Ground-effect theory and its application to air flotation devices
Abstract
The ground-effect theories, originally developed for air cushion vehicles (or ground-effect machines), are re-examined and compared with the air bar test results. The geometries of the tested air bars are different from that of the basic ground-effect model. It is shown that the ground-effect theories can be applied to the air bars by using properly defined equivalent values of the ground-effect variables. The ground-effect theories are applied to a tilted flexible web, and the equations for lateral aerodynamic force are derived. The discussion in this paper is limited to the pressure-pad-type air bars.
Citation
Chang, Y. B., & Moretti, P. M. (1995, June). Ground-effect theory and its application to air flotation devices. Paper presented at the Third International Conference on Web Handling (IWEB), Stillwater, OK.