초록 ▼

There is disclosed an improved stern seal construction for air cushion supported operating type marine vessels which consists of an array of inflatable, vertically oriented inverted truncated open-ended cones or fingers. These fingers are individually attached to and mounted to depend in side-by-sid

There is disclosed an improved stern seal construction for air cushion supported operating type marine vessels which consists of an array of inflatable, vertically oriented inverted truncated open-ended cones or fingers. These fingers are individually attached to and mounted to depend in side-by-side relation from the bottom of an inflatable bag which in turn is mounted upon and extends transversely across and below the bottom of the stern end of the vessel\s hull. The fingers are arranged in side-by-side pressed together relationship, and thus assume in horizontal section generally rectangular forms. In side view sectional profile the finger and bag contours are so balanced that a minimum load at the bottom ends of the fingers will permit them to raise to allow for passages over rough objects. The front or leading panels of the fingers are stiffened somewhat toward their bottom ends, and are extended under the open bottoms of the fingers beyond their trailing panel portions. Thus, the extended portions normally close off the bottom of each finger in the manner of a flap valve, preventing water or other terrain material from entering the bottom of the finger such as would otherwise permit undesirable “scooping” thereof into the air cushion stern seal system. Furthermore, the fingers are preferably tapered in rear view at their bottom ends so as to provide for each finger an improved inflated shape stability performance when the ship is operating over a terrain surface which intermittently “falls away”from the bottoms of the fingers.

대표청구항 ▼

In an air cushion supported vessel of the surface effect ship type having a main hull and opposite side hulls, an improved stern seal system including an inflatable bag depending from said main hull and extending between said side hulls, and a plurality of inflatable fingers having open top and bott

In an air cushion supported vessel of the surface effect ship type having a main hull and opposite side hulls, an improved stern seal system including an inflatable bag depending from said main hull and extending between said side hulls, and a plurality of inflatable fingers having open top and bottom end portions attached at their open top end portions to and depending from said bag and arranged in vertically swept back side by side standing relation linearly between said side hulls; said bag having apertures leading into each of said fingers; and a compressed air supply facility carried by said main hull for supplying compressed air to said bag, whereby when said bag and said fingers are inflated said fingers are sidewise pressed together and assume sectional configurations comprising consecutively contiguous relatively slidable flattened side wall portions and embiently exposed front and rear wall portions, the improvement comprising: said fingers being shaped so that when they are inflated, said front wall portions thereof incline downwardly and rearwardly from said bag and said rear wall portions thereof incline downwardly and forwardly from said bag; and a water-planing bottom plate means hingedly extends from the front wall portion of each of said fingers and rearwardly therefrom under the open bottom end portions of said fingers beyond the rear wall portions thereof.