Vacuum Balloon – a 350-Year-Old Dream
POSTER
Abstract
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 such a structure. Other modes of failure were evaluated. Approaches to manufacturing are discussed briefly.
*A portion of this work is performed at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, which is supported by the National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement DMR 1644779 and the State of Florida.
Presenters
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Andrey Akhmeteli
- LTASolid Inc.