The present invention relates to a cooling apparatus for cooling the components of an amphibious vehicle.
Amphibious vehicles have unique requirements for cooling of components as a result of the body of the vehicle being in the form of a hull for use of the vehicle on water. The body cannot be provided with openings on the underneath or sides to permit the flow of air for cooling, as are used on road going vehicles, as these openings will permit the ingress of water into the hull.
Cooling to the vehicle components, such as transmission components, e.g. drive shafts, gearboxes and brakes, a prime mover, e.g. an internal combustion engine, and electronic components, e.g. an engine management electronic control unit must therefore be provided using alternative means.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is-provided a cooling apparatus for an amphibious vehicle, comprising one or more ducts running from a first proximal end of the vehicle to a second distal end of the vehicle, the or each duct having at the first proximal end an air inlet to induct cooling air, wherein the air inlet is oriented such that forward movement of the vehicle forces air through the inlet, at the second distal end an air outlet to exhaust the cooling air from the distal end of the vehicle, the or each duct having, between the inlet and the outlet, at least one component of the vehicle requiring cooling and the duct having, between the inlet and the outlet, means to positively draw air through the air duct.
The primary purpose of the air duct is to supply a flow of air to the rear of the vehicle to cool the engine and the engine bay. However, the air duct may be provided with additional ducts to supply cooling air to other components of the vehicle, for example a differential or a gearbox.
Preferably, the air duct runs substantially along the centre line of the vehicle.
Alternatively, there may be two air ducts which may run on opposite sides of the centre line of the vehicle. In a further embodiment, there may be a single duct running along one side of the centreline of the vehicle.
In a preferred embodiment, the walls of the air duct are separate to the walls of the hull of the vehicle.
In an alternative embodiment, at least one wall of the air duct is formed by the hull of the vehicle. In this embodiment the air flow passing through the duct may be cooled by coming into contact with the hull of the vehicle.
Preferably, the amphibious vehicle has a triple vee hull. Preferably, the triple vee hull is a cathedral hull as described in the Applicant's co-pending application, reference AWP/PEH/P72349GB00, entitled ‘An Amphibious Vehicle'. In one embodiment, one or more ducts are formed by one or more of the vees of the hull.
Preferably, the means to draw air through the duct is a fan. The fan may be driven by any suitable means, for example, it may be attached to the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine or it may be driven by an electric motor.
In a preferred embodiment, the one or more ducts pass through one or more bulkheads of the vehicle.
The flow of air through the duct may be from front to rear or from rear to front.
According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method for providing a flow of air through an amphibious vehicle by providing a positive pressure air flow at an inlet to a duct and a negative pressure air flow at the outlet of a duct.
For a planing amphibian, a rear or mid-mounted engine is preferred for appropriate weight distribution.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
A cooling arrangement 1 for an amphibious vehicle 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in
Between the inlet 5 and the outlet 7 the duct 9 passes through a front bulkhead 11 and a rear bulkhead 13 of a passenger compartment 15. The cross-sectional profile of the duct 9 changes from a narrow rectangle at the inlet 5 to a wider rectangle as the duct 9 passes through the front bulkhead 11, as shown in
At the rear bulkhead 13, the duct 9 enters the engine bay 17 which contains the engine 19 and other components, for example transmission components. A vertical fan 21 is provided to the rear of the engine bay 17 adjacent to the outlet 7.
Air flow through the duct 9 is achieved by air being forced through the inlet 5 by virtue of forward movement of the vehicle 3 and as a result of a negative pressure created in the duct 9 by the fan 21. The air drawn through the duct 9 by the fan 2i is,sufficient to cool the components of the vehicle 3 when it is stationary and the engine is at an idle, as the heat generated by the components is at a minimum. When the vehicle 3 is moving and the components are generating a much greater amount of heat, the combination of the forcing of the air through the inlet 5 and the drawing of air through the duct 9 results in a greater flow of air as required for sufficient cooling.
A separate, dedicated liquid cooling system is attached to the engine 19. A radiator 23 is located at the front of the vehicle 3 in a separate compartment 25. The compartment 25 is provided with an inlet 27 through which air is forced by forward movement of the vehicle. In addition, fans 29 are provided to draw air through the radiator 23 to provide additional cooling when the engine coolant temperature exceeds a preset threshold temperature. The air that passes through the radiator 23 is exhausted through the outlet 31. The radiator 23 is oriented horizontally to protect the radiator fins from being damaged by water forced through the inlet 27.
In addition to providing cooling to the components of the vehicle, the flow of air through the duct 9 can be used to ensure that there is not a build up of potentially explosive fumes, for example petrol fumes, in the engine bay 17 of the vehicle 3. The flow of air may also be used to purge petrol fumes vented from a petrol tank.
By routing of the pipes of the liquid cooling system adjacent to the duct 9 the temperature of the coolant liquid flowing through these can be reduced on both the radiator inlet and outlet legs.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
0411548.1 | May 2004 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
PCT/GB05/02052 | 5/24/2005 | WO | 8/20/2007 |