Patents Assigned to British Hovercraft Corporation
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Patent number: 4433745Abstract: An apparatus is provided for effecting rapid changes in the geometry of a flexible wall structure forming at least a part of the cushion seal on an air cushion vehicle. The apparatus comprises one or more inflatable members co-operating with the flexible wall structure and an air ejector for rapidly introducing pressurized air into each inflatable member. Each inflatable member may be constituted by a wall structure portion of hollow construction. The invention finds particular application in assisting directional control of an air cushion vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: July 7, 1981Date of Patent: February 28, 1984Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation Ltd.Inventors: Kay Rollins, Anthony N. Key, Thomas F. Arlotte
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Patent number: 4417637Abstract: Inspection and repair of an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt is carried out with the vehicle supported above a ground surface on support legs projecting from sleeve members built into rigid base structure of the vehicle so as to be open between upper and lower surfaces of the base structure. The vehicle lift system is used to hover the vehicle clear of the ground so that the support legs can be secured in their projecting positions. Alternatively, jacks may be supported over the sleeves and used to force the support legs down the sleeve members to their projecting positions. The vehicle may be further raised above the ground surface to permit inspection and repair of the underside of the rigid base structure by first replacing each support leg with a support stand and pillar assembly and then using the jacks to raise the vehicle with the support legs resting on the pillars.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 1982Date of Patent: November 29, 1983Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation Ltd.Inventors: Derek J. Hardy, Michael W. Eldridge
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Patent number: 4337106Abstract: An apertured flexible sheet component for an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt, such as an apertured section of a flexible skirt bag member, comprises reinforced flexible sheet material including a reinforcing fabric having substantial spacings between groups of cords from which the fabric is formed. The reinforcing fabric is coated with elastomeric material and apertures are formed in the elastomeric material within the spacings between the groups of cords in the reinforcing fabric so that no broken cords are caused by formation of the apertures.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 1980Date of Patent: June 29, 1982Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation Ltd.Inventor: Raymond L. Wheeler
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Patent number: 4312690Abstract: An apertured flexible sheet component for an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt, such as an apertured section of a flexible skirt bag member, comprises reinforced flexible sheet material including a reinforcing fabric having substantial spacings between groups of cords from which the fabric is formed. The reinforcing fabric is coated with elastomeric material and apertures are formed in the elastomeric material within the spacings between the groups of cords in the reinforcing fabric so that no broken cords are caused by formation of the apertures.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 1980Date of Patent: January 26, 1982Assignee: British Hovercraft CorporationInventor: Raymond L. Wheeler
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Patent number: 4279322Abstract: A device for arresting the growth of a rip in reinforced flexible sheet material, for example elastomeric sheet material reinforced with woven nylon fabric, comprises a flexible sheath member having a flexible core member extending throughout its length and chemically bonded thereto. The sheath member includes tensile load path discontinuities at intervals along the length of the core member and at least in regions of the sheath member remote from the core member. The tensile load path discontinuities prevent tensile loads being transmitted along the length of those regions of the sheath member which are not bonded to the core member, such loads being diffused into the core member because of the bond between the sheath member and the core member. A number of these devices may be attached to an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt assembly manufactured from sheet rubber reinforced with woven nylon fabric so as to arrest the growth of rips which may propagate during operation of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 1979Date of Patent: July 21, 1981Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventors: Raymond L. Wheeler, John Henry, John E. Dadswell
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Patent number: 4248320Abstract: An apertured flexible sheet component for an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt, such as an apertured section of a flexible skirt bag member, comprises reinforced flexible sheet material including a reinforcing fabric having substantial spacings between groups of cords from which the fabric is formed. The reinforcing fabric is coated with elastomeric material and apertures are formed in the elastomeric material within the spacings between the groups of cords in the reinforcing fabric so that no broken cords are caused by formation of the apertures.Type: GrantFiled: June 21, 1979Date of Patent: February 3, 1981Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: Raymond L. Wheeler
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Patent number: 4236593Abstract: A bag member for an air cushion vehicle flexible skirt has an apertured portion by which a space enclosed by the bag member and hard structure of a vehicle to which it is attached, is placed in communication with the vehicle cushion area. The apertured portion comprises a plurality of strips of flexible material laid across each other so as to form apertures therebetween. The apertured portion may be formed by a plurality of apertured panels comprising the aperture-forming strips of flexible material joined to strips of flexible material defining side edges of each panel.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 1979Date of Patent: December 2, 1980Assignee: British Hovercraft CorporationInventor: Raymond L. Wheeler
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Patent number: 4215757Abstract: An attachment device for releasably connecting a flexible skirt component to rigid body structure of an air cushion vehicle has a plurality of first elements attached at spaced positions on the rigid body structure. A plurality of second elements are attached at spaced positions along an edge portion of the flexible skirt by a plurality of clamping plates which co-operate one with each second element to present a clamping face towards a clamping face on the second element. The edge portion of the flexible skirt is held between the clamping faces by a clamping action applied by releasable fasteners passing through aligned holes in the second elements, the clamping plates and the flexible skirt. The second elements are positioned in the spaces between the first elements so that respective longitudinal passages extending through the first and second elements are aligned, and a pin member is inserted into the aligned passages so as to connect the first and second elements in hinged relationship.Type: GrantFiled: December 6, 1978Date of Patent: August 5, 1980Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventors: John Henry, John E. Dadswell
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Patent number: 4169514Abstract: Cushion sealing at the rear of an air cushion vehicle comprises a flexible skirt that is attached to rigid body structure of the vehicle so as to extend downwardly therefrom and define a plurality of inter-communicating inflatable compartments positioned one above the other. These inflatable skirt compartments communicate by way of a first duct with a source of pressurized air on the vehicle, and by way of a second duct with cushion space at the underside of the vehicle. The second duct offers low impedance to the transfer of air between the skirt compartments and the cushion space, whereby in operation, when the skirt is deflected, air transfers from the skirt compartments to the cushion without any substantial rise in the skirt inflation pressure, which would tend to increase the stiffness of the skirt.Type: GrantFiled: March 2, 1978Date of Patent: October 2, 1979Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventors: Raymond L. Wheeler, Kay Rollins, Brian G. Clarke
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Patent number: 4133282Abstract: A cushion containing seal particularly suited for use as the bow or stern seal on a large ocean-going sidewall air cushion vehicle or surface effect ship, comprises adjacent elongated stiff members arranged near to one of their ends for attachment to rigid structure of the vehicle so as to be deflectable for contour conformation. Escape of pressurized air from the cushion between adjacent elongated stiff members is substantially prevented by flexible impermeable members that permit the elongated members to deflect with respect to each other. The elongated stiff members may be manufactured from metal so as to be rigid.Type: GrantFiled: September 20, 1977Date of Patent: January 9, 1979Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: Christopher Cockerell
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Patent number: 4131175Abstract: An air cushion vehicle is provided with cushion-containing means at least partly constituted by a flexible skirt which comprises an inflatable bag member and individual flexible skirt elements depending downwardly from attachment both to the bag member and the vehicle hard structure.Type: GrantFiled: June 16, 1976Date of Patent: December 26, 1978Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation Ltd.Inventor: Raymond L. Wheeler
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Patent number: 4056645Abstract: An aperture in a component manufactured from reinforced flexible sheet material is reinforced with a pegged washer plate. The pegged washer plate has an apertured body portion with pegs extending therefrom, and is embedded in the flexible sheet material so that the pegs mesh with threads of a layer of material reinforcing the flexible sheet material.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 1976Date of Patent: November 1, 1977Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation Ltd.Inventor: John Henry
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Patent number: 4038867Abstract: This invention relates to a transducer assembly for measuring loads in flexible sheet material, and to a method of making the transducer assembly.A strain gauged transducer plate is bonded between first and second sheets of flexible material, and a lead out cable from the strain gauge is sandwiched between spaced, mating PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) tapes attached to each flexible sheet. The cable is arranged in a generally sinusoidal pattern so that the cable crosses the space between the tapes at a plurality of locations throughout the length of the tapes and so that at each location the cable crosses the space in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction thereof, thereby preventing damage and breakage of the tapes due to operational flexing of the transducer assembly.In a preferred embodiment, the transducer plate is secured in an aperture in a woven fabric sheet which is then bonded between the flexible sheets.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 1976Date of Patent: August 2, 1977Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventors: Arthur William Andrews, Eric Lewis Heber, John Roger Michelmore, John Nicholis
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Patent number: 4000710Abstract: In an air cushion vehicle of the type having a pair of rigid sidewall structures extending longitudinally along the sides of the vehicle body and depending downwardly therefrom so as to dip into the water and provide a cushion seal at the sides of the vehicle, wedge shaped members are provided at the forward ends of the sidewalls on those parts of the outer surfaces which dip into the water so that in operation the wedge shaped members break up the flow of water over these surfaces.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 1974Date of Patent: January 4, 1977Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: William Arthur Crago
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Patent number: 3990533Abstract: An air cushion vehicle flexible skirt assembly includes a plurality of skirt elements. Each skirt element comprises a first section including an endless band of flexible material. A second section of the element includes a plurality of members each comprising an endless band of flexible material having a peripheral dimension which is less than the peripheral dimension of the first section. The members comprising the second section are each joined at one of their edges to one of the edges of the endless flexible band comprising the first section to constitute an extension thereof. If desired, these skirt elements may depend from a bag member forming another part of the flexible skirt assembly.Type: GrantFiled: February 13, 1975Date of Patent: November 9, 1976Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: John Henry
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Patent number: 3968852Abstract: An air cushion vehicle is provided with at least one stabilizing device comprising first and second members formed from endless bands of flexible impermeable material attached at first edges to the underside of the vehicle so as to extend downwardly therefrom and terminate at second edges. The first member surrounds the second member and is spaced therefrom so that in operation pressurized air from a source on the vehicle passes downwardly between the members to flow from between the second edges in the form of an air curtain which builds up and maintains a localized cushion of pressurized air within the stabilizing device.Type: GrantFiled: August 5, 1974Date of Patent: July 13, 1976Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: Peter Rowland Crewe
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Patent number: 3966012Abstract: An air cushion vehicle has a flexible skirt assembly including an inflatable bag member. When inflated, the bag member is supported by a reticulated member, so that loads acting on the bag member are transferred to the reticulated member. Preferably a buffer material is interposed between the bag member and the reticulated member to prevent chafing of the bag member by the reticulated member.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 1975Date of Patent: June 29, 1976Assignee: British Hovercraft Corporation LimitedInventor: Peter Rowland Crewe