AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES

A SEMINAR REPORT

Submitted by

NANDAKISHOR A J
Register No. 14015360

In partial fulfilment for the award of the degree

Of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
In

AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING

SCMS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

VIDYA NAGAR, KARUKUTTY, ERNAKULAM-683582

MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY, KOTTAYAM

JULY 2017
 SCMS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
VIDYA NAGAR, KARUKUTTY, ERNAKULAM-683582
Affiliated to

MAHATMA GANDHI UNIVERSITY, KOTTAYAM

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar titled ―AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES‖ was

prepared and presented by ―NANDAKISHOR A J‖ with register no. 14015360

of seventh semester Automobile Engineering in partial fulfilment for the award

of the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Automobile Engineering under the

Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam during the year 2017.

Dr. MANOJ KUMAR. B Prof. E. D. MUKUNDAN

SEMINAR EVALUATION COMMITTEE MEMBER HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
DEPT. OF AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING DEPT. OF AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Apart from my own, the success of this report depends largely on the encouragement

and guidelines of many others. I am especially grateful to my guide Dr. MANOJ

KUMAR.B, Automobile Engineering Department who has provided guidance,

expertise and encouragement. I am also thankful to Prof. E. D. MUKUNDAN, Head

of the department, Mechanical engineering. I am thankful to the staff of Automobile

Engineering Department for their cooperation and support. I would like to put forward

my heartfelt acknowledgement to all my classmates, friends and all those who have

directly or indirectly provided their overwhelming support during my seminar work

and the development of this report.

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 ABSTRACT

An Amphibious vehicle is a means of transport, viable on land as well as on water

even under water. It is simply may also called as Amphibian. Amphibious vehicle is

a concept of vehicle having versatile usage. It can be put forward for the

commercialization purpose with respect to various applications like in the field of

military and rescue operations. Researchers are working on amphibious vehicle with

capability to run in adverse conditions in efficient way. This seminar focuses on

concept of amphibious vehicle in detail. In later stage we have explain and

described the design and analysis of amphibious car. We have followed proper

design procedure and enlisted the material used in detail. Capabilities of efficient

amphibious vehicle will fulfill all the emerging needs of society.

About 75% of Earth‗s surface is covered by water. A vehicle that could travel on

land and water could potentially change current transportation model.

Transportation on land is very common but on the other hand water ways are

naturally available but are not considerably used relatively, and here the Amphibian

vehicles are proved to be beneficial.

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Success of every concept largely relies on research and development, though

amphibious vehicle is yet to travel a long journey of innovative development, it has

shown excellent potentials for future benefits.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER TITLE PAGE NO.

1 INTRODUCTION 9
2 HISTORY 11
3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES 13
4 VEHICLES WITH UNDERBODY HULL 14
5 AMPHIBIOUS TWO WHEELED VEHICLE 15
6 AMPHIBIOUS CARS 17
7 AMPHIBIOUS ATVs 21
8 AMPHIBIOUS COACHES 23
9 AMPHIBIOUS TRUCKS 24
10 AMPHIBIOUS ARMORED VEHICLES 26
11 AMPHIBIOUS TANKS 27
12 ARTICULATED AMPHIBIANS 30
13 HOVERCRAFT 31
14 CLASSIFICATION OF HOVERCRAFTS 35
15 PARTS IN HOVERCRAFT 36
16 DESIGN OF COMPONENTS OF HOVERCRAFT 37
17 CONCLUSION 43
18 REFERENCES 44
19 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 45

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 LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE FIGURE NAME PAGE NO

NO

FIG 2.1 US DUK-W 12

FIG 5.1 SIDULLAH‘S BICYCLE 15
FIG 5.2 MORAGA‗S CYCLO AMPHIBIOUS 16

FIG 5.3 BISKY FROM GIBBS 16

FIG 6.1 SCHWIMMWAGEN 18
FIG 6.2 AMPHICAR 19
FIG 7.1 LAND TAMER AMPHIBIOUS 22
FIG 8.1 AMPHIBIOUS COACH 23
FIG 9.1 AMPHIBIOUS TRUCK 25
FIG 11.1 SHERIDAN TANK 28
FIG 12.1 ARTICULATED AMPHIBIAN 30
FIG 13.1 HOVER CRAFT 32
FIG 13.2 SR-N4 Mk3 33
FIG 13.3 SYSTEMS IN HOVERCRAFT 34
FIG 14.1 SINGLE PROPALLENT HOVERCRAFT 35
FIG 14.2 MULTI PROPALLENT HOVERCRAFT 36
FIG 16.1 SAMPLE DESIGN OF HULL 38
FIG 16.2 DESIGN OF SPLITTER 41

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 LIST OF SYMBOLS, ABBREVIATIONS

AND

NOMENCLATURE

ABBREVITION FULL FORM

ATV ALL TERRAIN VEHICLE
CG CENTRE OF GRAVITY
MWO MULTY WING OPTIMIZER

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 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian), is a vehicle that is a means of

transport, viable on land as well as on water. Amphibious vehicles include
amphibious bicycles, ATVs, cars, buses, trucks, military vehicles and hovercraft.

Apart from the distinction in sizes mentioned above, two main categories of
amphibious vehicle are immediately apparent: those that travel on an air-cushion
(Hovercraft) and those that do not. Amongst the latter, many designs were prompted
by the desire to expand the off-road capabilities of land-vehicles to an "all-terrain"
ability, in some cases not only focused on creating a transport that will work on land
and water, but also on intermediates like ice, snow, mud, marsh, swamp etc. This
explains why many designs use tracks in addition to or instead of wheels, and in
some cases even resort to articulated body configurations or other unconventional
designs such as screw-propelled vehicles which use auger-like barrels which propel
a vehicle through muddy terrain with a twisting motion.

Most land vehicles – even lightly armored ones – can be made amphibious simply
by providing them with a waterproof hull and perhaps a propeller. This is possible
as a vehicle's displacement is usually greater than its weight, and thus it will float.
Heavily armored vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water
(their weight in kilograms exceeds their volume in litres), and will need
additional buoyancy measures. These can take the form of inflatable floatation
devices, much like the sides of a rubber dinghy, or a waterproof fabric skirt raised
from the top perimeter of the vehicle, to increase its displacement.

9
For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles simply make do by spinning their
wheels or tracks, while others can power their way forward more effectively using
(additional) screw propeller or water jet. Most amphibians will work only as
a displacement hull when in the water – only a small number of designs have the
capability to raise out of the water when speed is gained, to achieve high
velocity hydroplaning, skimming over the water surface like speedboats.

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 CHAPTER 2
HISTORY

[2]
Some of the earliest known amphibious vehicles were amphibious carriages, the
invention of which is credited to the notorious Neapolitan Prince Raimondo di
Sangro of Sansevero (ca. 1750) or Sir Samuel Bentham (1781).The first known self-
propelled amphibious vehicle, a steam-powered wheeled dredging barge, named the
Orukter Amphibolos was conceived and built by United States inventor Oliver
Evans in 1805, although it is disputed to have successfully travelled over land or
water under its own steam.

Although it is unclear who (and where and when) built the first combustion-engine
amphibian, in all likelihood the development of powered amphibious vehicles didn't
start until 1899. Until the late 1920s the efforts to unify a boat and an automobile
mostly came down to simply putting wheels and axles on a boat hull, or getting a
rolling chassis to float by blending a boat-like hull with the car's frame (Pohl, 1998).
One of the first reasonably well documented cases was the 1905 amphibious petrol-
powered carriage of T. Richmond (Jessup, Iowa, USA). Just like the world's first
petrol-powered automobile (1885, Carl Benz) it was a three-wheeler. The single
front wheel provided direction, both on land and in the water. A three-cylinder
petrol combustion-engine powered the oversized rear wheels. In order to get the
wheels to provide propulsion in the water, fins or buckets would be attached to the
rear wheel spokes. Remarkably the boat-like hull was one of the first integral bodies
ever used on a car (Pohl, 1998).

Since the 1920s development of amphibious vehicles greatly diversified. Numerous

designs have been created for a broad range of applications, including recreation,
11
 expeditions, search & rescue, and military, leading to a myriad of concepts and
variants. In some of them the amphibious capabilities are central to their purpose,
Whereas in others they are only an expansion to what has remained primarily a
watercraft or a land vehicle.

Fig. 2.1 A US DUK-W Amphibious Assault Vehicle Converted For Tourist Use In London.

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 CHAPTER 3
TYPES OF AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES

Mainly amphibious vehicles are classified into two

1. AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE WITH WATER PROOF UNDERBODY

HULL TO FLOAT OVER WATER

2. AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLES WHICH ARE TRAVELLING ON AN AIR

CUSHION (HOVERCRAFT)

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 CHAPTER 4
AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE WITH WATER PROOF
UNDERBODY HULL TO FLOAT OVER WATER

Normal vehicles can be made amphibious simply by providing them with a

waterproof hull and perhaps a propellor. This is possible thanks to the vehicle's
volume usually being bigger than its displacement, meaning it will float. Heavily
armored vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water and will
need additional buoyancy measures. These can take the form of inflatable floatation
devices, much like the sides of a rubber dinghy, or a waterproof fabric skirt rose
from the top perimeter of the vehicle.
Floats in the shape of oil-drums have been used to create a vehicle that will swim
much like an improvised raft. For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles
simply make do by spinning their wheels or tracks, while others can power their
way forward more effectively using (additional) screw propeller or water jets. Most
amphibians will work only as a displacement hull when in the water – only a small
number of designs have the capability to rise out of the water when speed is gained,
to achieve high velocity hydroplaning, skimming over the water surface like
speedboats
Different vehicles of this kind are
1. Amphibious Two wheeled vehicles
2. Amphibious Cars
3. Amphibious ATVs
4. Amphibious Coaches
5. Amphibious Trucks
6. Amphibious Armored vehicles
7. Amphibious Tanks
8. Articulated Amphibians
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 CHAPTER 5
AMPHIBIOUS TWO WHEELED VEHICLES

The basic of Amphibious Two wheeled Vehicle is Amphibious Cycles. An

Amphibious Cycle is capable of operation on both land and water. The design
which has probably received the most coverage is Saidullah‗s Bicycle. This has
been featured on both the Discovery Channel and BBC News. The bike uses four
rectangular air filled floats for buoyancy, and is propelled using two fan blades
which have been attached to the spokes. Moraga‗s Cyclo Amphibious uses a simple
tricycle frame to support three floaters which provide both the floatation and thrust.
The wings on the powered wheels propel the vehicle in a similar way to a paddle
wheel. The most recent attempt, featured in the Southern Daily Echo (5 June 2008)
and The Daily Telegraph (6 June 2008) is that of seven engineering students at the
University of Southampton. The Amphibious Cycle combines a recumbent frame
with separate floats, and is propelled using a paddle wheel. A speed test on water
achieved an average speed of 1.12 m/s. The cyclist was able to transition the cycle
both into and out of the water unassisted. This elegant prototype has a real
application in urban areas of flooding, as well as applications in the leisure
Industry.

Fig. 5.1 Saidullah‗s Bicycle

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 Fig. 5.2 Moraga‗s Cyclo Amphibious
The latest vehicle in this category is Bisky from Gibbs. The Biski is a motorbike
with a chassis that floats and has two wheels which retract at the touch when it is
driven into the water. Two water jets can then propel the vehicle at speeds of up to
37 miles per hour. The machine weighs 500lbs and has a 55hp twin cylinder petrol
engine that is capable of speeds of 80mph on the roads. It even comes with lights
suitable for both road and marine navigation.

Fig. 5.3 Bisky from Gibbs

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 CHAPTER 6
AMPHIBIOUS CARS

Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from 1900; however the Second
World War significantly stimulated their development. Two of the most significant
amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II. The most proliferous
was the German Schwimmwagen, a small jeep-like 4x4 vehicle designed by the
Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in World War II. The amphibious
bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda, the firm's body construction designer,
using the engine and drive train of the Kübelwagen.

An amphibious version of the Willys MB jeep, the Ford GPA or 'Seep' (short for
Sea jeep) was developed duringWorld War II as well. A specially modified GPA,
called Half-Safe, was driven and sailed around the world by Australian Ben Carlin
in the 1950s. One of the most capable post-war amphibious off-roaders was the
German Amphi-Ranger, that featured a hull made of seawater-resistant AlMg2
aluminium alloy. Extensively engineered, this costly vehicle was proven seaworthy
at a Gale force 10 storm off the North Sea coast (Pohl, 1998). Only about 100 were
built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel
almost effortlessly. Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s Amphicar
and the contemporary Gibbs Aquada and Humdinga. With almost 4.000 pieces
built, the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car
to date. The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high speed planing on
water. Other amphibious cars currently in production include the Dutton
Commander 'AmphiJeep' (GB), the US Hydra Spyder and WaterCar, as well as
several Chinese designs like the JMC BY5020TSL (see also) and BJ5032(XZHE),
and the even longer JMC JX5021TLYDS. American distributor Rodedawg is now
seeking ton bring an adapted version of the Chinese amphibs to America .

17
 Fig. 6.1 Schwimmwagen in June 1944

Amphicar is a special type of amphibious car because of its unique features.

Amphicar is great in snow, better than many 4x4s. With 10 inches of ground
clearance, a totally flat bottom and narrow rear wheels Amphicar has tremendous
traction and ability. The car that looks most like the Amphicar from the rear is the
Jaguar XK220, below bumper level the shape is identical, a large bulge around the
engine and everything very flat for ground effect/hydrodynamics. The Jaguar does
not have the advantage of propellers which makes it much slower in the water.Road
clearance, 2 inches greater than a Jeep, make it an ideal off-road vehicle; a low first
gear also contributes to its off-road capabilities. Handles well even on windy days.
Steering is as easy-turning as power steering, 2.5 turns lock to lock. The tyres are
even more oversize than other imported cars tyre life approaching 100,000 miles
should not be difficult. Excellent, easy shifting 4-speed transmission made by the
makers of the world renowned Porsche transmission. Rear engine traction for "go"
in mud and snow. Excellent, easy shifting 4-speed transmission made by the makers

18
of the world renowned Porsche transmission. Trunk space is roomy for a rear engine
car. The car has a turning circle of 36 feet for "U turn ability. Much hand
craftsmanship goes into the manufacture of the Amphicar. The car is truly fabulous
in the water and remarkably stable even in 58mph winds on large waters.

Fig. 6.2 Amphicar

The Latest and Fastest amphibious car is Panther from Water car. Water car is
one of the leading amphibious vehicle manufactures in the world. The
WaterCar Panther is powered with a rear-mounted Honda Acura 3.7-liter
engine, and a "Panther"-Jet boat drive engine. The vehicle can transition from
land to sea and vice versa in less than fifteen seconds, and has a hydraulic off-
road suspension that retracts the wheels in less than eight seconds. This allows
the Panther to drive into the water at 15 mph. Once in the water, the driver puts
the vehicle in neutral, pulls a handle that switches the transfer case over to jet
drive, pushes a lever to hydraulically lift the wheels and tires out of the water,
and begins operating the vehicle just like a car. The process is reversed when
going from water to land.

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Fig 6.3 Panther from Water Car

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 CHAPTER 7
AMPHIBIOUS ATVs

Amongst the smallest non air-cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs
(all-terrain vehicles). These saw significant popularity in North America during the
1960s and early 70s. Typically an amphibious ATV (AATV) is a small, lightweight,
off-highway vehicle, constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub,
fitted with six (sometimes eight) driven wheels, with low pressure, balloon tires.
With no suspension (other than what the tires offer) and no steering wheels,
directional control is accomplished through skid-steering – just as on a tracked
vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side where you want to turn, or by
applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side. Most contemporary
designs use garden tractor type engines, which will provide roughly 25 mph
(40 km/h) top speed on land.

Constructed this way, an AATV will float with ample freeboard and is capable of
traversing swamps, ponds and streams as well as dry land. On land these units have
high grip and great off-road ability that can be further enhanced with an optional set
of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels. Although the spinning action
of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly –
outboard motors can be added for extended water use.

In October 2013, Gibbs Amphibians introduced the long-awaited Quadski, the first
amphibious vehicle capable of traveling 45 mph on land or water. The Quadski was
developed using Gibbs' High Speed Amphibian technology, which Gibbs originally
developed for the Aquada, an amphibious car, which the company has still not
produced because of regulatory issues.

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Fig.7.1 Land Tamer amphibious 8x8 remote access vehicle

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 CHAPTER 8

AMPHIBIOUS COACHES

Amphibious buses are employed in some locations as a tourist attraction. When

comparing the design of normal amphibious vehicles, 1/3 rd of the height of bus
is made like a boat. It is done to stabilize the vehicle in water since the vehicle
is having more height. The CG of the bus will be apart from the ground level.

Fig 8.1 Amphibious Coach

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 CHAPTER 9
AMPHIBIOUS TRUCKS

With more than 20.000 units produced, the DUKW was the most successful
amphibious truck of World War II. This 31-foot 6x6 truck was deployed in the
Pacific theatre to establish and supply beachheads. It was designed as a wartime
project by Sparkman & Stephens, the famous yacht design firm who also designed
the hull for the Ford GPA ‗Seep‗. During the war, Germany produced the
Landwasserschlepper and Schwimmwagen, and in the‗50s, the Soviets developed
the GAZ 46, BAV 485, and PTS. During the Vietnam War, the US Army used the
amphibious articulated Gama Goat and the larger CaterpillarGoer‗truck-series to
move supplies through the canals and rice paddies of Southeast Asia. The latter was
based on a 1950s civil construction vehicle and became the US Army‗s standard
heavy tactical truck before its replacement by the HEMTT. Although the vehicles‗
wheels were mounted without suspension or steering action, and land speeds over
20 mph were ill-advised, its articulated design provided it with good
maneuverability and helped it to keep all four wheels firmly in touch with uneven
ground. Coupled with its amphibious capability, in the Vietnam War (especially
during raining season), the M520 Goer developed a reputation of being able to go
where other trucks could not.

For taking vehicles and supplies onto the beaches the US used the 1950s designed
LARC-V and the huge LARC-LX or ―BARC‖. At 63 feet long and 27 feet wide
the latter is one of the largest wheeled amphibians to date. It could carry up to 100
tons of cargo or 200 people, but a more typical load was 60 tons of cargo or 120
people. The vehicle was powered by four V8 diesel engines positioned in the sides
of the hull, each driving a single 8-foot wheel. The United Kingdom used the 6x6
wheeled Alvis Stalwart as their amphibious cargo carrier. This highly mobile

24
5-ton truck entered service with the British Army in 1966. In the water it was driven
by vectored thrust water-jet propulsion units at about 6 knots. American
manufacturer Terrawind currently offers civilian amphibious buses and
motorcoaches. EWK Eisenwerke Kaiserslautern GmbH (now General Dynamics
European Land Systems) developed a unique amphibious vehicle, the M3
Amphibious Rig that can be used as a ferry and as a floating bridge for trucks and
heavy combat vehicles.

Fig. 9.1 Amphibious Truck used in World war II

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 CHAPTER 10
AMPHIBIOUS ARMORED VEHICLES

Many modern military vehicles, ranging from light wheeled command and
reconnaissance, through armoured personnel carriers and tanks, are
manufactured with amphibious capabilities. Contemporary examples of wheeled
armorer amphibians are the French Panhard VBL and GIAT Industries VAB.
The VBL (Vehicle. Blindé Léger or "Light armored vehicle") is a compact,
lightly-armored 4x4 all-terrain vehicle that is fully amphibious and can swim at
5.4 km/h. The VAB (Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or "Armored Vanguard
Vehicle") is a fully amphibious Armored personnel carrier (APC), powered in
the water by two water jets, mounted one on either side of the rear hull (see
detail picture above). It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced
in numerous configurations, ranging from basic personnel carrier, anti-tank missile
platform to riot control versions with a water cannon [3, 4]. During the Cold War
the Soviet bloc states developed a number of amphibious APCs, fighting vehicles
and Tanks, both wheeled and tracked. Wheeled examples are the BRDM-1 and
BRDM-2 4x4 armored scout cars, as well as the BTR-60, BTR-70, BTR-80 and
BTR-94 8x8 armored personnel carriers and the BTR-90 infantry fighting vehicle.
Turkish defense industry which is developing very fast made Otokar Cobra which
hassuperiour abilities and exported it to many countries.

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 CHAPTER 11
AMPHIBIOUS TANKS

At the end of WW1 a Mark IX tank had air drums attached to the side and was
tested as an amphibious vehicle. In World War II the British further developed
amphibious tanks. First the Valentine, then the M4 Medium tank (named the
Sherman by the British) were made amphibious with the addition of a rubberized
canvas screen to provide additional buoyancy and propellers driven by the main
engine to give propulsion. These were DD tanks (from "Duplex Drive") and the
Sherman DD was used on D-Day to provide close fire support on the beaches
during the initial landings. The Sherman DD could not fire when afloat as the
buoyancy screen was higher than the gun. A number swamped and sank in the
operation, due to rough weather in the English Channel (with some tanks having
been launched too far out), and to turning in the current to converge on a specific
point on the battlefield, which allowed waves to breach over the screens. Those
making it ashore, however, provided essential fire support in the first critical hours.
Some light tanks such as the PT-76 are amphibious, typically being propelled in the
water by hydrojets or by their tracks.

In 1969, the U.S. Army rushed the new M551 Sheridan to Vietnam. This 17 ton
light tank was built with an aluminum hull, steel turret and gun (although the 152
mm gun was called a "launcher" at the time), and
could swim across bodies of water. Because the U.S. Army had done away with the
old heavy, medium, and light tank classifications prior to the Vietnam War, and had
adopted the Main Battle Tank (MBT) system, the M551 was officially classified as
an Airborne Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle. The M551 upon arrival in
Vietnam began replacing the M48A3 Patton in all cavalry squadrons, leaving only
the M48A3 in the U.S. Army's three armored battalions in Vietnam, the 1/77th,
27
1/69th, and the 2/34th Armor. However, the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment did
retain some M48s, as they were the only full regiment in country. Armor Crewmen
Trainees at the U.S. Army's Armor School at Fort Knox Kentucky, at the time of the
Sheridan entering service, were specifically instructed to refer to the Sheridan by its
designated nomenclature. However, for nearly everyone today, civilian and military
alike, the Sheridan is a "light tank." The Sheridan needed no modifications
for river crossings, crewmen simply raised the cloth sides that were tucked inside
rubber tubes along the hull's upper edges, raised the driver's front shield which had a
acrylic glass window, the driver turned on his bilge pumps, shifted his transmission
lever to water operations and the Sheridan entered the water. For newly arrived
Sheridans, this might work as engineered. For "war weary" M551s, the driver's
window was often "yellowed" and/or cracked as to obscure his vision, and the
rubber tubes that contained the rolled up side sleeves were often cracked and/or
frozen into place.

Fig. 11.1 Sheridan Tank

28
The Sheridan could still cross a body of water, but like its swimming cousin he
M113 APC (armored Personnel Carrier, also built of aluminum) the river had to be
narrow, less than 100 yards (100 m). In all cases, the bilge pumps had to be working
properly, and even then by the time the Sheridan or the APC reached the other side,
water would often fill the insides up to their armored roofs, spilling through the
hatches' cracks and emptying onto the earth once safely ashore. Often a fold down
trim vane is erected to stop water washing over the bow of the tank and thus
reducing the risk of the vehicle being swamped via the driver's hatch.

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 CHAPTER 12
ARTICUALATED AMPHIBIANS
The unique capability that distinguishes multi-unit vehicles from single unit ones, is
the ability to help each other. According to a 1999 article in Military Parade
magazine, multi-unit, all-terrain transport vehicles were first proposed by the British
in 1913, and by the 1950s, over 40 types of articulated tracked vehicles (ATVs) were
in production. The articulated tracked concept is chosen primarily for its
combination of high maneuverability, cross-country abilities, and remarkable load-
carrying capacity. In some cases the design is made amphibious, giving them all-
terrain capability in the truest sense. Usually the front unit houses at least the
engine, gearboxes, fuel tank(s) and the driver's compartment, and perhaps there is
some space left for cargo or passengers, whereas the rear unit is the primary load
carrier. Examples of this concept are the Russian Vityaz DT-(10/20/30)P models,
the Swedish Volvo Bv202 and Hagglunds Bv206 designs, and Singapore Bronco
ATTC (All-Terrain Tracked Carrier). A highly specialized development is the
Arktos expedition and evacuation craft, that uses a linkage with two joints to
connect the two units, as well as fitting each unit with its own engine, to give each
unit enhanced independence of movement.

Fig 12.1 Articulated Amphibian

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 CHAPTER 13
HOVERCRAFT

[4
]A hovercraft is a vehicle that hovers just above the ground, or over snow or
water, by a cushion of air trapped under the body creating lift. Air propellers,
water propellers, or water jets usually provide propulsion. This type of vehicle
is known as air cushion vehicle (ACV).it is a craft capable of travelling over
land, water or ice and other surfaces both at moderate speeds, and even it could
hover at stationary condition. It operates by creating a cushion of high pressure
air between the hull of the vessel and the surface below. Fig1 illustrates the
operational principles and basic components of a typical hovercraft. Specifically
for our hovercraft, has three main design groups: the lift, thrust, and steering
systems.

The propeller shown must be designed for a vehicle as typically a fan for
creating vortices to mix the air, reducing the ejected air‘s translational kinetic
energy to provide the necessary lift and thrust. Typically the cushioning effect is
contained between a flexible skirt. Hovercrafts are hybrid vessels they typically
hover at heights between 200mm and 600mm above any surface and can
operate at speeds above 37km per hour. They can clean gradient up to 20
degree. Locations which are not easily accessible by landed vehicles due to
natural phenomena are best suited for hovercrafts. Today they are commonly
used as specialized transport in disaster relief, coast ground military and survey
applications as well as for sports and passenger services. Very large versions
have been used to transport tanks, soldiers and large equipment in hostile
environment and terrain. In riverine areas, there is great need for a transport
system that would be fast, efficient, safe and low in cost. Time is spent in
transferring load from landed vehicle to a boat. With hovercraft there is no need

31
for transfer of goods since it operates both on land and water. It is said to be
faster than a boat of same specifications which makes it deliver service on time.

Fig 13.1 Hovercraft

History
The British-built SR-N4 Mk-3 Channel-crossing ferries were 56.4 m (185 ft) in
length and 23.8 m (78 ft) wide. Other benefits of ACVs include their very high
water speed (an SR-N4 Mk-1 could do 83 knots (95 mph or 154 km/h !) and the fact
that they can make the transition from land to water (or vice versa) at speed—
contrary to most wheeled or tracked amphibians. Drawbacks are high fuel
consumption and noise levels. For military purposes, the hovercraft's ability to
distribute its laden weight evenly across the surface below it makes it perfectly
suited to the role of amphibious landing craft. The US Navy LCAC can take troops
and materials (if necessary an M1 Abrams tank) from ship to shore and can access

32
more than 70% of the world's coastline, as opposed to conventional landing craft,
that have only about 17% of that coastline available to them for landing

Fig 13.2 SR-N4 Mk-3

Principle of operation
[1]
The hovercraft floats above the ground surface on a cushion of air supplied by
the lift fan. The air cushion makes the hovercraft essentially frictionless. The
hovercraft relies on a stable cushion of air to maintain sufficient lift. The air
ejected from the propeller is separated by a horizontal divider into pressurized
air utilized for the air cushion and momentum used for thrust. The weight
distribution on top of the deck is arranged so that the air is distributed the air
from the rear of the deck throughout the cushion volume in an approximately
even fashion to provide the necessary support. The skirt extending below the
deck provides containment, improves balance, and allows the craft to traverse
more varied terrain. We maintain the rigidity of the skirt by filling the air-tight
skirt with the same pressurized air diverted towards lift. The skirt inflates and
the increasing air pressure acts on the base of the hull thereby pushing up
33
(lifting) the unit. Small air gaps are left underneath the skirt prevent it from
bursting and provide the cushion of air needed. A little effort on the hovercraft
propels it in the direction of the push. Steering effect is achieved by mounting
rudders in the airflow from the blower or propeller. A change in direction of the
rudders changes the direction of air flow thereby resulting in a change in
direction of the vehicle. This is achieved by connecting wire cables and pulleys
to a handle. When the handle is pushed it changes the direction of the rudders

Fig 13.3 Different Systems in Hovercraft

34
 CHAPTER 14
CLASSIFICATION OF HOVERCRAFT

(i) Single propellant hovercraft:[5]This hovercraft uses only one fan to

provide both lift and thrust. The fan is usually mounted vertically using the top two
thirds for thrust and the bottom one third for lift .The lift air is directed into the skirt
through the duct by the diverting inlet. The air under the hovercraft is known as the
air cushion. This air cushion leaks away under the skirt to provide a film of air
which the hovercraft rides on.

Fig. 14.1 Single propellant Hovercraft

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ii) Multi propellant hovercraft: [5]It has two different motor propeller systems
for Lift and Thrust mechanisms. The amount of lift independent of the amount of
thrust. It has two planes. Horizontal plane is used to lift the hovercraft and vertical
plane is used to create thrust (or) propulsion mechanism, integrated with controls.

Fig 14.2 Multi Propellant Hovercraft

36
 CHAPTER 15
PARTS IN HOVERCRAFT

Hull
It act as a frame in normal automobiles. All other systems are attached to hull
like skirt, propulsion engine, steering mechanism, Lift mechanism etc. The
whole Weight of the vehicle is transferred through hull.

Skirt
The high pressure air from the lift system is accumulated inside the skirt. This is
the lower part of Hovercraft and it is attached to the hull. Small air leak will be
there between the ground. This will actually helping hovercraft to float over any
surface.

Lift System
High pressure air will be pumped by the system to produce lift to the vehicle.
The capacity of the engine used in lift mechanism will be very high with respect
to the load carrying.

Propulsion System
This system will provide longitudinal motion for the hovercraft. The steering
system will control the direction of flow in order to steer the vehicle. In some
hovercrafts same system will be used for both propulsion and lift.

37
 CHAPTER 16
DESIGN OF MAJOR COMPONENTS OF
HOVERCRAFT

[4]
The hull, skirt calculations: Intension is to design a hovercraft for
demonstration purpose. so a total weight of 200 kg is considered of this, 100 kg
has been taken as passenger weight, and the remaining 100 kg as the hovercraft
weight, which includes the weight of the base, the weight of the engine,
impeller, shroud, the air box, steering mechanism, rudder system, the engine
frame, the weight of the skirt, petrol tank etc.

Fig 16.1 sample design of hull

38
Total Weight = 200 kg

Length = 7 feet

Breadth = 4

feet Area of Base,

A = 28 sq.ft = 2.5 m2

Cushion Pressure, Pc= Weight Area of base= 2002.5=80 kg/m2

Pc= 80×9.81=784.8 N/m2 (Pa)

Escape Velocity, Ve= 2 ×Pcρ= 2 ×801.16=11.75 m/s

Perimeter of Skirt 5.25 + 5.25 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 15.5 ft = 4.72 m

Hover Gap 50 cm = 0.05 m

Lift and thrust calculations

Escape Velocity,

Ve=11.75 m/s

Perimeter of Skirt = 5.25 + 5.25 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 15.5 ft = 4.72 m

Hover Gap = 50 cm = 0.05 m

Escape Area, Ae = 4.72 x 0.05 m = 0.236 m2

Volume of Air Lost = Ve x Ae = 11.75 x 0.236 = 2.773 m3/s

39
This much volume of air is required to lift the hovercraft of the total airflow
generated by the impeller, 33% is used to lift the hovercraft. This 33%
corresponds to 2.773 m3/s. So the total volume of air that must be generated is
three times this quantity. Therefore, Total Volume of Airflow required 3.33 x
2.773 = 9.23 m3/s Hence, we need to select an impeller that can provide us with
pressure of 785 Pa and airflow of 9.23 m3/s.

40
Splitter Area and Thrust Area

Fig 16.2 Design of Splitter of Hovercraft

Area of the duct,𝑑= 𝜋4 (.92−.22 ) = 0.6048 m2

For Splitter Height = 0.30 m

Splitter Area, 𝑎𝑠𝑝= 12 (𝜃−sin𝜃 )2,

𝜃= 1400 𝑎𝑠𝑝= 12 {( 140 ×𝜋180 −sin140 )×0.452 } = 0.2419 m2

Thrust Area, 𝑎𝑡ℎ = 𝑎𝑑−𝑎𝑠𝑝 = 0.3629 m2

Thrust Ratio = 0.36290.6048=60.0 %

Lift Ratio = 0.24190.6048=39.99%

41
Fan Selection
The selection of a suitable impeller is a relatively tough task. In an integrated
hovercraft, the impeller is used to provide both, the lift as well as the thrust.
Usually, industrial fans are used for this purpose. Some of the most important
factors that need to be considered while selecting an impeller are the size of the
impeller, the number of blades, the pitch angle of the blade, and the power
required. The power source (in our case – engine) should be able to provide
enough power to run the impeller at the required working conditions [6].
Formulae: For a change in speed:
The Rotational Frequency Ratio (k) = 𝑁2 ( 𝑒𝑤𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 )/𝑁1 (𝑂𝑙𝑑𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 )
To change the parameters for the fan at the new speed we can apply the
following laws,
Airflow (q), q2 = q1 x k
Pressure (p), p2 = p1 x k2
(P), P2 = P1 x k3
In our case, we required a pressure of 785 Pa and airflow of 10m3/s. For
selecting the fan we used sizing software called MWO 7.0.1.144, provide by
Multi-Wing India Pvt Ltd. The specification of the impeller selected for our
hovercraft is

900/3-6/31.5/PAG/5ZL

42
 CHAPTER 17

CONCLUSION

Amphibious vehicles are one of the rarest category of vehicles. And that may
due to different things such as design, cost, need etc. But, amphibious vehicles
are very useful at different areas like military purposes, tourism, off roading etc.

Latest technologies in this category are under research and in future we can
expect more regarding amphibious vehicle.

43
 REFERENCES

1. International Journal of Innovative Research in Science, Engineering and

Technology
(An ISO 3297: 2007 Certified Organization)
Vol. 4, Special Issue 6, May 2015 Design and Fabrication of Hovercraft

2. International Journal of Science, Technology & Management www.ijstm.com

Volume No.04, Issue No. 01, January 2015 ISSN (online): 2394-1537
A REVIEW ON DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE

3. IJCSI International Journal of Computer Science Issues, Vol. 10, Issue 1, No

1, January 2013 ISSN (Print): 1694-0784 | ISSN (Online): 1694-0814

4. International Journal Of Modern Engineering Research (IJMER)| IJMER |

ISSN: 2249–6645 | www.ijmer.com | Vol. 4 | Iss. 5| May. 2014 | 21 |
Development of a Integrated Air Cushioned Vehicle (Hovercraft)

5. International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), India Online ISSN:

2319-7064 Volume 2 Issue 5, May 2013 www.ijsr.net
Design and Development of Amphibious Hybrid Vehicle Body Structure

6. International Research Journal of Engineering and Technology (IRJET) e-

ISSN: 2395 -0056 Volume: 03 Issue: 10 | Oct -2016 www.irjet.net p-ISSN:
2395-0072
© 2016, IRJET | Impact Factor value: 4.45 | ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal |

Amphibious Vehicle

7. VOL. 6, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2011 ISSN 1819-6608 ARPN Journal of

Engineering and Applied Sciences
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF AN AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE

44
 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. What are the measures taken to protect tyres and other components
from water?
Protection coatings will be applied on them more over they are made up
of alloys which will resist corrosion due to water.

2. Does it use same engine or different engine to travel over land and
water?
In latest amphibious vehicles additional jets are provided to propel
through water.

3. How oxygen supply for underwater amphibious vehicles can be

provided?
By using snorkels.

4. How they lift military tanks over water?

Earlier they were using air drums now it is replaced by light weight
rubber or fibre canvases.

5. How much air gap is maintained?

The air gap will be less than 10 mm.

6. How hovercrafts move over land?

Using the same air propulsion system used to travel over water.

45
7. How to tackle with leaks?
Essential safety measures like lifejackets, floating tubes must be there and
the passengers should wear these equipments while travelling over water.

8. Braking system of hovercraft?

For braking the propulsion fans will rotate in opposite direction to make a
force opposite to the movement of hovercraft

9. How does performance differ over water and land in a hovercraft?

Performance almost same, because the vehicle is travelling on air
cushion. Air will provide very less friction to the movement. So, surface
changes will not affect its performance upto an extend

46
47