They're pontoons on movable outriggers. Novel, but useless. An air envelope would certainly reduce friction but would basically kill buoyancy. Big metal tubes don't float in air. So without any real foils/wings to generate lift, even if a bubble could be formed, the pontoon would literally fall to the bottom of the bubble.
Supercavitating hulls (ie the ShVal torpedo) suspend themselves within a bubble via their noses. They are moving so fast that the nose, the only spot where the torpedo touches the water, provides enough lift to keep the thing in the bubble. But you need rocket-like accelerations to keep this going.
From their patent "whereby to provide propeller generated super-cavitated water flowing from the propellers and thence along an outer surface of said vehicle;" WTF? There is no such thing as super-cavitated water. Cavitation presupposes a CAVITY, a void ... something other than water. Maybe water with bubbles? Prop wash?
Another noteworthy design deviation (compared to run of the mill SWATH) of this vessel is the dihedral angle of the pontoon supports. Based on the wake behind the vessel, it appears that the pontoon supports might even be providing some lift. This could provide a hydrofoil like lifting effect, but the design of those supports wouldn't make a terribly efficient foil. The aspect ratio is all wrong. Hydrofoils typically have a very short chord, because water generates plenty of lift without a high aspect ratio.
This thing just sounds like a whole lot of smoke and mirrors. Hopefully the guy can sell it to some Hollywood studio to use in Mission Impossible 10 so he can recoup some of his investment.
Comments
They're pontoons on movable outriggers. Novel, but useless. An air envelope would certainly reduce friction but would basically kill buoyancy. Big metal tubes don't float in air. So without any real foils/wings to generate lift, even if a bubble could be formed, the pontoon would literally fall to the bottom of the bubble.
Supercavitating hulls (ie the ShVal torpedo) suspend themselves within a bubble via their noses. They are moving so fast that the nose, the only spot where the torpedo touches the water, provides enough lift to keep the thing in the bubble. But you need rocket-like accelerations to keep this going.
From their patent "whereby to provide propeller generated super-cavitated water flowing from the propellers and thence along an outer surface of said vehicle;" WTF? There is no such thing as super-cavitated water. Cavitation presupposes a CAVITY, a void ... something other than water. Maybe water with bubbles? Prop wash?
http://www.google.com/patents/US20120097086
Another noteworthy design deviation (compared to run of the mill SWATH) of this vessel is the dihedral angle of the pontoon supports. Based on the wake behind the vessel, it appears that the pontoon supports might even be providing some lift. This could provide a hydrofoil like lifting effect, but the design of those supports wouldn't make a terribly efficient foil. The aspect ratio is all wrong. Hydrofoils typically have a very short chord, because water generates plenty of lift without a high aspect ratio.
This thing just sounds like a whole lot of smoke and mirrors. Hopefully the guy can sell it to some Hollywood studio to use in Mission Impossible 10 so he can recoup some of his investment.