METHOD OF BREAKING ICE COVER Russian patent published in 2003 - IPC

FIELD: equipment ensuring navigation in frozen water basins. SUBSTANCE: hovercraft moves in ice exciting flexural gravitational waves. As soon as these waves achieve maximum curvature, speed of ship is reduced at simultaneous reduction of pressure in air cushion to atmospheric at moment when hovercraft lowers on wave trough, after which speed is increased to magnitude when ship has maximum trim by stern at simultaneous increase of pressure in air cushion to maximum possible level. EFFECT: enhanced efficiency of ice breaking.