The All Metal Airship

[Graeme]

Covered with aluminium sheeting 0.08 in (2.03mm) thick, David Schwarz produced the world's first metal airship/dirigible (with NO hydrogen filled bags inside - just the metal covering)...

The Airship of David Schwarz

My theory is that they start off wrinkled...



...and a short time later, become very wrinkled...



(The exception to the theory is ZMC-2)

 

[Colin1]

...with NO hydrogen filled bags inside - just the metal covering...

Just as well I'd say
it would have qualified as the world's largest hand grenade...

 

[Milos Sijacki]

Interesting....

 

[Graeme]

Just as well I'd say
it would have qualified as the world's largest hand grenade...

Maybe I didn't word that right Colin, sorry. Schwarz's metal dirigible was filled with hydrogen but the big problem was getting it in there. Unlike inflating a balloon the rigid metal airship already had "volume", so the problem was how to displace the air.
One thought was to fill the metal balloon with water then admit the Hydrogen slowly, from the bottom, which would then displace the water, but calculations showed that 3,000 tons of water was required and the structure would never support this.

The solution was to place large hull shaped bags into the dirigible and fill them with hydrogen, driving out the air. Once fully expanded they were slit to release the hydrogen and withdrawn carefully and the hole sealed. Some internet sites state that the bags were left in place but the article I read stated otherwise. I can only assume that they would have added unnecessary weight to the dirigible.