In this work, the technical feasibility of an all-air vehicle is investigated. A test rig has been built for this purpose in order to assess the proposed system experimentally. The operating pressures selected are deliberately low to mitigate the heat generated/dissipated during charging and discharging of the air cylinders driving an air motor, respectively. The experimental setup consists of three cylinders charged up to 5 bar and operated via solenoid valves to control the discharge of the cylinders via a programmable logic controller. The operating modes vary according to the expected load demand on the vehicle during startup and also during cruise. The three cylinders are discharged in tandem if the demand calls for high power density, then they are operated sequentially to augment the operational range of the vehicle. A simple sprocket-chain mechanism is used for its simplicity in this proof-of-concept stage to better understand the parameters pertinent to vehicle operation, which will later be replaced by a continuously variable transmission (CVT) gear. The results show a great potential for such mode of transport, especially for vast locales, such as a hospital, golf course or a university campus, with top velocities estimated to be around 14 km/h velocities and driven sprocket powers of 0.7 hp. Other combinations of drive gear ratio and cylinder discharge sequences result in a wide range of output power and maximum speed possibilities.

在这项工作中，研究了全空中车辆的技术可行性。为此目的，已经建立了一个试验台，以便通过实验评估所提议的系统。所选择的工作压力故意较低，以减轻分别在驱动空气发动机的气缸充气和排气期间产生/散发的热量。实验装置包括三个气缸，每个气缸的压力高达5 bar，并通过电磁阀进行操作，以通过可编程逻辑控制器控制气缸的排放。在启动过程中以及在巡航期间，操作模式会根据车辆的预期负载需求而变化。如果需要高功率密度，则三个气缸串联排放，然后依次操作它们以扩大车辆的工作范围。在此概念验证阶段，为了简单起见，使用了简单的链轮链机构，以更好地了解与车辆操作相关的参数，随后将其替换为无级变速器（CVT）齿轮。结果显示出这种运输方式的巨大潜力，特别是在广阔的地区，例如医院，高尔夫球场或大学校园，其最高速度估计约为14 km / h速度，驱动链轮功率为0.7 hp。驱动齿轮比和气缸排放顺序的其他组合会导致很大范围的输出功率和最大速度可能性。结果显示出这种运输方式的巨大潜力，特别是在广阔的地区，例如医院，高尔夫球场或大学校园，其最高速度估计约为14 km / h速度，驱动链轮功率为0.7 hp。传动齿轮比和气缸排放顺序的其他组合会导致很大范围的输出功率和最大速度可能性。结果显示出这种运输方式的巨大潜力，特别是在广阔的地区，例如医院，高尔夫球场或大学校园，其最高速度估计约为14 km / h速度，驱动链轮功率为0.7 hp。驱动齿轮比和气缸排放顺序的其他组合会导致很大范围的输出功率和最大速度可能性。