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In the last half-century, high-speed water transportation has developed rapidly. Novel high-performance marine vehicles, such as the air cushion vehicle (ACV), surface effect ship (SES), high-speed monohull craft (MHC), catamaran (CAT), hydrofoil craft (HYC), wave-piercing craft (WPC) and small water area twin hull craft (SWATH) have all developed as concepts, achieving varying degrees of commercial and military success. Prototype ACV and SES have achieved speeds of 100 knots in at calm con- tions; however, the normal cruising speed for commercial operations has remained around 35–50 knots. This is partly due to increased drag in an average coastal s- way where such craft operate services and partly due to limitations of the propulsion systems for such craft. Water jets and water propellers face limitations due to c- itation at high speed, for example. SWATH are designed for reduced motions in a seaway, but the hull form is not a low drag form suitable for high-speed operation. So that seems to lead to a problem – maintain water contact and either water propulsion systems run out of power or craft motions and speed loss are a problem in higher seastates. The only way to higher speed would appear to be to disconnect completely from the water surface. You, the reader, might respond with a question about racing hydroplanes, which manage speeds of above 200 kph. Yes, true, but the power-to-weight ratio is extremely high on such racing machines and not economic if translated into a useful commercial vessel.
This book is dedicated to the memory of a distinguished Russian engineer, Rostislav E. Alexeyev, who was the first in the world to develop the largest ground effect machine - Ekranoplan. One of Alexeyev's design concepts with the aerodynamic configuration of a jlying wing can be seen on the front page. The book presents a description of a mathematical model of flow past a lifting system, performing steady and unsteady motions in close proximity to the underlying solid surface (ground). This case is interesting for practical purposes because both the aerodynamic and the economic efficiency of the system near the ground are most pronounced. Use of the method of matched asymptotic expansions enables closed form solutions for the aerodynamic characteristics of the wings-in-ground effect. These can be used for design, identification, and processing of experimental data in the course of developing ground effect vehicles. The term extreme ground effect, widely used through out the book, is associated with very small relative ground clearances of the order of 10% or less. The theory of a lifting surface, moving in immediate proximity to the ground, represents one of the few limiting cases that can be treated analytically. The author would like to acknowledge that this work has been influenced by the ideas of Professor Sheila E. Widnall, who was the first to apply the matched asymptotics techniques to treat lifting flows with the ground effect. Saint Petersburg, Russia February 2000 Kirill V. Rozhdestvensky Contents 1. Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
One of the most unusual strands in aviation history has been the development of wing-in-ground effect (WIG) vehicles, or as they are more commonly known by their Russian name, Ekranploans. Beginning with a brief outline of the concept from the theory to viable technical solutions, this new, expanded edition of Soviet and Russian Ekranploans gives a historical survey of the development of WIG research and construction in Russia. A large part of the book focuses on a type-by-type description of specific designs of ekranoplans developed in the Soviet Union and Russia in the course of half a century. Special emphasis is given to the activities of Rostislav Alekseyev, who has played an enormous role in the development of this new technology. Ekranoplans developed by several other major design bureaus, notably those led by Sukhoi, Bartini and Beriyev, are also considered. Economic and political transformations following the break-up of the Soviet Union led to the emergence of privately-owned design bureaus and firms that are now pursuing the development of WIG aircraft in Russia, given the lack of interest on the part of the military and the state in this branch of transport technology. This new edition has been fully updated to include unpublished photos and diagrams and examples of similar technology being developed in countries outside of Russian, including the USA, Germany and China. This is a welcome update to a book regarded as the definitive work on these unusual and exciting aircraft.
Lists citations with abstracts for aerospace related reports obtained from world wide sources and announces documents that have recently been entered into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information Database.