Vacuum balloon -- a 350-year-old dream
Applied Physics
2021-01-26 v3 Popular Physics
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 the proposed structure. Also discussed are other modes of failure and approach to manufacturing.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1903.05171,
title = {Vacuum balloon -- a 350-year-old dream},
author = {Andrey Akhmeteli and Andrew V. Gavrilin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.05171},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
18 pages, 5 figures, 20 formulas