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Originally posted by sardion2000
A blimp is just a big amorphous gasbag. The future of aerostat technology will be a rigid, aerodynamic, stealthy flying wing using Vacuum cells for weight and mass reduction, while it gets most of its lift from Aerodynamics and Jet/Turbine/Prop. engines.
Originally posted by Xenophobe
Interesting point that you bring up here regarding vacuum cells. I understand the concept, but I would like to know how much progress had been made in this direction.
I would imagine that whatever material used for a vacuum cell would have to be extremely light, extremely strong, and extremely gas impermeable. Has anyone invented such a material yet? Or, better yet, has anyone created a functional vacuum cell yet?
Lighter-than-air (aerostatic) lift may be explained by the principal of buoyancy, also known as the "Archimedes Principal" which states: "an object immersed in a fluid experiences a buoyant force that is equal in magnitude to the force of gravity on the displaced fluid." Stated differently, the lifting capability is equal to the weight of the surrounding fluid mass that it displaces. Displacing a cubic foot of air creates a lifting capacity equal to the weight of a cubic foot of air, which is .0755 pounds per cubic foot. The lifting capability of helium in air is .062828 pounds per cubic foot at sea level. Hydrogen has a greater lifting capability in air than helium and can lift .0724 pounds per cubic foot at sea level. However, the lifting capability of a vacuum (the absence of any gas molecules at all) beats them both at .0755 pounds per cubic foot at sea level, which is equal to the weight of a cubic foot of air. The reason the lifting capacity of hydrogen or helium is less than the lifting capacity of a vacuum is that the weight of the helium or hydrogen must be subtracted from the lifting capacity in order to obtain a net lifting capacity. Helium is heavier than hydrogen and the lighter hydrogen, therefore, has a greater lifting capacity than does helium.
Originally posted by Bhadhidar
This is a design I've been toying with since the USAF wrecked the last project I worked on. I call it "ALPHA".
The Lift cells employ the same material NASA uses for its Long Duration Balloons. The bouyency controls are all computerized, employing electro-reactive "artificial muscle-like" polymer fibers which expand/contract in response to electric currents applied to them. Contraction would squeeze the lift cell, increasing internal pressure on the lift gas, making it denser and thus less bouyant; release would allow the gas to expand, becoming less dense and generating more lift. This would allow the craft to drop/gain altitude and correct for pitch and roll.
The perimeter and payload support frames are pre-stressed carbon fiber tubes. Employing sort of an isometric "stress/counter-stress" principle, the frame works like opposing elliptical "leaf" or cart springs to provide strength and rigidity with minimum material weight.
Motive power is provided by idependently fully pivoting electric ducted-fan motors, utilizing quiet, low-speed props optimized for extreme high-altitude performance and based on a design employed by NASA's Helios project.
ALPHA is an LTA/UAV, capable of automonous opertion and multi-function, multi-mission configuration, although recon/long duration surveillence is its primary design goal.
[edit on 30-5-2006 by Bhadhidar]
[edit on 30-5-2006 by Bhadhidar]
[edit on 30-5-2006 by Bhadhidar]
University of Texas at Dallas nanotechnologists have made alcohol- and hydrogen-powered artificial muscles that are 100 times stronger than natural muscles, able to do 100 times greater work per cycle and produce, at reduced strengths, larger contractions than natural muscles. Among other possibilities, these muscles could enable fuel-powered artificial limbs, "smart skins" and morphing structures for air and marine vehicles, autonomous robots having very long mission capabilities and smart sensors that detect and self-actuate to change the environment.
While humans on long, strenuous missions are able to carry the food that powers their bodies, today's most athletically capable robots cannot freely move about, since they are wired to stationary electrical power sources. Though batteries can be used for autonomous robots, they store too little energy and deliver it at too low a rate for prolonged or intense activity. To solve these problems, the team from UTD's NanoTech Institute developed two different types of artificial muscles that, like natural muscles, convert the chemical energy of an energetic fuel to mechanical energy.
The breakthroughs are described in the March 17 issue of the prestigious journal Science.
The development of these revolutionary muscles was motivated by a visit of Dr. John Main from the Defense Advanced Projects Agency (DARPA) to Dr. Ray H. Baughman, Robert A. Welch Professor of Chemistry and director of the UTD NanoTech Institute. During the visit, Main described his visions of a future that could include such advancements as artificial muscles for autonomous humanoid robots that protect people from danger, artificial limbs that act like natural limbs and exoskeletons that provide super-human strength to firefighters, astronauts and soldiers -- all of which are able to perform lengthy missions by using shots of alcohol as a highly energetic fuel.
Originally posted by Darkpr0
Me=pwned.
That was an old article that I read-back around Sept '05. Still I suspect you would need a generator of some sort to provide a constant source of electric current.
Originally posted by Darkpr0
Muscles are gonna have to get a lot stronger to be able to sufficiently compress gases such as helium so that it becomes less bouyant.
longbow
And you cannot make it optically invisible because such stalth skin weights too much.
I imaginei the only really big obstacle is maintaining rigidityin such a large shape.
Originally posted by Murcielago
BTW, I also feel 100 times stronger when powered by alcohol.
Originally posted by ShadowXIX
Man that was great funniest thing I read on ATS in awhile.