I am trying to develop a theory for this situation:
A small blown-up balloon is attached to the center of a compact disc; you let it float as the balloon discharges. Simplifying assumptions: rotational symmetry, cushion has constant thickness t, stationary and incompressible flow, losses are negligible, ground is even and level, flow pressure and velocity are the same at positions 1 and 3. My attempt at a theory is here: Air Cushion Vehicle Theory To begin with, I am interested in the relationship between vehicle weight W and air cushion thickness t. What I come up with is W = const1 - const2/t^2. That says that once a certain threshold thickness has been exceeded, the weight that the disc can carry increases with thickness t as it approaches a limiting value. Intuitively, that feels wrong; shouldn't a smaller thickness be able to carry more weight? I would be grateful for corrections to my thinking and approach, or for a reference to where this subject has already been treated.
