MIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Graduate Theses
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Graduate Theses
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Design and Testing of a Hovercraft with Electroaerodynamic Propulsion

Author(s)
Quiram, Matthew
Thumbnail
DownloadThesis PDF (7.500Mb)
Advisor
Speth, Raymond L.
Terms of use
In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted Copyright retained by author(s) https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
Electroaerodynamic (EAD) multistaged ducted (MSD) thrusters are a novel solid-state thruster architecture that has been shown to provide order-of-magnitude improvements in thrust density compared to single-stage EAD thrusters. This makes MSD thrusters well-suited for use in EAD hovercraft, where generating sufficient pressure is crucial for hovering. This study explored the feasibility of a wire-to-airfoil corona discharge MSD thruster powered hovercraft through a scaled-down prototype and final design. The hovercraft was tethered to a ground-based power supply and carried a payload mass to simulate having on-board power electronics to limit the scope of the project. The design of an EAD hovercraft involved applying the principles of hovercraft lift to a design optimization that implements the recently developed EAD MSD thruster model. A hovercraft prototype was designed and constructed to validate the models applied during the design phase and to test hovering capabilities without a payload. Using the manufacturing lessons and insights gathered in the prototype testing, a full-scale model was designed and built to hover while having an additional payload capacity that would be representative of a set of power electronics.
Date issued
2025-02
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/158851
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Collections
  • Graduate Theses

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibilityContact us
MIT
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.