ICE-BREAKING HOVERCRAFT Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: ice-breaking jobs. SUBSTANCE: hovercraft 2 runs over ice 1 at resonance speed. Use is made of external skirt 3. If amplitude of excited flexural gravitational waves 4 is insufficient for breaking ice, hovercraft 2 is stopped and inner skirt 5 of smaller area is extended and is connected high-pressure compressor 6, after which external flexible guard 3 is disconnected from main fan 7, pulled to bottom 8 and hovercraft starts running over ice at resonance speed. In case of dangerous list or trim, passages 9 made in rigid receiver are opened and are connected to fan 7 enhancing stability of hovercraft 2. As a result, amplitude of flexural gravitational waves 4 rises to profile 10 and ice is broken behind hovercraft during its advance. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of ice breaking. 2 dwg