  |
||||
|
|
My next project is a Universal Hovercraft UH-10F2, which I hope to begin construction on in early August, 2002. The UH-10F2 is a 10'x 5' craft powered by a single 10-16HP vertical shaft motor with a lift fan and thrust propellor. The lift fan is directly driven off of the motor with the thrust prop driven from a belt passed through a 90 degree drive pulley system. Another version of the craft, the UH-10F, uses a horizontal shaft motor and a single propellor. This propellor delivers both the air for thrust and lift. The lift air is caught and channeled throught a box behind the thrust duct that moves the lift supply air under the craft and into the bag skirt. The propellor for the UH-10F has to have less pitch than a propellor used solely for thrust, because it is supplying lift and thrust. This system seems to be less efficient than the propellor, fan, and belt system used by the UH-10F2. The hull construction is the same for both crafts. It is constructed using 2" of polystyrene foam and a 1/8" plywood top skin. The materials are laminated together and sealed with an epoxy. The skirt is also constructed similarly for both crafts with only a couple of minor differences. On the UH-10F2, the skirt is uniform all the way round. On the UH-10F, the rear inside attach strip is a little higher, so you have to add 3" to the circumference of the skirt material at the rear. The skirt is made of a durable material that is coated with either a vinyl or neoprene coating. The seems are glued and stitched together and the entire skirt is attached to the craft using small screws. The cockpit is made of 1/8" plywood. This material is somewhat light for the application, but compromises between strength and weight are needed for a hovercraft. Overall the two models of the craft are made the same with major differences to the drive systems and the type of motor. Here are some pictures of both the UH-10F and the UH-10F2. Look closely at the differences in the drive and lift systems used on the two models.
|
|||
