Airships

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depends
on the pressure created by a series of air diaphragms inside its gas space to
maintain the shape of its fabric hull. Inventors sought to combine the best
features of these models in a semirigid type, but it met with only limited
success. Today only the nonrigid airship is used.

Rigid Airship

The rigid airship's structure resembled a cage that enclosed a series of
balloons called gas cells. These cells were tailored to fit the cylindrical
space and were secured in place by a netting that transmitted the lifting force
of their gas to the structure. Each gas cell had two or more valves, which
operated automatically to relieve pressure when the gas expanded with altitude,
the valves could also be operated manually so that the pilot could release gas
whenever desired.

Also on board was a ballast system that used water as ballast. On the ground
this ballast served to make the airship heavier than air. When part of it was
released, the airship ascended to a cruising ...

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to stiffen the shape of the envelope and create a smooth flying
surface. On takeoff the ballonets are almost fully inflated, but as the airship
gains altitude and the gas expands, air is bled from the ballonets while a
constant pressure is maintained throughout the envelope. When the gas contracts
upon descent, air is pumped back into the ballonets.

HISTORY OF RIGID AIRSHIPS

The German company Luftschiffbau Zeppelin had the most success in building rigid
airships. The first Zeppelin was flown on July 2, 1900; it was 419 ft long, 38
ft in diameter, contained 338,410 cu ft of hydrogen gas in 16 cells, and was
powered by two 16-hp engines. Its range and payload were negligible. The ...

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