초록 ▼

An airship hull is provided that is sufficiently light and cost effective so as to make lifting body type airships practical vehicles for carrying people and cargo. The present invention hull design includes three main structural features, i.e., a rigid internal main frame which carries all primary

An airship hull is provided that is sufficiently light and cost effective so as to make lifting body type airships practical vehicles for carrying people and cargo. The present invention hull design includes three main structural features, i.e., a rigid internal main frame which carries all primary moment and shear loads induced in the vehicle, the vehicle's skin which forms a semi-rigid barrier membrane for the lighter-than-air lifting gas, and a rigid aeroshell frame interposed between the main frame and the skin. The aeroshell frame and skin, in combination, are referred to as the aeroshell. The aeroshell carries the aerodynamic pressure loads induced on the airship.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A light weight hull for a rigid airship comprising: an internal main frame for carrying bending moment and structural loads, the internal main frame having a longitudinal axis and comprising a center section, a fore section and an aft section;wherein the center section comprises at least two gene

1. A light weight hull for a rigid airship comprising: an internal main frame for carrying bending moment and structural loads, the internal main frame having a longitudinal axis and comprising a center section, a fore section and an aft section;wherein the center section comprises at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads oriented generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads being interconnected by longitudinal members, the longitudinal members being oriented generally parallel to the longitudinal axis;wherein each of the at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads is comprised of a plurality of modular truss assemblies;wherein each of the modular truss assemblies of the at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads comprises: three main tubes arranged in a triangular configuration;a plurality of triangular plates spaced along the three main tubes, wherein the triangular plates interconnect the main tubes; andan external aeroshell attached to the main frame wherein the aeroshell carries aerodynamic loads induced on the hull, the aeroshell comprising, an aeroshell frame, and outer skin. 2. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the external aeroshell attached to the main frame carries aerodynamic loads induced on the hull and carries loads induced by a lifting gas. 3. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the aeroshell is in the shape of a lifting body for the generation of aerodynamic lift. 4. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the aeroshell frame comprises a plurality of transverse members wherein the transverse members are of a generally ellipsoidal shape and a plurality of longitudinal members wherein the longitudinal members are of a generally ellipsoidal shape, the longitudinal and transverse members defining the outer shape of the vehicle, the outer shape being in the form of a lifting body. 5. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the aeroshell is connected to the internal main frame at the fore and aft ends of the main frame via formers, or composite tubes, disposed between the main frame and the aeroshell. 6. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the outer skin comprises a membrane sufficiently rigid to be self-supporting but that retains sufficient flexibility to accommodate hull deformation. 7. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the outer skin comprises a multi-layer composite including a layer of metallized polymer material; at least one layer of structural cloth, and at least one layer of lifting gas impermeable material. 8. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein the at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads of the center section are in the shape of isosceles trapezoids. 9. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein each of the modular truss assemblies of the at least two generally trapezoidal bulkheads further includes at least one diagonal member, diagonally interconnecting each triangular plate in the modular truss assembly. 10. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein a cross section of each of the modular truss assemblies is that of an equilateral triangle. 11. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein at least one of a pair of diagonal connection points on each of the generally trapezoidal bulkheads is interconnected by a tension wire, located in a plane of the bulkheads. 12. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 1, wherein at least one of a pair one of diagonal connection points on adjacent generally trapezoidal bulkheads is interconnected by a tension wire, located in a plane of the longitudinal members. 13. A light weight hull for a rigid airship comprising: an internal main frame for carrying bending moments and structural loads, the internal main frame having a longitudinal axis and a center section comprising at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads oriented generally perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis, the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads being interconnected by longitudinal members, the longitudinal members being oriented generally parallel to the longitudinal axis;the internal main frame further including fore and aft sections, wherein the fore section is connected to one of the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads and the aft section is connected to another of the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads;wherein each of the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads is comprised of a plurality of truss assemblies;wherein each of the plurality of truss assemblies of the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads comprises: three main tubes arranged in a triangular configuration;a plurality of triangular plates spaced along the three main tubes,wherein the triangular plates interconnect the main tubes; andan external aeroshell attached to the main frame, the aeroshell being a lifting body of generally ellipsoidal cross-section, wherein the aeroshell carries aerodynamic loads induced on the hull, the aeroshell comprising,an aeroshell frame, and outer skin. 14. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the aeroshell frame comprises a plurality of ribs and longerons, the ribs and longerons defining the generally ellipsoidal cross-section of the vehicle. 15. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the aeroshell is connected to the internal main frame at the fore and aft ends of the main frame via formers or composite tubes, disposed between the internal main frame and the aeroshell. 16. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the formers supporting the aeroshell are made from a honeycomb panel sandwich composite. 17. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the outer skin is sufficiently rigid to be self-supporting yet sufficiently flexible to accommodate hull deformation. 18. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the external aeroshell in addition to carrying aerodynamic loads induced on the hull also carries loads induced by a lifting gas. 19. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads are generally trapezoidal in configuration. 20. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads are in the shape of isosceles trapezoids. 21. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein each of the modular truss assemblies of the at least two generally quadrilateral bulkheads further includes at least one diagonal member, diagonally interconnecting each triangular plate in the modular truss assembly. 22. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein a cross section of each of the modular truss assemblies is that of an equilateral triangle. 23. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein at least one of a pair of diagonal connection points on each of the generally quadrilateral bulkheads is interconnected by a tension wire, located in a plane of the bulkheads. 24. The hull for a rigid airship of claim 13, wherein at least one of a pair of diagonal connection points on adjacent generally quadrilateral bulkheads is interconnected by a tension wire, located in a plane of the longitudinal members.