Conceptual Approach to Unconventional Airship Design and Synthesis

Abstract

This paper presents a novel design methodology to be used in the evaluation of the main features of advanced unconventional airship configuration. Similar to the process used in aircraft design, the concept of volume fractions (VF) is introduced to estimate airship weights, dimensions, and performances, in an early design phase. The paper presents the complete methodology, with tables and constants to help unconventional airship designers with preliminary design considerations. Volumes and weights of candidate solutions are obtained through an iterative method within a user-friendly tool requiring graphical and straightforward mathematical operations. The solutions are ranked based on procedures aiming at satisfying customer needs and expectations provided as inputs. A case study highlighting a step-by-step methodology process is presented, and the approach followed to select the final solution is documented. The method is easy to use and implement, rapidly providing a significant amount of data. A parametric approach is used such that the evolution in materials and technology, new configurations, and modern power and energetic solutions can be considered by simply performing a parameter sweep to perform sensitivity analysis.