摘要 |
In an air cushion load transport vehicle, an annular sealing assembly comprising an annular inflatable hanger on the underside of a load-bearing base and an annular sealing means on the underside of the hanger confines a load-supporting air cushion that is continuously supplied with compressed air during operation. Stability is promoted by a number of design features in the inflatable hanger, the annular sealing means, the flexible connection between them and the load support structure. These include means for automatically closing off flow through hanger damping eyelets during initial hanger pressurization together with means to keep the eyelets open at all operating hanger heights. Additional covered ports are provided in the outer hanger wall positioned to automatically vent if the hanger is over-inflated thereby avoiding dynamic instability. A check valve is incorporated into the device to prevent damage from inadvertantly inflating the hanger before the cushion is pressurized. Finally, critical relationships between key design parameters and seal materials are defined which avoid dynamic instability of the air cushion load-bearing vehicle during operation.
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