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Textron Corporation

Textron Systems Corporation

Robert Austin Stringer

John H Richards

Charles S Whipple, Jr

William Keith DuBose

Richard Kent deValcourt

Jennifer Daupheny

Ken Maloney

Robert Moore

Techniques involve an air flow assembly to provide pressurized air, e.g., for use by an air-cushion vehicle (ACV) or other craft. The air flow assembly includes a volute having a central chamber, a lift duct, and a thruster duct. The air flow assembly further includes a set of guide members disposed between the central chamber and the thruster duct, and linkage coupled to the set of guide members. The linkage is constructed and arranged to transition the set of guide members between a closed configuration in which the set of guide members closes an opening between the central chamber and the thruster duct, and an opened configuration in which the set of guide members opens the opening between the central chamber and the thruster duct.

Utilizing an air flow assembly with intermittent thruster capabilities

An improved landing craft includes a hull that supports bow and stern ramps for enabling vehicles to drive through during loading and unloading. The drive-through arrangement also enables the crew to load and unload the craft much faster and more easily than existing vessels. A ballasting arrangement can be used to trim the hull when it is to be beached or to be extracted and/or during loading/unloading.

Planing landing craft

A peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device having a pair of front legs, a pair of rear legs, and a flat horizontal table extending over the front and rear legs. The table has a front end, a rear end, a top surface, and a bottom surface. Each pair of legs has a main portion and a bottom sleeve. The main portion extends downward from the bottom surface of the table, while the bottom sleeve extends upward from the ground and envelopes the main portion of the legs. In order to adjust the length of the legs, the main portion is slid inside the corresponding bottom sleeve until the desired height to reached. When setting up the support device for drainage, in order to facilitate flow of fluid from a peritoneal waste bag, the front legs should be adjusted to a shorter height than the rear legs. Further, the device is collapsible in order to allow it be stored beside a toilet when not in use, or carried to various destinations when traveling.

Peritoneal waste bag support and drainage device

The propeller shaft fairing is U-shaped in vertical section, and is partitioned to provide two separate sea chests from which water may be drawn for engine cooling purposes. The wall of the fairing in the region of the foremost sea chest is slot-wise apertured parallel to the propeller shaft and adjacent to the uprising side of the shaft when it is rotating to propel the craft forwardly, whereupon water is both rammed and pumped into the forward sea chest. The wall of the fairing in the region of the rearmost sea chest is apertured so that when the craft is moving in reverse water is rammed thereinto. Thus, under all conditions an adequate source of cooling water is available via at least one of the sea chests. The cooling water pump intake conduit includes separate branches drawing from the sea chests, and these branches are valve controlled automatically by means of the craft's operating control system.

Integrated combination propeller drive shaft fairing and water intake

There is disclosed an improved air cushion seal system of the inflatable lobe type such as for operating between the sidehulls of a surface effect ship (SES), wherein in accordance with the invention at least the lowermost lobe of the system is partially closed at each of its opposite ends by a fabric sheet which is inset from the ship sidehulls. These substantially impervious to air passage sheets are affixed to the side edges of the lower loop of the lobe and up and around its aft end, and optionally to the upper loop of the lobe, to minimize scooping and water filling of the lobe, and to operationally stabilize the lobe.

Growing community of inventors

Slidell, LA, United States of America

Robert Austin Stringer