· What is the mechanism of flight for each one? That is, how does each fly?
· How are these airships similar? How are they different?
· What are the relative advantages of one over the other?
· What are the limitations of each?
· A zeppelin is a dirigible. Where did the name Zeppelin come from?
· Give historical examples of each and be sure to include at least one photo for each one.
A blimp has many parts that make it possible for it to fly. These parts include: envelope, nose cone battens, forward ballonet, aft ballonet, catenary curtain, suspension cables, engines, air scoops, air valves, and helium valves. LTA is a commonly used term to describe blimps, this term means “lighter than air”. This term is used because blimps use lighter than air gases to achieve flight. The first blimps used Hydrogen because it had a lifting capacity of 1.1 kg/m3, this however stopped with the Hindenburg disaster.
Today the most common gas used is Helium with a 1.02 kg/m3, although it is not as light as Hydrogen it is not flammable. The ballonets hold air that is considered heavy, when the blimp takes off the pilot releases air through the air valves. This allows the helium to make the blimp positively buoyant, allowing it to rise. Here begins the task of achieving neutral buoyancy, the outside air pressure decreases and the helium in the envelope expands. At this point the pilot’s pump air into ballonets to push pressure against the helium. This causes the blimp to travel at a steady altitude. Hot air balloons are not a practical way of travel; unlike blimps they cannot be steered. How a hot air balloon works is fairly simple, hot air rises and cold air sinks. Essentially colder air is heavier then hot air. They have nine basic components: Parachute Valve, gores, panels, envelope, skirt, burners, parachute valve cord, wicker basket, and the propane tanks. To keep a hot air balloon raising you must keep warming the air, modern balloons do this by burning propane. Propane (The same liquid used at barbecues) is drained out by the intake; from here it travels to the heating coil. At this point the propane changes from a liquid stage to a gas. The hot air will not escape because buoyancy keeps it moving up. If the person running the hot air balloon continues to heat the propane the balloon will continue to rise.
The most basic similarity among blimps, dirigibles and hot air balloons would be the use of gases to achieve flight. Dirigibles are both steerable and are a rigid aircraft. A rigid airship has a definite shape with the help of a metal structure in the inside. Blimps are not a rigid airship meaning that they collapse when deflated. Hot air balloons are an envelope which means, it is capable of containing hot air, a burner, and a basket. The main difference between hot air balloons and blimps or dirigibles is that they do not need a certain gas to fly. It operates of the basic principle of hot air.
Hot air balloons are the least convenient to travel in, their directions cannot be controlled. They also require more management and all that is needed is liquid propane. Dirigibles have the ability to carry heavier loads, hover, and travel longer distances. The most convenient out of these air ships is the blimp. They can be controlled using altitude the most precisely.
There are many limitations to each of these air ships. Blimps cannot go too close to the atmosphere because it makes the blimp heavier and causes the helium pressure to decrease. Traveling south in blimps is a particularly difficult task for even the most talented pilots. Pilots never have full control of the aircraft. Hot air Balloons are even more inconvenient, they cannot be navigated at all. The record height a hot air balloon has reached is 65,000 feet. The lowering of the balloon can also prove to be highly dangerous and there is always the danger of fire. The disadvantages of dirigibles are the lack of control and the lack of popularity.
A Zeppelin is a dirigible manufactured by a certain company, “Zeppelin Airship Construction Company”. It is a rigid airship named after the father of airships Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin. A Zeppelin is a term used to refer to airships manufactured by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company of Germany.
· How are these airships similar? How are they different?
· What are the relative advantages of one over the other?
· What are the limitations of each?
· A zeppelin is a dirigible. Where did the name Zeppelin come from?
· Give historical examples of each and be sure to include at least one photo for each one.
A blimp has many parts that make it possible for it to fly. These parts include: envelope, nose cone battens, forward ballonet, aft ballonet, catenary curtain, suspension cables, engines, air scoops, air valves, and helium valves. LTA is a commonly used term to describe blimps, this term means “lighter than air”. This term is used because blimps use lighter than air gases to achieve flight. The first blimps used Hydrogen because it had a lifting capacity of 1.1 kg/m3, this however stopped with the Hindenburg disaster.
Today the most common gas used is Helium with a 1.02 kg/m3, although it is not as light as Hydrogen it is not flammable. The ballonets hold air that is considered heavy, when the blimp takes off the pilot releases air through the air valves. This allows the helium to make the blimp positively buoyant, allowing it to rise. Here begins the task of achieving neutral buoyancy, the outside air pressure decreases and the helium in the envelope expands. At this point the pilot’s pump air into ballonets to push pressure against the helium. This causes the blimp to travel at a steady altitude. Hot air balloons are not a practical way of travel; unlike blimps they cannot be steered. How a hot air balloon works is fairly simple, hot air rises and cold air sinks. Essentially colder air is heavier then hot air. They have nine basic components: Parachute Valve, gores, panels, envelope, skirt, burners, parachute valve cord, wicker basket, and the propane tanks. To keep a hot air balloon raising you must keep warming the air, modern balloons do this by burning propane. Propane (The same liquid used at barbecues) is drained out by the intake; from here it travels to the heating coil. At this point the propane changes from a liquid stage to a gas. The hot air will not escape because buoyancy keeps it moving up. If the person running the hot air balloon continues to heat the propane the balloon will continue to rise.
The most basic similarity among blimps, dirigibles and hot air balloons would be the use of gases to achieve flight. Dirigibles are both steerable and are a rigid aircraft. A rigid airship has a definite shape with the help of a metal structure in the inside. Blimps are not a rigid airship meaning that they collapse when deflated. Hot air balloons are an envelope which means, it is capable of containing hot air, a burner, and a basket. The main difference between hot air balloons and blimps or dirigibles is that they do not need a certain gas to fly. It operates of the basic principle of hot air.
Hot air balloons are the least convenient to travel in, their directions cannot be controlled. They also require more management and all that is needed is liquid propane. Dirigibles have the ability to carry heavier loads, hover, and travel longer distances. The most convenient out of these air ships is the blimp. They can be controlled using altitude the most precisely.
There are many limitations to each of these air ships. Blimps cannot go too close to the atmosphere because it makes the blimp heavier and causes the helium pressure to decrease. Traveling south in blimps is a particularly difficult task for even the most talented pilots. Pilots never have full control of the aircraft. Hot air Balloons are even more inconvenient, they cannot be navigated at all. The record height a hot air balloon has reached is 65,000 feet. The lowering of the balloon can also prove to be highly dangerous and there is always the danger of fire. The disadvantages of dirigibles are the lack of control and the lack of popularity.
A Zeppelin is a dirigible manufactured by a certain company, “Zeppelin Airship Construction Company”. It is a rigid airship named after the father of airships Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin. A Zeppelin is a term used to refer to airships manufactured by Luftschiffbau Zeppelin company of Germany.
Historical Examples
The LZ 129 Hindenburg is the most recognized Blimp in the world. 36 people lost their lives on board the Hindenburg on May 6th 1937 when the airship went up in flames. Contrary to popular belief the Hindenburg did not go up in flames due to the explosion of hydrogen gas. According to UCLA Furthermore, the substance used to coat the cotton skin — a process known as "doping" which makes the fabric taut and more durable — was extremely flammable. A combination of iron oxide, cellulose acetate and aluminum powder, "the total mixture might well serve as a respectable rocket propellant," Van Vorst said. What led them to this conclusion is that Hydrogen would have given off a colorless explosion and would have burned upward.
Dirigibles became useful during the beginning of the First World War. The German Army was quick to experiment with these airships, their initial experiments were not successful they lost three air ships. The Kaiser gave his consent for using these and then in England they bombed Great Yarmouth, Sheringham, King's Lynn and the surrounding villages, killing two and injuring sixteen on January 1915. Ultimately they were limited by their dependance on the winds. The were originally suppose to bomb Humber, but due to strong winds they were relocated.
Sources:
✿ http://www.warwingsart.com/LTA/MoffettL8Crash.6.jpg
✿ http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32570/32570-h/images/plate08a_th.jpg
✿ https://blogs.libraries.iub.edu/et2/2013/02/07/hot-air-balloons-dirigibles-blimps-zeppelins-and-airships/
✿ http://academic.emporia.edu/aberjame/airphoto/blimp/blimp.htm
✿ http://www.unc.edu/~jmfields/maxheight.html