Abstract

Solar-powered unmanned hot-air balloons have proven themselves useful for some aspects of high-altitude balloon work. The lower-cost of construction materials (compared to latex weather balloons) and launch supplies make them accessible to a greater spectrum of potential users. Part of the cost-saving measures enjoyed when constructing these balloons includes the use of easily-available and inexpensive materials to build the balloon envelope. However, some of these materials are more labor-intensive to utilize than others. For example, when using black plastic garbage bags to make an envelope, the bags must be cut to form sheets, and these sheets joined into larger constructs using adhesive tape or heat-sealing. This can be contrasted to using rolls of high-density “painters plastic” which require far less cutting and joining, but the plastic is transparent and requires treatment with a pigment to augment its ability to absorb sunlight. This pigment-treated plastic may be less effective in generating heat from incident sunlight. To characterize the trade-offs involved, experiments were conducted to test the heat-generating capabilities of various materials, including black plastic trash bags and transparent high-density polyethylene sheeting coated with pigment or left clear. Based on these results, a comparison of the materials was made, and the suitability of each material is discussed.

How to Cite:

Nordlie, J., Marsh, R. & Straub, J., (2014) “Evaluation of materials for suitability in the construction of solar-powered unmanned hot-air balloons”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2014(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.5579