Vacuum Balloon–A 350-Year-Old Dream

Eng

Andrey Akhmeteli¹  Andrew V. Gavrilin² 

[1]LTASolid Inc., Houston, TX 77042, USA

[2]National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32310, USA

关键词: vacuum balloon;    buckling;    ceramic;    honeycomb;   

DOI  :  10.3390/eng2040030

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The centuries-old idea of a lighter-than-air vacuum balloon has not materialized yet as such structure needs to be both light enough to float in the air and strong enough to withstand atmospheric pressure. We propose a design of a rigid spherical sandwich shell and demonstrate that it can satisfy these stringent conditions with commercially available materials, such as boron carbide ceramic and aluminum alloy honeycomb. A finite element analysis was employed to demonstrate that buckling can be prevented in the proposed structure. Also discussed are other modes of failure and approaches to manufacturing.

【 授权许可】

Unknown