Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Havill, C. D..
The concept of small, semibuoyant, lifting-body airships is discussed. Estimates of important performance characteristics are made and compared with other flight vehicle systems.
The concept of a small, semibuoyant, lifting-body airship with either a disposable or nondisposable buoyant fluid is discussed. Estimations of fuel consumption, payload capability, power requirements and productivity are made and compared to other flight systems. Comparisons are made on the basis of equal cost vehicles. The assumption is made that, to a first-order approximation, the costs of developing, procuring, and operating a commercial air transport vehicle are proportional to vehicle empty weight. It must be noted that no historical cost data exist for the lifting-body airship and therefore these comparisons must be considered preliminary.
The uses of lighter-than-air vehicles are examined in the present day transportation environment. Conventional dirigibles were found to indicate an undesirable economic risk due to their low speeds and to uncertainties concerning their operational use. Semi-buoyant hybrid vehicles are suggested as an alternative which does not have many of the inferior characteristics of conventional dirigibles. Economic and performance estimates for hybrid vehicles indicate that they are competitive with other transportation systems in many applications, and unique in their ability to perform some highly desirable emergency missions.
The performance potential of buoyant systems and flexible structures used in air vehicles for short-haul passenger transportation is discussed. The study was intended only to determine if sufficient performance potential existed, and to provide a focus for a more extensive design study, if such a study appeared desirable. A relatively conventional helium system was examined along with a more unusual configuration employing hot-air as the buoyant fluid. Both configurations were examined in the VTOL and STOL modes of operation. The helium system appears to have some superiority in the VTOL mode, while the hot-air system has a superiority in the STOL mode. Both configurations exhibit sufficient performance potential to suggest that a much more extensive design study might well be undertaken.
An exploratory study has been conducted to assess the performance potential of buoyant airships and parawings in short-haul passenger transportation. Results show that such systems can be used effectively, from a performance standpoint, in a VTOL or STOL mode of operation. A supplementary assessment of potential applications of such vehicles is examined, with a brief look at economic factors and an examination of missions for which they might be effectively used.
Reentry vehicle guidance system for automatic or manual range control and with pilot monitoring capability
Mark sense record cards for recording medical data on pilots subjected to acceleration stress