Browsing by Author "Santos, Tiago Rodrigues dos"
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- Internal Structure of Hybrid Airships Airship Design and Structural AnalysesPublication . Santos, Tiago Rodrigues dos; Gamboa, Pedro Vieira; Silva, Jorge Miguel dos ReisNowadays, the research on airships has been declining over the years but the evolution of technology allows the possibility to think in new concepts such as hybrid airship. It provides better efficiency in all aspects, and it is possible to use innovative and effective internal structures with new materials that did not exist in older times. The internal structure depends on the type of the airship, and many of them have problems due to weight or control and stability. The rigid airships are heavy but with the new technology can have material much lighter and durable. The internal structure is similar to the internal structures of wings, having frames and girders. To know which kind of structure to use, it were studied various types of possible structure for a hybrid airship prototype and the most effective currently are trusses, despite there are possibilities to start to use sandwich structures in a possible future. The trusses have problems and because of that were analyzed different heights and angles taking into account the study from trusses used in other airships. Experimental tests were realized to prove the concept of the structure as well as the stiffness of the structure. In order to make a better study about airships and all their structural problems, it was made 4 prototypes and the start of the study of the hybrid airship internal structure. The Prototypes 1 and 1.5 are quite similar in some structure aspects where it was identified the structural problems as well as the influences of material stiffness and difficulties to fix the material to non-rigid airship. The Prototype 2 and 2.5 was analyzed some problems because the force created by the rotor wherein the internal structure will be subject to high moments in areas where it is placed the rotors and wings. The study of the internal structure is the start of the construction of the final prototype with rigid internal structure which will include the control and stability system of the prototype 1.5 and 2.5, called Prototype 3. This study will allow knowing the weakest points and the difficulty to assemble the internal structure of the Prototype 3. It concludes that it is possible to make an internal structure with the aerodynamic shape desired having a high rigidity and low weight.