Higher Technological Institute

10th Of Ramadan City

Principles of Mechatronics
Engineering
By:
Kerolous Fekry 20173506
Kerolous Raoof 20160687
Hisham Kerolous 20161137
Hossam Mostafa 20160328
Kerolous Gerges 20160686
Nada Ahmed 20161099
A)-system of motion in Hovercraft:
The systems of motion in hovercraft divided to two parts:

1.levitation system:
it throws air down underneath itself and then simply rides along on top. But where a helicopter
balances its own weight (the force of gravity pulling it down) with a massive down-draft of air
(pushing it back up again), a hovercraft works in a much subtler way that allows it to use far less
air, far more efficiently, Fans generate air pressure that lifts a hovercraft. Fans inflate the
cushion contained within the skirt beneath the hovercraft to provide lift and they also provide
thrust, which propels the craft forward. Two types of lift systems can be used to provide the air
for the lift cushion. Some hovercraft uses a separate engine driven fan at the front of the craft,
while many craft use some of the air from the propulsion fan, which is ducted under the craft.
The latter method is called an integrated system. A hovercraft skirt is made from a flexible
waterproof material such as neoprene-coated nylon. The skirt is one of the most important parts
of a hovercraft because it allows the hovercraft to clear obstacles: the higher the skirt, the larger
the obstacle that the hovercraft will clear. However, if the skirt is too tall, the hovercraft will 'slide
off' the cushion and the cushion will deflate; the craft will become extremely unstable. There are
several types of hovercraft skirts, but the most common are the bag skirt, the segmented skirt
and the jupe skirt. The bag skirt consists of a tube that encircles the hovercraft's perimeter. The
segmented skirt, also called a 'finger skirt', consists of several separate nylon segments that
press together when inflated. The jupe skirt, also called a 'cell skirt', consists of several cells that
look like cones with their tops cut off, with their bases attached to the bottom of the hovercraft.

bag skirt segmented skirt

2.propulsion system:
Hovercraft can be powered by one or more engines. Small craft,
usually have one engine with the drive split through a gearbox. On vehicles with several
engines, one usually drives the fan (or impeller), which is responsible for lifting the vehicle by
forcing high pressure air under the craft. The air inflates the "skirt" under the vehicle, causing it
to rise above the surface. Additional engines provide thrust in order to propel the craft. Some
hovercraft use ducting to allow one engine to perform both tasks by directing some of the air to
the skirt, the rest of the air passing out of the back to push the craft forward. [citation needed]
Underlying Mechanism Hovercraft can be powered by one or more engines. On vehicles with
several engines, one usually drives the fan, which is responsible for lifting the vehicle by forcing
high pressure air under the craft. The air inflates the "skirt" under the vehicle, producing a
cushion and causing it to rise above the surface. Additional engines provide thrust in order to
propel the craft. Some hovercraft use ducting to allow one engine to perform both tasks by
directing some of the air to the skirt, the rest of the air passing out of the back to push the craft
forward. The air cushion is crucial to hovercraft, which can be produced based on the structure
of plenum chamber and the position of fans. The air cushion is created by air that is sucked
from fans and pumped into plenum chamber. Due to the pressure difference, either the pressure
in the plenum chamber larger than the pressure generated by fans that down pointing the floor,
or the pressure in the plenum chamber is smaller than the air back flowed from ambient
environment plus leaking air. Once a balance is reached, hovering occurs.
Therefore, the design of plenum chamber and skirt is very important. Following the definition of
hovercraft, we know that there are two major components that are plenum chamber and skirt.
Good structure and development of these two components directly affect the performance of
hovercraft driving.

Motors Design:
Based on the principle design idea, we added one motor with a fan which provided the air and
lifted the craft as our first stage prototype. We putted the fan ventilation hole in the center of the
craft. With the initial testing, we found that the motor was not powerful enough to hold the body
of craft due to two main factors: badly designed skirt and asymmetric air flow into plenum
chamber. With two small motor, we changed the structure of the craft, and put two motors on
each side of the craft to keep the balance and act as our stabilization motors.
We added two additional motors for providing thrust. As the best course of action, we put two
thrust motors at left and right side of hovercraft.
B)- Steering system in Hovercraft:
Since hovercrafts lacks the same frictional and drag effects as boats or cars steering must be
approached without precise control in mind this is especially true in our case as the power
supply is limited. Rudders are main source of steering and are attached to the rear of the duct to
direct the flow of air and the direction of the subsequent momentum transfer from the air to the
craft the driver controls the movement of the rudders through a joystick located in the front of
the craft a throttle on the engine situated next to the driver allows him to vary the speed of the
craft allowing for a smaller radius of turning once proper driving techniques are mastered
because of the air cushion effect the driver may influence the steering by shifting his weight
nearer to any of the four sides of the deck for example a shift right turns the hovercraft to the
right in the remainder of the report we discuss our design and construction and possible
improvements
c)-brake system in Hovercraft:
We talked about all things about hovercraft (how does it work, Lifting and Orientation) except
one thing the brakes. As we have learned that we use air to lift and push the hovercraft and also
we will use the air to stop it by Brakes called "Brake Flaps".
Brake Flaps: It's a concave surface lies on the fan which pushes the hovercraft and it's being
lifted by a mechanical system.
“Brake flaps” How does it work?
When we push the pedal brake, the fans which push the hovercraft stop rotating and the brake
flaps are lifted and they resist the air from passing.

And there are three system brakes we can use any of them to lift the brakes:

1)Hydraulic system: (the best system to lift the brakes)

It's a mechanism operated by the resistance offered or the pressure transmitted when a liquid is
forced through a small opening or tube and we take from this system a big power so it can lift
the flaps easily but in longer time than

Advantages: -
Hydraulic actuators are rugged and suited for high force applications. They can produce forces
25 times greater than pneumatic cylinders of equal size. They also operate in pressures of up to
4,000 psi. A hydraulic actuator can hold force and torque constant without the pump supplying
more fluid or pressure due to the incompressibility of fluids. Hydraulic actuators can have their
pumps and motors located a considerable distance away with minimal loss of power.

Disadvantages: -
Hydraulics will leak fluid. Like pneumatic actuators, loss of fluid leads to less efficiency and
cleanliness problems resulting in potential damage to surrounding components and areas.
Hydraulic actuators require many complementary parts, including a fluid reservoir, motor, pump,
release valves, and heat exchangers, along with noise reduction equipment.
2)pneumatic system: (not recommended to use it with large hovercraft)
consist of a piston inside a hollow cylinder. Pressure from an external compressor or pneumatic
pump moves the piston inside the cylinder, as pressure increases, the cylinder moves along the
axis of the piston, creating a linear force. The piston returns to its original position by either a
spring back force or fluid being supplied to the other side of the piston and it gives us low power
with short time.

Advantages: -
The benefits of pneumatic actuators come from their simplicity. Pneumatic actuators’ typical
applications involve areas where the conditions involve extreme temperatures, a typical
temperature range is -40°F to 250°F.In terms of safety and inspection, using air and pneumatic
actuators avoids using hazardous materials. They also meet explosion protection and machine
safety requirements because they create no magnetic interference due to the lack of motors.
Pneumatic actuators are also lightweight, require minimal maintenance, and have durable
components that make pneumatics a cost-effective method of power.

Disadvantages: -
Pressure losses and compressibility of air make pneumatics less efficient than other methods.
Compressor and air delivery limitations mean that operations at lower pressures will have lower
forces and slower speeds. To be truly efficient, pneumatic actuators must be sized for a specific
job. Hence, they cannot be used for other applications. Even though air is readily available, it
can be contaminated by oil or lubrication, leading to downtime and maintenance. Companies
still have to pay for compressed air, making it a consumable, along with the compressor and line
maintenance costs.
3)electrical system: (not recommended to use it with large hovercraft)
It converts electrical energy into torque. A mechanically connected electric motor turns a lead
screw is a threaded lead or ball nut with corresponding threads that match those of the screw is
prevented from rotating with the screw. When the screw rotates, the nut gets driven along the
threads, the direction the nut moves in depends on which direction the screw rotates and it has
better accuracy and we can control the duration of lifting the brakes and its power is bigger than
pneumatic system and less than hydraulic system but it's not suited for all environments, unlike
pneumatic actuators, which are safe in hazardous and flammable areas. A continuous running
motor will overheat, increasing wear and tear on the reduction gear.

Advantages: -
Electrical actuators offer the highest precision control positioning. Their setups are scalable for
any purpose or force requirement, and are quiet, smooth, and repeatable.
In terms of noise, they are quieter than pneumatic and hydraulic actuators and because there
are no fluids leaks, environmental hazards are eliminated.

Disadvantages: -
Electrical actuators are not suited for all environments, unlike pneumatic actuators, which are
safe in hazardous and flammable areas.
A continuous running motor will overheat, increasing wear and tear on the reduction gear.

So, it's recommended to use the Hydraulic system

to have a high power with good accuracy and time