Tracked air-cushion vehicles for ground transportation system

A general analysis of the forces and power requirements for transportation in a natural atmosphere is presented in the first part. A good picture of this problem can be achieved by drawing plots of stresses against speed. The second part surveys the major characteristics of a transportation service and their relation with the most important technical data concerning vehicle and track. The third part is concerned with the representation of the dynamic response of a tracked air-cushion vehicle (TACV) to excitation from track form's tolerances when the speed is varying. Some experimental results are shown.