Performance Estimates of Captured Air Bubble Vehicles with Water Jet Propulsion

摘要

Performance predictions of Captured Air Bubble (CAB) vehicles utilizing water jet propulsion are presented. The analysis was made for various combinations of gross weight, specific loading, length-to-beam ratio, and wave height. In addition, the effect of varying the ducting loss coefficient was also investigated. It was found that the total drag 'hump' of low length-to-beam ratios (l/b) was eliminated at higher l/b values. This effect is due to the complex behavior of the wavemaking drag component. It was further found that for a particular length-to-beam ratio (l/b), a value of specific cushion loading existed which optimized the performance (as measured by the ratio of weight to horsepower required). The lighter specific cushion loadings offered definite performance advantages at the lower length-to-beam ratios. (Author)