Moontanman Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 http://gizmodo.com/the-aluminum-airship-of-the-future-has-finally-flown-1301320903 Cool new airship, flies on hover fans and transport materials to places no other aircraft can go, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtone Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 No reason that thing can't lift with hydrogen. Nobody seems to know its top speed - a factor not only in travel time, but in navigating a windy world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moontanman Posted September 14, 2013 Author Share Posted September 14, 2013 No reason that thing can't lift with hydrogen. Nobody seems to know its top speed - a factor not only in travel time, but in navigating a windy world. No reason hydrogen can't be used except for hydrogen's flammability... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWLabRat Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 No reason that thing can't lift with hydrogen. Nobody seems to know its top speed - a factor not only in travel time, but in navigating a windy world. Just think: Hindenburg 2.0. Only this time we would already have seen clearly the effects of using a flammable gas for lift instead of a more stable gas (i.e. He) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
overtone Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 (edited) No reason hydrogen can't be used except for hydrogen's flammability... That's probably not a big problem, with this design - this thing isn't built of kindling and flash paper, as the Hindenburg was. With the Hindenburg, the disaster was not that the gas burned, but that the ship burned. Hydrogen has many advantages, starting with its availability and low cost, and including its lighter weight. Edited September 14, 2013 by overtone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arc Posted September 15, 2013 Share Posted September 15, 2013 That's probably not a big problem, with this design - this thing isn't built of kindling and flash paper, as the Hindenburg was. The super structure was entirely made of aluminum, including all sheet metal in selected areas. You can see the control cabin framing and canvas exterior, below. In the dining room all furniture was aluminum including tables and the silverware. The only things flammable were upholstery, draperies, floor coverings, gas bags, miscellaneous things like wiring insulation and 200,000 cu. m of hydrogen. With the Hindenburg, the disaster was not that the gas burned, but that the ship burned. No, it was that the gas burned. The canvas covered metal ship would have been fine with the static discharge that caused the hydrogen to ignite if it would have been filled with nonflammable helium instead. Hydrogen has many advantages, starting with its availability and low cost, and including its lighter weight. Ummm. I'm pretty sure the insurance carrier will have the last say in all of that. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pantheory Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 Nice looking craft! It might also have safety advantages over a heavy lift helicopter. Depending on the dirigible lift relative to the engine lift of the fans, maybe a loss of the engines might not necessarily be fatal for the crew, cargo and/or passengers. A passenger version might slowly cruise around from location to location like a cruise ship. An erector-set blimp version of this design concept possibly might someday sail the night skies of Venus or the methane skies of Titan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acme Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 The article in the OP incorrectly says the Hindenburg frame was balsa wood. d'oh! Fire and gas choice aside, the 400 foot full-scale vehicle proposed is just not going to play well in wind. No matter the engine configurations or [computer] controls such a large structure is going to be slow to react to control efforts. I expect it will/would sooner than later experience forces that cause loss of control resulting in a crash or cause structural failure also resulting in a crash. While the Hindenburg is the most often cited dirigible disaster, the US Navy's helium buoyed Akron & Macon suffered catastrophic failures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arc Posted September 21, 2013 Share Posted September 21, 2013 (edited) The article in the OP incorrectly says the Hindenburg frame was balsa wood. d'oh! Fire and gas choice aside, the 400 foot full-scale vehicle proposed is just not going to play well in wind. No matter the engine configurations or [computer] controls such a large structure is going to be slow to react to control efforts. I expect it will/would sooner than later experience forces that cause loss of control resulting in a crash or cause structural failure also resulting in a crash. While the Hindenburg is the most often cited dirigible disaster, the US Navy's helium buoyed Akron & Macon suffered catastrophic failures. Yes, yes and yes. ANY airship is vulnerable to extreme weather, that being any wind under, close to and beyond the vehicle's top speed. There are no safe harbors for airships when weather "go's south" beyond there operational parameters, which are quite low compared to what nature can supply in return. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shenandoah_(ZR-1) On 3 September 1925, Shenandoah was lost during its 57th flight, the airship was caught in a violent updraft that carried it beyond the pressure limits of its helium gas bags. It was torn apart in the turbulence and crashed in several pieces near Caldwell, Ohio. Fourteen of Shenandoah's crew were killed. This included every member of the crew of the control cabin when it detached from the ship; two men who went through holes in the hull; and several mechanics who fell with the engines. There were twenty-nine survivors, who succeeded in riding three sections of the airship to earth. The largest group was eighteen men who made it out of the stern after it rolled into a valley. A number of those crew who survived would later be killed in the loss of the Akron. Edited September 21, 2013 by arc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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