Patent ID: 6073881
Filing Date: 2000-06-13
Classification: B64C,F02C

Abstract:
An aerodynamic force-producing apparatus with the associated force direction defined as the up direction, comprising:(a) a body having an upper surface with respect to said up direction, and said upper surface having a predetermined geometry, a first periphery and a second periphery;(b) convergent-divergent nozzle means disposed atop said upper surface along said first periphery for blowing a supersonic gas stream across said upper surface and together with said geometry of said upper surface for causing said gas stream to flow contiguously and without obstruction along said upper surface toward said second periphery;(c) compressor means for imparting high pressure to a gas defined as working substance which constitutes a substantial part of said gas stream;(d) working substance recycling means to collect and prepare for re-use the gas of said gas stream, said recycling means comprising inlet means disposed along said second periphery of said upper surface and protruding a predetermined height to receive said gas stream and conduit means for connecting said inlet means to said compressor means and said compressor means to said nozzle means;(e) said gas stream having a flow front bounded at one side by said upper surface and at the other side by the atmosphere, thereby defining the upper and lower boundary lines of said flow front as the intersection lines between said flow front and said upper and lower boundaries respectively and defining the thickness of said flow front as the distance between the two boundary lines;(f) said flow front first having an increasing area and then having a decreasing area, said increasing area being caused by the increasing lengths of at least one of said lower boundary line and said thickness due to said geometry of said upper surface, and said decreasing area being caused by the decreasing length of said thickness due to atmospheric push;(g) said increasing area of said flow front causing said gas stream to expand aerodynamically, thereby reducing its pressure and blanketing a first portion of said upper surface with said gas stream of ever decreasing pressure, and then said decreasing area of said flow front causing said gas stream to contract, thereby gradually returning its pressure to the ambient atmospheric pressure and blanketing the remaining portion of said upper surface with said gas stream of gradually-increasing-to-atmospheric pressure;(h) the space immediately above said upper surface forming a lower-than-atmospheric pressure zone, thus generating a force acting on said body by virtue of the balance of pressure against said body.