The Design of Robust Helium Aerostats

*† Tethered helium aerostats are receiving renewed attention in the scientific and surveillance communities. However, conventional aerostats cannot consistently survive high winds. The goal of this research was to design an aerostat that could be deployed for very long periods, thus reducing operating costs and interruptions in data acquisition. Existing designs and fabrication techni ques were first reviewed and replicated in the construction of a 2.5 m diameter spherical aerostat. The constructed balloon was then flown outdoors to observe its operational qualities. A low -cost data acquisition system was assembled to characterize the b alloon’s dynamics. The results were used to inform a Finite Element model evaluating the critical stresses in a 10.15 m diameter balloon envelope. A second model was created to appraise the performance of an aerostat with a partial -hard carbon fiber shell in critical areas.

[1]  Charles H. K. Williamson,et al.  DYNAMICS AND FORCING OF A TETHERED SPHERE IN A FLUID FLOW , 1997 .

[2]  E R Kohn,et al.  Lighter-Than-Air Systems for Future Naval Missions , 2006 .

[3]  Ralph H. Upson,et al.  Free and captive balloons , 2022 .

[4]  Charles H. K. Williamson,et al.  Vortex-induced motions of a tethered sphere , 1996 .

[5]  William D. Callister,et al.  Materials Science and Engineering - An Introduction (5th ed.) , 2000 .

[6]  John Hunt.  Structural analysis of the light weight hard nose of the 71M aerostat , 1993 .

[7]  Charles H. K. Williamson,et al.  Vortex-induced vibrations of a sphere , 2005, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[8]  Saeed Moaveni,et al.  Finite Element Analysis Theory and Application with ANSYS , 2007 .

[9]  William D. Callister,et al.  Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction , 1985 .

[10]  E. Achenbach,et al.  Experiments on the flow past spheres at very high Reynolds numbers , 1972, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[11]  J. W. Weeton,et al.  Engineers' guide to composite materials , 1987 .

[12]  C. Williamson,et al.  MULTIPLE MODES OF VORTEX-INDUCED VIBRATION OF A SPHERE , 2001 .

[13]  Casey Marcel Lambert,et al.  Dynamics Modeling and Conceptual Design of a Multi-tethered Aerostat System , 2002 .

[14]  G. Guyot,et al.  Physics of the environment and climate , 1998 .

[15]  J. R. Scoggins.  Sphere Behavior and the Measurement of Wind Profiles. , 1967 .

[16]  R. Wells,et al.  HIGH PERFORMANCE TURNING CAPABILITIES DURING FORAGING BY BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS (TURSIOPS TRUNCATUS) , 2004 .

[17]  N. Yajima.  Survey of balloon design problems and prospects for large super-pressure balloons in the next century , 2002 .

[18]  INVESTIGATIONS OF AIRSHIP AEROELASTICITY , 2002 .

[19]  Meyer Nahon,et al.  Dynamics/Control of a Radio Telescope Receiver Supported by a Tethered Aerostat , 2002 .

[20]  John D. Hunt.  Structural Analysis of Aerostat Flexible Structure by the Finite-Element Method , 1982 .

[21]  J. A. Winker.  Pumpkins and onions and balloon design , 2002 .