Abstract—The air cushion vehicle or hovercraft, as it is popularly known is the newest vehicle in today’s transport scene. As well as being new, this vehicle is different from other more conventional, terrestrial vehicle in that it requires no surface contact for traction and it is able to move freely over a variety of surface while supported continuously on a self-generated cushion of air. Our attempt was to study the design characteristics and working principle of the hovercraft, and use standard calculations to determine the lift forces required. The dimensions of the air gap generated are also calculated specifically. The thrust forces required are greatly reduced due to the reduction in frictional forces, both static and dynamic. The total study process is concluded with mention of details for the constituent parts, which will be ascertained further by calculations from standard formulae. This paper brings out the details of the theoretical study carried out for the successful propulsion of the hovercraft.

Index Terms—Lift force, Air gap, Integrated propulsion, Thrust, Static friction, Dynamic friction, Hover height

Cite: V Abhiram, N Suman Krishna, T Murali Mohan Raju, and M Anjiah, "A Study on Construction and Working Principle of a Hovercraft," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol.3, No.4, pp. 308-313, October 2014.