| 摘要 |
A vehicle, usable in water, air, space or on land, having substantially rigid interior structure and exterior, stiffly resilient shock-taking outer-wall structure that is capable of sustaining minor shocks of normal travel without flexing and of yielding under major shocks and then returning to its former shape. The shock-taking structure comprises elongated, inflated tubular members having flat ends and between these ends a plurality of inflated links comprising dense, flexible material capable of flexing a multiplicity of times without fracture. Preferably this material comprises resilient or ductile metal - preferably an envelope of fabric, lined with thin lead. The tubular-member links are integrally connected by joints which may be flat and optionally sealed, but preferably are only partly flattened toward the interior structure. The vehicle may be a boat, having: floats that comprise some of the tubular-member links; upper, boat-stabilizing balloons; and an air propeller or propellers. The rigid interior structure may be substantially rectangular or arcuate in cross section, stave-like panels.
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