Development of hovercraft in China

Development of hovercraft in China. Since the late 1950s, China has started the application research of air cushion technology and the development of hovercraft. For more than 40 years, in terms of air cushion technology, through principle research, model test, intermediate test and trial voyage, we have basically mastered the technology of full-lift and side-wall hovercraft, and entered the stage of practical model development and application. The development and application of air cushion technology meet the special needs of the military and civilians, and create conditions for ships to sail and land in specific environments (such as shallow rapids, rapids in the upper reaches of rivers, shallow beaches and ice and snow areas). In the late 1950s, in order to explore new air cushion technology, more than 40 units across the country organized forces to start principle research and model tests, and then trial-produced manned test vehicles and test ships. Some units are powered by aero-engines, using air propellers or jet propulsion; Hovercraft developed by some units can also land; Some units have also developed experimental ground effectors mainly for land use, which are named as "drifting vehicles", "wheelless vehicles" and "hovercraft". Although the names are different, they all belong to the full cushion air cushion model in essence. At that time, these test ships were not equipped with tarmac and their maneuverability was not good. Many problems were found in land and sea tests, and only stayed in the stage of principle application research. 1960 Zhang Aiping, deputy director of the commission of science, technology and industry for national defense, presided over the national air cushion technology conference. After comparing various types of test vehicles and test ships on the spot, he made it clear that the ship was the main research direction, and decided to shorten the front line, concentrate relatively, and tackle key problems step by step, which changed the situation of "blooming everywhere" in the past. 196 1 year later, the whole country is in a period of adjustment, and there is a shortage of scientific research funds and materials. Many units have stopped the research of air cushion technology, and there have been ups and downs.

1962, the ship specialty group of the state science and technology commission organized and formulated the ten-year development plan of ship science and technology (from 1963 to 1972), and included the development of air cushion technology in the planning project. The national defense science and technology commission decided to continue to organize research work. From 1963 to 1967, northeast Shenyang Songling machinery factory has successively developed full-cushion air-cushion test ships "Songling L", "Songling 2" and "Songling 3" with aviation piston engines. At first, a single-layer peripheral apron was used, and later a ham-shaped flexible apron with peripheral jets was used. Sea trials were carried out in Songhua River, Lushun coastal area and Liaohe water network area. Shanghai 708 Research Institute specially organized forces to set up research institutions. In the five years after 1963, small full-cushion air-cushion test boats 7 1 1-65438 and 71-2 with a total weight of 4 tons were successively trial-produced at Hudong Shipyard. At first, only hard peripheral jet was used, and then a ham-shaped flexible apron was added. Finally, the 7 1l-2 boat was replaced with a finger apron. After completion, repeated tests were carried out in Dianshan Lake and Huangpu River in Shanghai to study the basic performance of hovercraft navigation, such as heave, propulsion, burial, capsizing, stability and lateral drift. The improved 7 1 1-2 boat adopts adjustable pitch air propeller with variable positive and negative pitch, and the control and drive of the electromechanical system of the whole boat are centralized by one person. In addition, the lifting of the apron and the linkage of the rudder make the turning radius of the ship obviously reduced and the maneuverability greatly improved. It has the ability to sail into tributaries, land on beaches and cross ditches smoothly, and the trial speed of the lake reaches 98 km/h. 1967 successfully rushed to the upper reaches during the trial of Jinsha River in Sichuan and Lancang River in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. After returning to Shanghai, the boat was improved and sailed along the Huangpu River and the Yangtze River estuary to Zhoushan coast for seakeeping test. During this period, in order to explore the technology of adding rigid structures to the water on both sides of the hull to form side walls to facilitate the propulsion of the water propeller, 708 Research Institute designed and trial-produced the side wall air cushion test boat with the number of 7 1 1-3 in 1966. Following the navigation tests in Dianshan Lake and Huangpu River, a series of intermediate tests were carried out in Jinsha River, Lancang River and Zhoushan, and the slalom was successfully carried out. Through many tests of the above-mentioned intermediate test boat, China began to master the basic law of air cushion technology applied to ships in practice, creating conditions for trial use.

1in the winter of 965, Zhang, deputy director of the state science and technology commission, held a seminar on ship technology policy and decided to promote the development of domestic hovercraft and develop test boats with the goal of solving the urgent needs of the military and civilians. Since then, * * * has a full-lift test boat type 2 and a side-wall test boat type 4, which are gradually pushed from inland rivers to coastal areas for in-depth tests.

The picture on the right shows China's "Dagu" class (722-2) air-cushion landing craft passing by the "934" landing ship during the landing exercise.

In the late 1960s, in order to meet the traffic needs between coastal islands, the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army commissioned 708 Research Institute to design a fully cushioned air-cushion traffic test boat 7 16, which was built by Hudong Shipyard 1978. The total weight of the boat is 16 tons, and the designed load capacity is 2 tons. In that year, it was tried in Dianshan Lake at a speed of 100km/h, and then it was tried in Guangdong waters, but it was stopped because it was found that the aviation piston engine used highly volatile gasoline, which was easy to cause accidents.

1975, the navy planned to carry out an air cushion landing test, and entrusted 708 Research Institute to design a medium-sized full-cushion air cushion landing test boat 722. With the help of Tianjin metallurgy, machinery, aviation and other industrial departments and related factories, the boat was built and put into use in 1979. The boat has a total weight of 65 tons and a stern door, which can accommodate L trench cars or 1 landing infantry reinforcement company, with a load of 15 tons. The boat is made of aluminum and equipped with four aviation gasoline piston engines, with a total power of 4× 65,438+065,438+000 kW. 1980, the boat organized two voyage tests: the first between Tanggu and Qinhuangdao, the second crossing Bohai Bay, bypassing Chengshantou to Qingdao, and the two voyages were about 800 nautical miles. The test results show that the boat has good stability, buoyancy, maneuverability and rapidity. Under careful maintenance, all components, shafting and apron can operate normally, but the main engine has high failure rate, loud noise and poor corrosion resistance in marine environment, especially the use of highly volatile gasoline as fuel does not meet the actual requirements and can only be used as an intermediate test. From 198 1 to 1982, the 708 research institute is the main one, and the navy and the 702 research institute cooperate closely. Two seakeeping and rapidity tests were organized in Qingdao sea area and Wusongkou offshore area in the East China Sea, and the vibration, stress and strain of the hull structure and cabin noise were tested, which provided first-hand experimental data for the development of practical models.

After the 1960s, the research on side-wall hovercraft was very active in China. At the end of 1960s, in order to meet the needs of rapid traffic and passenger transport in Chuanjiang and Jinshajiang, the sidewall hovercraft 7 13, designed by 708 Research Institute and built by Hudong Shipyard, was handed over to Chongqing Steamship Company for trial in 197 1 year. The boat is made of aluminum and powered by the first batch of domestic 12V 135 supercharged high-speed diesel engines, carrying more than 80 passengers. However, due to many main engine failures, difficult maintenance and poor economic benefits, it was not officially put into production, and it was idle after 1973. 1977, after modification and maintenance, the boat made a long-distance trial together with other hovercraft. It sailed from Chongqing to Yibin, and then traced back to Jinsha River to Xincheng. After returning to Yibin, go back to Minjiang River to Leshan and then back to Chongqing. The whole journey 1500 kilometers has withstood the test of rapids, steep walls, shoals, large eddies and sharp turns.

1967, the General Logistics Department of the People's Liberation Army entrusted 708 Research Institute to design and build a new shipyard, and used water jet to propel the side-wall hovercraft in shallow water and rapids. The boat was built in 1973, with a total weight of 12 tons and a load of 2 tons. The main engine is a domestic 12V 150ZC diesel engine with a power of 220 kW and a rotation speed of only 42.8 km/h, which can't meet the design requirements. After the ship stopped at 1975, it turned back to 708 for improvement. After improvement, it was named 7 17-A type. Good maneuverability and convenient docking. The speed in the middle of the river reaches 48.5 km/h, so it can be driven in crowded waterways.

Since 1970s, Shanghai Institute of Ship Science has devoted itself to developing air-cushioned passenger ships with FRP hull structure suitable for water network areas. In view of the characteristics of shallow inland river, many bays, many boats and boats, and the speed should not be too fast, a 5-ton double-fan all-glass fiber reinforced plastic side wall test ship was developed and successfully tried in 1975.

1970, 7 19 coastal sidewall air cushion test ship was designed by 708 research institute, and it adopted steel hull and FRP superstructure. The main engine adopts three 12V 180Z high-speed diesel engines, each with a power of 880 kW. The boat was not completed until 1978 due to ten years of turmoil. The speed of the ship is very low, only 64.8 km/h, 470 nautical miles from Fuzhou to Shanghai. A lot of tests were done along the way, and problems such as shafting vibration, skirt tearing and mud accumulation in stern sealing were found. 1983 improved the boat and named it 7 19- 1. The captain is increased by 6.5 meters, the total weight is increased to 96 tons, the passenger capacity is increased to 180, and the speed is 57 km/h, which improves the economy. This type of boat was built by Wuhu Shipyard and operated by Nanjing Tourism Company.

Through a large number of tests carried out by the above-mentioned test ships in inland rivers and coastal areas, we have basically mastered the laws of applying air cushion technology to many problems such as ship heave, propulsion, rapidity, stability and maneuverability, and began to study the seakeeping of hovercraft from practice and theory, laying a foundation for practical use. In order to promote the application of air cushion technology to the development of ships as soon as possible, in May 1980, the State Council National Defense Industry Office hosted the second national air cushion technology professional conference. The meeting held that the air cushion technology in China has remained in the stage of test and trial boat for a long time, mainly due to the lack of suitable power equipment system and the mismatch between the boat body and the flexible apron material. In view of the limited scientific research funds, it is necessary to start with the development of small hovercraft for inland rivers and gradually transition to the practical use of medium-sized boats for estuaries and coastal areas. 1982 10 held the third professional conference on air cushion technology to check the difficulties and problems in the transition from research to practical use, further unify thoughts, strengthen leadership, and put forward measures and methods to solve problems. Under the guidance of the reform and opening-up policy, the relevant departments have introduced advanced foreign technology and equipment. After five years of hard work, the main key equipment and equipment have been basically solved, and the development of hovercraft has finally entered the practical stage.

(1) side wall water jet propulsion air cushion inland passenger ship

In the early 1980s, WD40 1 inland water-jet propulsion hovercraft was designed by Shanghai Institute of Ship Science and Anhui Institute of Waterway Science, built by Chaohu Shipyard and produced in small batches. The boat has a total weight of 16 ton, 40 seats, a draft of 0.45 m and a speed of 32 km/h, which has good economy.

198 1 year, 708 research institute modified the 7 17-A boat for the second time, named it 7 17-C boat, and then designed and built the 7 17-2 boat "Minjiang River" for Chongqing Shipping Company. The speed of the two boats is 46.9 km/h and 44 km/h respectively, and the noise in the cabin is about 75 decibels. After completion, they all operated in Chongqing, and have been in service for several years since 1984+00. It is 249 km from Chongqing to Luzhou in normal times and 372 km from Yibin in summer, which greatly shortens the running time.

7 16 Fully Cushioned Air Cushion Transportation Ship

(2) Side-wall air-cushion passenger ships for ports and estuaries.

1980, Tianjin entrusted 708 Research Institute to design and build the side-wall air-cushion tourist ship "Jinxiang" for port by Dagu Shipyard. The boat is made of corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, propelled by two 12V 150ZC high-speed diesel engines and lifted by the 1 12V 150ZC main engine, with a total power of 880KW. 1983 to 1985, the ship was put into trial operation on the Shanghai-Nantong line. The mechanical equipment is reliable, the tarmac life is 600 hours, and all components are normal, but the seakeeping is poor when sailing in class III sea conditions.

1985 and 7 19-l prototype boats, the 7 19-2 "Hongxiang" sidewall hovercraft was designed by 708 Research Institute, trial-produced by China Shipyard and delivered in the winter of 1987. The total weight of the ship is 123.5 tons. The main engine adopts three imported TBD234V 16 high-speed diesel engines with a speed of 44-50 km/h and 258 passengers. It is used for short-distance passenger transport from Shanghai to Chongming, shortening the flight time from two hours to 45 minutes. The actual operation of the ship shows that its performance is stable, the lifting and propulsion power device is reliable, and the apron life has met the operation requirements, so it is one of the practical ship types.

(3) Small full-cushion "air-cushion jeep"

In order to be used in swamps, beaches, mud and other areas that are difficult for ordinary cars and ships to reach, Dagang Oilfield Command commissioned 708 Research Institute to develop a small full-cushion "air-cushion jeep" that can be carried by train. The boat is made of corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, equipped with two automobile gasoline engines, with a power of 2×44 kW, a ducted propeller and a finger apron, with a total weight of 2.6 tons and can carry 8 passengers. Users will renew 4 boats after using it. In order to reduce the main engine failure rate and blade flutter, the boat was later converted into an imported Doitz air-cooled high-speed diesel engine. The modified boat (model 720 1) was produced in small batches by Hangzhou Dongfeng Shipyard and Wuhu Shipyard, and the 17 boat has been built one after another and delivered to relevant military regions, the People's Armed Forces Department, the Yellow River Water Conservancy Commission, Dagang Oilfield and other users. 1987, Henan Provincial Tourism Bureau commissioned 708 Research Institute to design and Shanghai Aircraft Factory to build 72 12 full-lift hovercraft for Yellow River tourism. The ship was built in 1989, named "Zhengzhou", with a total weight of 10.3 tons and 33 passengers. It adopts three air-cooled diesel engines of Doitz BF6L9 13C (1 is the lifting force and two are the propulsion force), and is equipped with two ducted air propellers, which are placed at the left and right ends. This ship is a practical hovercraft for developing the tourism resources of the Yellow River.

China 724 air cushion landing craft is conducting a landing exercise.

(4) Coastal full-cushion hovercraft and landing craft.

1983, 708 Research Institute and Hudong Shipyard were responsible for refitting 7 16 full-lift hovercraft for military needs. The main engine was replaced by three imported Deutz high-speed air-cooled diesel engines with a total power of 950 kW. The hull was appropriately lengthened, ducted propellers were used, and the buffer lift, propulsion system and apron were redesigned. From 1984 to 1985, after repeated debugging, sea trial, shafting and air propeller modification and improvement, the technical performance of the boat has reached the practical requirements. /kloc-in the summer of 0/988, I sailed across the South China Sea Islands for training.

1983 409 gas turbine was successfully developed, each with a power of 2205 kW and burning light diesel oil, which met the practical requirements. Based on 708 and 722 prototype boat, with 409 as the power, 722-2 coastal medium-sized full-cushion air cushion landing craft was designed. In order to prolong the life of apron and improve the seakeeping performance, the boat changed to a apron with low resistance response. In order to improve the seawater corrosion resistance of hull structure, a newly developed magnesium-aluminum alloy was adopted. The boat is equipped with two 409 gas turbines, coaxial branch drive fans and ducted air propellers. When gas turbine power plant is applied to hovercraft, it is necessary to overcome the technical key points such as joint control of engine and propeller, intake filtration, exhaust injection and low-power navigation. Therefore, after the single machine was successfully delivered in the empty load test of the test bench of the manufacturer, various land joint debugging and joint control tests were carried out to simulate the specific working conditions of the hovercraft, as well as the performance measurement of the engine and propeller under variable working conditions and joint control. 1986 The power plant was successfully tested on land, and it was shipped in 1987; 1988, Dagu Shipyard built an air-cushion landing craft and began its trial voyage. 1989, the sea and landing tests were successful, and then it was put into use. This is an important sign that China hovercraft technology has entered the practical stage.

(5) Application of air cushion technology in other aspects.

The application of air cushion technology in other fields has made new progress. 198 1 The 200-ton air-cushion segmented barge designed by Heilongjiang Institute of Water Transport and Shanghai Institute of Ship Science has certain drag reduction effect and plays an energy-saving role when traveling at low speed. Another example is that in the early 1980s, Shanghai Shipyard used a non-automatic air cushion platform to transport the low-speed heavy-duty marine diesel engine manufactured by the factory to the dock barge. For another example, in order to transport heavy equipment needed for oil exploration and exploitation through beaches, swamps and wet areas, 708 Institute designed a low-speed self-propelled air cushion platform with a total weight of 80 tons and a payload of 35 tons, equipped with two 12V 180 light diesel engines, each with a rated power of 660kW. 1985 was built by Hangzhou Dongfeng Shipyard and delivered to Tianjin Dagang Oilfield.