SOLIDWORK PROJECT

PROJECT TITLE: STUDY ON HOVERCRAFT DRAG FORCE

LECTURERS NAME: PN NORANIAH BINTI KASSIM

SUPERVISER NAME: ENCIK ROSDI BIN AB RAHMAN
GROUP MEMBERS:
1. NUR NABILA BINTI ABD MALIK AA141117
2. NURUL AINI BINTI JAMALUDIN AA140741
3. NURUL HAYATI BINTI ISMAIL AA140783
4. SITI ASMA BINTI AZMI MASUD AA140973
1.0 Introduction

Hovercraft using two main forces which is lift force and drag force. The fan
inside the cushion lift the hovercraft from surface and propeller is a vertical plane to
obtain the forward motion of the craft. Even though, it is used widely, mostly people
simply focus on the impact of the force rather than drag force the propeller that produce
drag force. So, we want to determine the relationship between fan rotations and drag
force. We construct a device that using spring and fan blade to obtain the drag forces.
The force from the fan will stretch the spring at some distance. By the end of the
project, we can get the distance, x by the spring using different blade speed, rpm and
distance produced by the drag force. Then, we can relate the relationship between the
propeller and drag force.

1.1 Group Description

No Name Matrix Number Job Task

1 Nurul Aini Binti Jamaludin AA140741 Group Leader
2 Nurul Hayati Binti Ismail AA140783 Documentation
3 Nur Nabila Binti Abd Malik AA141117 Designing
4 Siti Asma binti Azmi Masud AA140973 Designing

1.2 Product Background

A Hovercraft is a vehicle that flies like a plane but can float like a boat, can
drive like a car but will traverse ditches and gullies as it is a flat terrain 1. A Hovercraft
also sometimes called an air cushion vehicle because it can hover over or move across
land or water surfaces while being held off from the surfaces by a cushion of air.
Hovercraft is a transport that used in many application. It capable of travelling over
land, water, mud or ice and other surfaces. Modern Hovercrafts are used for many
applications where people and equipment need to travel at speed over water but be
able load and unload on land. For example they are used as passenger or freight
carriers, as recreational machines and even use as military vehicles.

Hovercraft was first designed by Swedish designer named Emmanuel

Swendenborg in 1716. This project was short-lived because it was never built for soon
Swendenborg realized that to operate such a machine required a source of energy for
greater that that could be supplied by single human equipment. Until the early 20th
century, Hovercraft was not practically possible, because only the very high power to
weight ratio suitable for Hover flight. Then, Cristopher Cockerel made the first
Hovercraft using scales, a long rod, vacuum and a can.

There were three basic structure of Hovercraft. The first part is propeller, it
pushes the hovercraft ahead by pushing air from behind. Next, the fan inflate the
cushion contained within the skirt beneath the craft as well to provide thrust with which
to propel the craft forward. The skirt part allows the hovercraft to clear obstacles. It
generally speaking that the higher the skirt, the larger the obstacles that the craft will
clear.

Hovercrafts are usually supported by fans that force air down under the vehicle
to create lift, Air propellers, water propellers, or water jets usually provide forward
propulsion. There were forces that involve in hovercraft which are, lift force, drag
force and pressure force. Fan is the one of the main component in hovercraft. The
forces produce from the fan blade is used to lift and drag hovercraft. The air is
continuously forced under the vehicle by a fan, generating the cushion that greatly
reduces friction between the moving vehicle and surface. The air is delivered through
ducts and injected at the periphery of the vehicle in a downward and inward direction.
This type of vehicle can equally ride over ice, water, marsh, or relatively level land.

This project is focus more into drag force cause by the propeller at the
hovercraft. This is because the propeller used in hovercraft is used as a trust forward
and used as movement controller to right and left. However, we construct a devices
that can stretch spring with fan blade to get drag force.

1.3 Problem Statement

According to the articles we read at the internet, many article more into lift
force and pressure inside the air cushion. They also many people doing research for
Hovercraft cushion skirt. They more focus on the impact of the force in the skirt rather
than the propeller that produce drag force. Drag forces also played as main force to
make a hovercraft. Drag force produced by the fan inside the propeller to make the
Hovercraft move forward. It also known as a movement controller in horizontally for
Hovercraft because it can control whether left or right.

There a little article or project involve with drag force by the propeller. So, we
want to know the relationship of the blade rotation and drag force. Using devices that
use fan and spring to calculate drag force using formula F= kx. By know the
relationship between those two, we can discover how much drag force produced when
certain blade speed, rpm is applied. We also want to know that how much distance, x
by the spring after the blade rotation that cause drag force.

1.4 Objectives

In the construction and completion of the project there are a number of

objectives. The main goal of the project which refers to the completion of the stated
problem is to determine the relationship between the blade rotations and drag force.
Other objectives is to determine the blade rotation, rpm and the distance produce by
the blade rotation, x. Next, to determine the distance produce, x by the drag force.
 1.5 Design Scope

Scope or project implementation limit need as a reference to ensure the

implementation of the project is not out of the objectives to be achieved. The scope of
the project is determined by the objectives or goals of the project:

i. Design a device that can determine drag force by using spring

ii. Determine blade rotation and distance of spring after force is applied

iii. Design that can make the fan move

iv. Design that have spring attached with structure

1.6 Product Significant

There are many advantages and benefit we can earn from this project. First, we
can enhance our knowledge about hovercraft and applied it to our project. This can
help us gain our knowledge and use it for our future. Next, we can applied what we
learned during our diploma into this project, furthermore it will test our knowledge
into this project.
 1.7 Planning Chart

Jun September October November December

Activity
W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4 W1 W2 W3 W4
Superv isor election and topics
discussion within student and
superv isor
FYP diploma briefing
Meeting with superv isor :
-Discuss about the topic and
concept with further details
-Submit project proposal form
Discussion within group members
-Plan a schedule for project
-Gather information and study the
concept,process and design from
others
-Specify concept and sketch a
Meeting with superv isor :
-design approv al
Present proposal to assessors
Project Implementation
-Design with actual length
-Make calculation and sort out the
important information
-Find the fabricator
-Negotiate and giv e specification of
project to fabricator
FYP report briefing
Discuss and div ide the task to
complete the report
Project Completion
-Receiv e Project and propose to
superv isor
-Collect data ,plot graph and
complete the research
Preparation for presentation, report
and Logbook
Start with carniv al and presentation
Documentation
-Submit final report and logbook
End of Final Year Project
(7 Dec 2016)

Table1: Planning Chart

2.0 Design And Analysis

2.1 Concept Development

During second month of the project started, we started make sketch for our
project. Each sketch must have spring that attached with something and fan that have
roller at the bottom. We make about 4 (four) sketch designs. There were some
development and improvement in each of our sketch project.

1) 1st Sketch

Figure 1: First concept of project.

Design Description:

Design have 4 (four) springs attached to the structure

 Fan have 2 (two) rollers at the bottom
There also 2 (two) rail connect with rollers
Rail attached with a straight structure

Design Advantages and Disadvantages:

With 4 (four) springs attached to the fan, the fan will be more stable.
The stable structure at the bottom will make the fan move freely at straight line.
However, the roller attached to the fan is not stable because there only 2 (two)
rollers to support the fan when force is applied.
The structure attached to the spring does not have any hole or space for air
produce by the fan to surpass, this does not produce free air to the fan

2) 2nd Sketch

Figure 2: Second concept of the project.

Design Description:

Design have 4 (four) springs attached to the structure

 Fan have 2 (two) rollers at the bottom
There also 2 (two) rail connect with rollers
Rail attached with a straight structure
Structure attached to the spring have open space

Design Advantages and Disadvantages:

With 4 (four) springs attached to the fan, the fan will be more stable. It will not
fall down or fall out from the rail.
The stable structure at the bottom will make the fan move freely at straight line.
However, the roller attached to the fan is not stable because there only 2 (two)
rollers to support the fan when force is applied. It will cause the fan move
forward while the roller is fall behind.
The structure attached to the spring have any hole or space for air produce by
the fan to surpass, this produce free air to the fan.
The whole project will be heavy. So, the structure have 4 (four) rollers attached
to it so it can move freely and we no need to carry the project around.
 3) 3rd Sketch

Figure 3: Third concept of project.

Design Description:

Design have 4 (four) springs attached to the structure

Fan have 2 (two) rollers at the bottom
There also 2 (two) rails connect with rollers
Rail attached with a straight structure
Structure attached with the spring has open space
There 4 (four) rollers attached to the structure

Design Advantages and Disadvantages:

With 4 (four) springs attached to the fan, the fan will be more stable.
The stable structure at the bottom will make the fan move freely at straight line.
 However, the roller attached to the fan is not stable because there only 2 (two)
rollers to support the fan when force is applied.
The structure attached to the spring have any hole or space for air produce by
the fan to surpass, this produce free air to the fan.
The structure have 4 (four) rollers attached to it so it can move freely and we
no need to carry the project around.

2.2 Concept Modelling

Figure 4: Final concept of the project

Design Descriptions:

Design have 4 (four) springs attached to the structure

Fan have 4 (four) rollers at the bottom

 There also 2 (two) rails connect with rollers

Rail attached with a straight structure

Structure attached with the spring has open space

There 4 (four) rollers attached to the structure

Design Advantages and Disadvantages:

With 4 (four) springs attached to the fan, the fan will be

more stable. It will not fall down or fall out from the rail.
The stable structure at the bottom will make the fan move
freely at straight line.
The roller attached to the fan is table because there only 4
(four) rollers to support the fan when force is applied. It will
support the fan to move forward.
The structure attached to the spring have hole or space for
air produce by the fan to surpass, this produce free air to
the fan.
The whole project will be heavy. So, the structure have 4
(four) rollers attached to it so it can move freely and we no
need to carry the project around.

Within the 3 (three) design, after development of sketching with improvement,

we choose design 4th sketch which is the final sketch. This is because the 4th design
sketch follows our design scope and our objectives. Also, there were many advantages
in the 4th design. Which are, it has 4 (four) springs attached to the fan that make the
fan more stable and can move in straight line. The stable structure at the bottom make
the fan move freely in straight line. The 4th design sketch also have 4 (four) roller at
the bottom so we can move the prototype freely without no need to carry around with
its heavy weight. The design also have holes or open space at structure that attached
to the spring for the air produce by the fan to surpass the prototype. This is also to
ensure it does not affect the result by the end. For this project design, we choose the
4th sketch.
 2.3 Engineering Analysis

This project is to determine the relationship between the speeds of fan and
drag force by using method of calculation. To obtain the result we construct the
prototype that consist of blade/propeller, spring, and meter ruler. From the prototype,
the fan will rotate at some speed and the spring will stretch at some distance. From
the prototype, the project was tested and the data was recorded based on the Table1
and Table2.

From the information, k is the value of spring constant. Then, this project used
several of speeds to get the value of x.

Table 1: Speed of fan rotation and the distance of the spring from its initial

Speed of fan Length of the spring, l (mm) Elongation of the spring, x

rotation (rpm) (mm)
1000 99.74 0
1200 99.74 0
1400 99.74 0
1600 99.74 0
1800 100.24 0.5
2000 102.74 3

Next from the distance of spring, we calculate the value of drag force. Using the
formula, = , value k is 30249.77.
 Table 2: Elongation of the spring and the value of drag force from the graph

Elongation of the spring, x The value of drag force, F (N)

(mm)
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0.5 14.38
3 86.25

From the table above, we construct a line graph of blade rotation, rpm between drag
forces, N.
3.0 Detail Design

3.1 Assembly Drawing

3.2 Exploded Drawing with BOM
3.3 Component Detail Drawing
4.0 Conclusion and Recommendation

At the end project, we manage to make a design that follows our design scope
and objectives. We manage to make a design that have a structure to hold the springs
and design that have a fan that can move forward or backward with roller. We also
manage to make improvement for each design sketch to make this project. We make
the design easy for us, for example we attached roller at the bottom of structure so that
we does not have to carry around the prototype. After the design choose, we manage
to make a complete final drawing using Solidwork.

From this project, we have realized that teamwork between members of the
group is key to success to this report and project. We also learned how to plan and
managed everything systematically so that job is according to the plan. By doing this
kind of project, we learn how to work as 1 (one) group.

Recommendation to this project is using motor instant of battery to produce

more power so that the fan will product more power and higher blade rotation, rpm.
With more power and higher blade rotation, rpm the distance produce by the drag force
will be longer and the result recorded will be have much more data. Next, the blade
used for the fan need to be more longer and bigger in area so that it will make more
force and help the spring to attract longer.
5.0 Reference

[1] Journal - Design and Analysis of Winged Hovercraft (Vignesh Kumar

Rajamani, 2015) http://www.omicsgroup.org/journals/design-and-analysis-of-
winged-hovercraft-2168-9873-1000179.php?aid=63044

[2] Physics of Hovercraft (Megan Niedermeier, AP Physics, 2005)

http://www.llcowell.com/instructional_samples/straightforward/mneidermeir_physic
s/template.htm

[3] DK Publishing (2010). Woodwork: A Step-by-Step Photographic Guide to

Successful Woorworking. Penguin. P. 198.

[4] Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (c 4.0) OXford

University Press & Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 13 Jan 2015.