the weight of the hovercraft
• static pressure- what lifts the hovercraft off the ground
Hovercraft Resources
DiscoverHover
Styrofoam Prototype
Student Hovercraft Blog
Balloon Prototype
Basics Behind a Hovercraft
The Making and Unmaking of the American Hovercraft | Popular Science
Under Pressure: Launch a Balloon Rocket: Scientific American
NASA - Thrust, Lesson 5
AIM Manufacturing Videos and virtual factory tours
Lift Theories - Worksheet
Lift Theories - Activity
The Lift Equation
Factors that Affect Lift
Objects with Lift
General Thrust Equation
Dynamic Pressure
What is Lift?
Lift Theories
New Hovercrafts - Popular Mechanics
DiscoverHover: Hovercraft FAQ
DragonflyTV . Episodes . Technology and Invention . Hovercraft | PBS KIDS GO!
:: DiscoverHover :: Hovercraft Links ::
:: DiscoverHover :: :: DiscoverHover :: Curriculum Guides ::
LABS DiscoverHover Curriculum Guide #4 - Pressure and Lift- Experiment
LAB DiscoverHover Curriculum Guide #1 - What is a Hovercraft and how does it work? - Experiment
Neoteric Hovercraft, Inc.
Lift System Calculator for Hovercraft
AP-Physics-B-Project - Aerodynamics of Hovercraft - Horowitz & Lopez