THE DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING OF A CONTROL DECOUPLER FOR AIR CUSHION VEHICLES.
Abstract
For an air cushion vehicle with rudders located well behind the center of gravity, a decoupler eliminates the yaw moment created by the rudders so that the rudder force can be used to control side motion. The necessary countermoment is provided by the differential thrust of two propellers located behind the center of gravity. A theoretical study including wind tunnel tests and extensive analog computer studies indicated that a direct measurement of the rudder side-force using load cells is the best approach. The load cells necessary for the side force detection were designed, constructed, and installed, and were used for data acquisition. Following this data acquisition, the decoupler computer was designed and the total decoupler was tested on Electric Boat division's two-ton ACV, SKIP-1. The results indicate that the effect of the rudder side-force on the vehicle's turning moment can be eliminated as intended. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0642765
Entities
People
- Frank J. Hannigan
- Richard A. Miller
Organizations
- General Dynamics