ATLAS Hovercraft Nearing Lift-Off!

ATLAS Hovercraft's moto is "We Lift and Move the World". That is pretty ambitious...maybe even cocky...that is unless you happen to have a 4,000HP, 100ft x 50ft hovercraft out back. ATLAS HOVERCRAFT Inc. is rapidly approaching completion on just such a remarkable vehicle in Green Cove Springs Florida. The AH-100-P is lifted and propelled by giant diesel-electric fan systems, opening remarkable operational flexibility, safety, and control options to operators. Once off-cushion (floating like a barge), the formidable vehicle actually has nearly 3 Megawatts of electrical power on tap. It's like an entire power station that can fly in/out with 90tons of whatever you need, year round, over sand, sea, snow, marsh, mud, or jell-o...all at 70kts.  Ice Road Truckers, THIS is your dream rig.

ATLAS AH100-P

Commercial rated hovercraft have long been built, powered, and controlled like 50yr old aircraft systems - i.e. metal, rivets, pistons, propellers, rudders etc. Now, Kurt Peterson and his ATLAS Team are breaking the mold with a combination of revolutionary power/ propulsion systems, and new advanced composite materials, including ZPlex^™ and 3WEAVE^® by 3TEX. "ATLAS Hovercraft, is an early adopter of the new ZPlex^™ composite sandwich materials technology. They are actually teaching us what can be done with ZPlex^™ and how."    -Don Wigent - 3TEX       

ATLAS Hovercraft Inc. is revolutionizing the Hovercraft industry with "Thrust Vectored Propulsion" nozzles that rotate to direct the propulsion force in the exact direction necessary, giving the AH-100-P brakes, plus the ability to rotate 360 degrees, and even move sideways or hold position against strong side winds.

ATLAS AH100-P   Aft View and ZPlex^™ Housing.

"We need very high strength-to-weight parts for this project, and ZPlex^™ is an innovative material that gives us that while being easy to work with... ZPlex^™ also is being used to fabricate the complexly curved housings for the lift fans and thrust nozzles...3TEX has been a partner in the project and helped with material selection and design for manufacture." 

-Kurt H. Peterson, CEO ATLAS Hovercraft Inc., from Composites Technology Magazine,  Feb2007 -  here (PDF) - or check out the online version at  Composites World.

The AH-100-P's numerous large curved housings, ducts, and vectored thrust nozzles had to be lightweight, yet rigid. Sandwich construction was preferred over molding complex ribs, but the parts are all deeply curved.  Because of its infusion paths and outstanding ability to mold into compound curves, ZPlex^™ met the sandwich and rigidity challenge with scissor-cut ease, where traditional sandwich systems just couldn't conform. In addition to ZPlex^™ , 3TEX 77oz E-glass preforms are used in a range of other sections throughout the vehicle.        

http://www.3tex.com/zplex_atlas.html