Final Story

The odd-looking model placed on Konstantin Matveev’s desk resembles a hybrid between a hydroplane and an airplane.

The model demonstrates the work of the Advanced Marine Vehicles Research Group, an organization Matveev founded three years ago.

“This group is unique because it investigates several aerodynamic and hydrodynamic phenomena,” Matveev said.

The assistant professor for the school of mechanical and materials engineering merges the studies of air and water to find ways vehicles can travel more efficiently over all surfaces.

One such vehicle is the Power Augmented Ram Vehicle. This unique vehicle can travel over water and land. Additionally, the PARV contains a jet system at the front of the vehicle that blows air beneath it and out the back of the vehicle.

“The PARV flies in close proximity to the ground and creates a cushion of air that it can ride on,” said Matt Miller, Matveev’s undergraduate assistant.

If the PARV was developed commercially it could be used for research in areas such as the Arctic Circle or Antarctica. Research in those areas is difficult because there are no roads and it is time-consuming to unload equipment from a ship into a land vehicle. The PARV could transport the equipment over water and land, Matveev said.

The PARV could also be useful to the military. Soldiers could quickly be delivered from a large ship in the ocean onto a target on shore, he said.

“We could develop some real vehicles with more funding,” Matveev said. “But it all depends on the external funding we get.”

So far the Advanced Marine Vehicles Research Group has only received small, local grants from individuals and businesses. The group hopes that one day their ideas will be picked up by the government or a corporation and their models would be developed into actual vehicle.

Originally from Russia, Matveev is a man of few words. He became interested in studying the dynamics of marine vehicles after his father was involved in the manufacture of ships similar to the PARV back in Russia.

“Once you get past that initial reserve, you find that (Matveev) is a fun guy to work with,” Miller said. “He’s very smart. He’s brilliant and it shows in his work.”

Along with studying the mechanics of the PARV, the Advanced Marine Vehicle Research Group also studies hull systems. Improving the underbellies of ships could potentially save energy and eventually save money for the shipping industry.

“Boat hulls have been essentially the same for centuries,” Miller said. “They create large surface areas of drag which waste energy.”

The Advanced Marine Vehicles Research Group studied ship hulls in a hydrolysis research lab at WSU that contains massive pools of water. The facility made for an ideal, controlled environment to conduct research.

Originally the facility was occupied by researchers that studied fluid mechanics in the 1980s and 1990s. However, popularity in fluid mechanics died down and the facility was vacant for years until the Advanced Marine Vehicles Research Group decided to use it, Matveev said.

Miller admits he did not know about the facility until they started their research, even though he has been a part of the engineering program for four years.

“It’s a really big facility,” Miller said. “It was really interesting to see the large amounts of water and the big pumps at work.”

Matveev considers his work exotic. While vehicles such as the PARV are popular in Russia, they are relatively unknown in the United States.

He said he doesn’t know any other groups that are doing the same research on unique vehicles. Instead most research firms experiment on traditional vehicles.

Junior mechanical engineering major Nate Storrs is a student in Matveev’s thermodynamics class. He is well aware of the work from the Advanced Marine Vehicles Research Group.

“If Matveev’s research ever gets picked up by another research firm or company, it could have huge benefits for society,” Storrs said. “If better hulls are used or PARVs are developed, it would be cost-saving and good for the environment.”

“I wouldn’t mind helping in Matveev’s research,” Storrs added.