Table 1 Materials used in different parts of balloon 8
Introduction
Hot air balloon, as Crouch (2009) stated is the very first aircraft that successfully carries human to the sky in human history.Rolt(2008) believes it was invented on November 21, 1783 and was used for military uses at first. Hot air balloons since then getting popular among public and has been used in recreational use because of their attractive appearance.
As it is made for travelling in the air, the material used for making it has to be specific and the size of each part has to be precise. This report focuses on how different materials are designed for the balloon and discusses why they are chosen for making various parts of the balloon and what the features of these materials are.
Literature Review
Related Concepts and Relevant Knowledge
What is a hot air balloon? How does it work?
Hot air balloon can be defined as a thermal airplane. It can fly in the sky because of a scientific principle asHarris (2010) asserts that warmer air rises in cooler air. The mass per unit of volume of hot air is less, therefore is lighter than cool air in the surrounding.
In this way, hot air can lift up objects.However, it is not so efficient and this is why hot air balloon is so large, as if 1,000 pounds have to be lifted, 65,000 cubic feet of hot air are needed. There are two essential elements making the hot air balloon works and they are the envelop and the burner.
The materials used to create these two parts decide the effectiveness of the balloon.
Figure 1 Illustration of rising principle.
Methodology
Method for data collection
Qualitative method was adopted for this project. Data are collected from the internet and the library. Books, leaflets and websites were searched.
Information collected is mainly from the following channels:
1. Pao Yue-kong Library
2. Google Scholar
3. Elsevier ScienceDirect Complete
Results and Findings
4.1 Envelop
According toVia(2012), the part that shares the largest surface area of a hot air balloon is the envelop. It is in a dome shape which makes hot air balloon looks like a balloon and connects to the basket withstainless steel suspension cables where passengers will be seated. The two key element of a envelop are crown ring and panel.
Crown ring
Figure 2 Crown of envelop
The envelope often has an opening in the crown so as to facilitate deflation of the envelope after landing. It can also regulate the flow of hot air getting into the envelop by pulling the connected wire. The opening in the crown is posit.....[read full text]
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Regarding toSibberson (2001), to generate heated air, there is a blast valve; the pilot has to adjust the rate at which fuel flows from the tanks. The pilot pulls the trigger on blast valve to draw fuel into the burner so that the burner heats air.
4.1.1 Heating coil, tubing and tank
Burner, heating coil, tubing and tank are responsible for heat exchange. Propane is burned to heat the air. It is stored in compressed liquid form, in lightweight cylinders positioned in the balloon basket. To draw the liquid out, intake hose runs down to the bottom of the cylinder.
These three thing heating coil, tubing and tank should have the following characteristics:
Heat conducted
Smooth surface
Corrosion resistant
Stainless
High melting point
Metal conductible
To enhance propane flow quickly through the hoses to the heating coil, stainless steel is used to make the steel tubing around the burner and the burner as their surface is smooth and they are corrosion resistant. Stainless steel is also light in weight so it is suitable to use in manufacturing a flying object.
As making the flame burns, it heats up the metal in the surrounding tubing. When the tubing becomes hot, it heats the propane flowing through it. This changes the propane from a liquid to a gas, before it is ignited. This gas produce a more powerful flame and more efficient fuel consumption.
To assist the function of this part of burner, using a material that is metal conductible is important, and that is why stainless steel is chosen. As propane is stored in fuel tanks, twenty-gallon stainless-steel tank is used. Though it is comparatively expensive, the advantage of the more expensive stainless-steel tank is that it is lighter, so more fuel can be carried with less tank weight therefore increasing the efficiency of the balloon.
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Figure 3 Gas Valves & Fittings
4.2.3 Cabinet
The cabinet of the burner acts like an insulator. To choose from various material that can act as an insulator, some specific points have to be considered:
High intensity of surface
Light
High melting point
Non-conductive
Pollick(2003) asserts that the fiberglass is made by molten glass and is ultra-fine like a fabric. The result is a heat-resistant, lightweight panel ideal for electronic circuit boards or support structures for complex machinery such as a hot air balloon.
Conclusion
The table below shows the various materials used.
Table 1 Materials used in different parts of balloon
Choosing the most suitable material for different parts to create a hot air balloon may be a difficult job but it is fundamental to do so. The steps to test every single material are crucial as they indicate whether the material is suitable for the object or a better one to replace it should be selected.
The above findings have proved that some material may be technically suitable for making specific parts but in reality, it may not be appropriate, one of the examples is nylon for making the panel. Nylon itself is not supportive enough when it comes to .....
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Sibberson, E. S. (2001). Madehow. In How Products Are Made. Retrieved November 2, 2012 from 7/Furnace.html#b
Formisano, B. (2006). Homerepair. In Anatomy of a Gas Water Heater. Retrieved November 2, 2012 from
hwh_tank_gas_4.htm
Pollick, M. & Lindsay, D. (2003). Wisegeek. In What Is Fiberglass? . Retrieved November 2, 2012 from
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