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air-cushion vehicle
air-cushion vehicle (ACV), craft designed to travel close to but above ground or water. It is also called a ground-effect machine or Hovercraft. These vehicles are supported in various ways. Some of them have a specially designed wing that will lift them just off the surface over which they travel when they have reached a sufficient horizontal speed (the ground effect). Others are supported by fans that force air down under the vehicle to create lift. In a plenum chamber vehicle the rate of leakage of this air from underneath the vehicle is reduced by placing a skirt around the lower edge of the craft. In an annular jet vehicle the rate of leakage is reduced by directing the air downward and inward from the outer edges of the vehicle. Air propellers, water propellers, or water jets usually provide forward propulsion.
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Cite this article
"air-cushion vehicle." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "air-cushion vehicle." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-aircushi.html "air-cushion vehicle." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-aircushi.html |
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air-cushion vehicle
air-cushion vehicle ACV a vehicle, usually driven by a propeller, that can travel over land or water with its weight, including its payload, wholly or mostly supported on a continuously generated, slowly moving cushion of low-pressure air.
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Cite this article
"air-cushion vehicle." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "air-cushion vehicle." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-aircushionvehicle.html "air-cushion vehicle." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-aircushionvehicle.html |
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air-cushion vehicle
air-cushion vehicle (ACV) Vehicle that is lifted from the ground by air as it is forced out from under the craft. The best-known example is a hovercraft.
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Cite this article
"air-cushion vehicle." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "air-cushion vehicle." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-aircushionvehicle.html "air-cushion vehicle." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-aircushionvehicle.html |
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