Fluid bearing systems and methods
AssigneeThe Texas A&M University System
InventorsAdonios N. Karpetis, Dean W. Ellis, Yogesh Babbar, Moble Benedict
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A fluid bearing includes a housing including an internal plenum disposed in the housing and an inlet in fluid communication with the plenum, wherein the inlet is configured to provide fluid to the plenum from an external source, a cushion surface facing away from the housing and the plenum, one or more nozzles positioned between the cushion surface and the housing, wherein the one or more nozzles extend from the plenum to the surrounding environment, wherein the one or more nozzles are configured to produce an annular curtain of fluid flowing at a velocity of at least Mach 1 and disposed about the cushion surface in response to a fluid flow entering the plenum from the inlet.
Claims20
A fluid bearing, comprising:
- a housing including an internal plenum disposed in the housing and an inlet in fluid communication with the plenum, wherein the inlet is configured to provide fluid to the plenum from an external source;
- a cushion surface facing away from the housing and the plenum;
- one or more nozzles positioned between the cushion surface and the housing, wherein each nozzle comprises a converging section, wherein the one or more nozzles extend from the plenum to the surrounding environment, wherein the one or more nozzles are configured to produce an annular curtain of fluid flowing at a velocity of at least Mach 1 and disposed about the cushion surface in response to a fluid flow entering the plenum from the inlet.
A hover vehicle for travelling over a surface, comprising:
- a chassis;
- a fluid source supported by the chassis;
- and
- a fluid bearing supported by the chassis and comprising one or more nozzles, wherein each nozzle each includes a converging section, and where the one or more nozzles are configured to produce an annular curtain of fluid flowing at a velocity of at least Mach 1 for levitating the hover vehicle above the surface in response to receiving fluid from the fluid source.
A method for levitating a vehicle travelling over a surface, comprising:
- suppling a fluid to an inlet of a fluid bearing of the vehicle;
- flowing the fluid into a plenum disposed in a housing of the fluid bearing;
- flowing the fluid through one or more nozzles extending from the plenum and into the surrounding environment;
- and
- ejecting the fluid from the one or more nozzles to form an annular curtain flowing at a velocity of at least Mach 1 and extending continuously around a cushion surface of the fluid bearing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.