Lighter than Air Systems

Overview

This course is designed to provide students an overview of Lighter-than-Air (LTA) systems, a subject of Aerospace Engineering that was once at the forefront of technological developments, but which got pushed into oblivion in late 1930s. The subject was revived in mid 1980s due to renewed interest in such systems for long endurance applications with low fuel consumption. The course will be conducted using the in-class recordings of 20 lectures of this course (by CDEEP) that were delivered by the instructor at IIT Bombay in Autumn Semester of 2015. There will be a monthly interaction video session with students, in which their doubts will be cleared. The students can also approach the instructor via e-mail, or on phone at some pre-specified time window.INTENDED AUDIENCE :Aeronautical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringPREREQUISITES : NoneINDUSTRIES SUPPORT :ISRO, NAL, ADRDE, Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin

Syllabus

Week 1: Background and Introduction to LTA systemsWeek 2: Historical Perspectives of LTA SystemsWeek 3: Airships developed at IITBWeek 4: Static Lift ConceptsWeek 5: Static Lift EstimationWeek 6: Variation of Net Static LiftWeek 7: Pressure Height CalculationsWeek 8: Envelope Materials and Ground Handling of LTA SystemsWeek 9: Airship Design MethodologyWeek 10: Airship Propulsion Systems and Case studies in Airship OperationWeek 11: Aerostat Design MethodologyWeek 12: High Altitude Airships and Hybrid LTA systems