Airship Design
Contents
- Introduction
- Getting Started
- Inputs
- html<img src="hull.pdf"></html>
- Hull Length
- Hull Diameter
- Rear-to-front length ratio
- Operational Altitude
- Maximum Velocity
- Payload mass
- Payload Power
- Skin fabric density
- Solar cell efficiency
- Engine/Propeller efficiency
- Outputs
- Available Mass
- Required Solar Cell Coverage Ratio
- Total Hull Surface Area
- Total Hull Volume
- Airship "Dry" Mass
- Helium Mass
- Maximum Drag
- Maximum Required Power
- Buttons
- Help
- Reset
- Compute
- Draw
- Quit
Introduction
This help file explains how to use the AirshipDesignGUI. This is a GUI for doing certain trade studies to help in the process of designing a GUI. It also allows you to visualize the hull of your airship.
Getting Started
To open the GUI, simply type AirshipDesignGUI. This will allow you to get a feel for all the controls it has to offer.
Inputs
html<img src="hull.pdf"></html>
Hull Length
a1 + a2 (in meters)
Hull Diameter
2*b (in meters)
Rear-to-front length ratio
a2/a1
Operational Altitude
Maximum achievable altitude (in meters)
Maximum Velocity
Maximum achievable velocity (in meters/second)
Payload mass
Mass of gondola of carried cargo (kg)
Payload Power
Available power supplied by gondola or control deck battery (Watts)
Skin fabric density
Density of airship material (kg/m^2)
Solar cell efficiency
Efficiency of solar panels (between 0 and 1)
Engine/Propeller efficiency
Efficiency of propulsion system (between 0 and 1)
Outputs
Available Mass
Mass available for structure and systems
Required Solar Cell Coverage Ratio
Ratio of required solar panel area to airship surface area
Total Hull Surface Area
Total airship surface area (m^2)
Total Hull Volume
Total airship volume (m^3)
Airship "Dry" Mass
Mass of hull structure only, not including payload (kg)
Helium Mass
Mass of helium inside hull (kg)
Maximum Drag
Maximum drag obtained at the maximum velocity input (N)
Maximum Required Power
Maximum required power to obtain this maximum velocity (Watts)
Buttons
Help
access the GUI help system.
Reset
Reset text inputs to default conditions.
Compute
Calculate the outputs based on the new inputs.
Draw
Open up a 3D plot displaying the ellipsoid hull of the airship.
Quit
Exit out of the GUI
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