How big does an airship need to be to lift a particular weight or alternatively how much can an airship of a particular size lift?
Further I would like to explore how usage of different materials for the envelope affects how much can be lifted as well as how different gasses inside the envelope and outside affecting the lifting power.
To make sure these calculations are done correctly I will be comparing with the LZ 129 Hindenburg Zeppelin statistics:
- Length: 243 m
- Diameter: 41.2
- Volume 200 000 m³ gas capacity
- Empty weight: 130,000 kg
- Useful lift: 232 000 kg typical gross lift
I am going to show you code written in the Julia programming language for doing these calculation. However you can probably follow along without knowing any Julia, because it is mainly math equations and will look quite similar in almost any language.
Zeppelin Volume Calculations
A zeppelin is shaped roughly as an ellipsoid.
