Vacuum Balloon–A 350-Year-Old Dream
Keyword(s):
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.
2009 ◽
Vol 19
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pp. s312-s317
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Keyword(s):
2007 ◽
Vol 11
(2)
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pp. 157-181
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Keyword(s):
2019 ◽
Vol 11
(9)
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pp. 168781401987456
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Keyword(s):
2016 ◽
Vol 671
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pp. 96-106
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Keyword(s):
2016 ◽
Vol 231
(4)
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pp. 618-627
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