Hancox Inc'

1
Lighter-than-Air Vehicles Blimps, Airships,
Tethered Aerostats And NanoTechnologies
02-03 March 2005 Presentation to Ohio
NanoTechnology Summit Dayton, OH
2
LTA Systems Lockheed Martin MS2 in Akron
High Altitude Airship
Goodyear Blimps
420K Aerostat
275K Aerostats
56K Aerostat
3
International Efforts to Develop Near-Space
Platforms Illustrate the Global Interest in HALE
Platforms
Israel
4
Airships are dirigibles buoyant, propelled
air vehicles with directional control (dirigible
steerable) to distinguish them from balloons
Power to propel airship depends on the cube of
the velocity (2x velocity 8xpower)
Buoyant Force Lift ?(?air - ?helium)xVolume
(acts through Center of Buoyancy)
Velocity of Airship
Thrust
Aerodynamic Lift ½?airV2CLA
?
CB
Shape affects the lift and drag of the vehicle
through the CL and CD coefficients
Wind, gusts, turbulence
CG
Hull structural fabric is largest contributor to
weight
Drag ½?airV2CDA
Weight
At sea level Density, ?, of air 1.2929
g/l Density, ?, of helium 0.1785 g/l Air
7.24x weight of helium
(acts through Center of Gravity, CG)

• Stability and control
• fins provide lateral stability
• movable surfaces control direction
• engines may be rotated for control

5

• Applications of Nanotechnologies in LTA Vehicles
• Structural property enhancement
• Compatibility of modulus of fiber and matrix in
  composite laminate
• Improve adhesion between fiber and matrix
• Thermal property enhancement
• Improved thermal conductivity
• Optimization of film optical properties
• Electrical property enhancement
• Improved electrical conductivity
  (unidirectional)
• Lightning and static charge mitigation
• Optical property enhancement
• Wavelength filters and blocking functions

6

• Focus has been on NanoComposite Materials
• Introduction of nano materials into laminate
  matrix
• Introduction of nano materials into laminate
  films
• Objectives
• modify modulus, adhesion, cure of matrix,
  permeability
• improve compatibility of matrix with fibers
• enhance the curing/crosslinking of laminates
• match fracture toughness of matrix (J integral)
  to that of net
• laminate

7

• Nanomaterials in evaluation
• Nanoparticles nanoclays, montmorillonite, SiC,
  SiO, SiO2, TiO2
• Nanofibers carbon fibers, graphitized fibers
• Nanotubes SWCNT, MWCNT
• Nanomaterials in matrix
• thermoplastic polyurethane
• thermoset polyurethane
• fluorinated polyurethane
• epoxy/polyurethane blends
• thermoplastic polyimide

8

• Summary
• Nanotechnology is an integral part of materials
• development for LTA vehicles
• Nanotechnology impacts structural, thermal,
  electrical
• and optical aspects of the vehicle development
• Incorporation of nanomaterials (processing) is
  major
• development activity
• Optimization of properties with respect to
  weight is
• major focus