An Investigation into the Optimum Conditions for a Hovercraft
The group of Dhamrat and Myers were interested in determining what conditions would yield the best performance of a hovercraft. While performing a literature search, the group noticed that the maneuvering of a hovercraft was a major problem. With this in mind the group set out to find a steering mechanism and perform tests on it. To perform an adequate test on the steering device, the group wanted to test how well the hovercraft would maneuver on a circular course as opposed to a straight course. With steering in mind the group also set out to determine how the throttle setting, either fast or slow, would affect steering. And, the final factor chosen was type of surface to see how much the difference in surface would affect the craft's performance.
The results of the group's experimentation proved that a practical application of a hovercraft is still out of reach, but it is not too far away. Of course, the hovercraft performed better on the straight course, and the fact that the hovercraft left the course so many times during test on the circular course was discouraging. On average, the hovercraft did perform better on the concrete surface than the tile surface because the concrete provided friction for the hovercraft to maneuver. And, naturally, the hovercraft performed better when the throttle was on fast than when it was on slow.
Research Done By:
Raviraj Dhamrat
Cousino
Joseph Myers
Warren Mott
Warren Consolidated Schools