FUTURE TECH


By Harry Valentine


Above water applications of


Voith-Schneider Propulsion


Image credit: Cyclo Tech


The Voith Schneider propulsion system rotates on a vertical-axis and is well- proven in tug boat and ferry boat propulsion. A new-generation Austrian company has advanced that technology to rotate on a transverse-axis above water in aeronautical application, with capability for vertical lift-off. Their technology has possible application in wing-in-ground (WIG) vehicles that require vertical lift-off capability at land-based coastal terminals.


Introduction


The history of transverse-axis machinery in vessel propulsion predates the development of longitudinal- axis propellers. Side-wheel and stern-wheel propulsion technology evolved from waterwheels that had for centuries been installed along rivers to deliver mechanical power and proved quite successful in early riverboat operation. Side-wheel propulsion technology proved to be problematic in ocean operation when waves caused vessels to roll, alternately lifting one of the side-wheels above water and affecting vessel directional control. During the early 20th century, several aircraft developers attempted to adapt transverse-axis technology to airplane propulsion, with limited success.


130 | ISSUE 111 | MAR 2025 | THE REPORT


While inventor Ernst Schneider intended to develop a turbine for hydro-electric power dams, the Voith group sought to adapt Schneider’s concept to operate as a water pump. By 1931, the water pump had been developed into a propulsion system for a ferry vessel that sailed on Lake Constance. During early 1960s, designers developed a horizontal-axis version of the Voith Schneider technology to operate on aircraft. Many decades later in Austria, designers at the Cyclo Tech group in Austria adapted modern, lightweight high-strength material to operate on a transverse-axis, in aeronautical propulsion and with prospects for future success.


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