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How J E Gordon might build an inflated ring of kites
Inflated rings as kites
I think Roddy's versions of giant inflated rings have considerable
potential in AWES design. The ring acts as a furling aid for the parafoil
extensions, and may even provide suitable structure for a novel giant
annular generator as
Beaujean
envisions. Such a radical generator avoids a lot of the mass-scaling
penalty of giant conventional generators.
Having long pondered inflated rings as kite structure, plus decades of
study and practice of ring wings, it seems to me that an optimal
configuration is a concentric-ring structure so as to end up with a
pierced or open disc in overall geometry. Such a "flying saucer" disc is
then able to act as a decent wing, not too thick in proportion to chord.
The simplest instance of this is an inflated ring with membrane infill,
but a number of nestled rings could make a nice
Aerobie style flying
ring on a grand scale. Various throwing toys suggest the viability of this
form factor.
A "tube wing" made of tandem inflated rings, a la Altaeros, also has
interesting uses, but the flying angle of the tube disc plane, for
aerodynamic lift, cancels HAWT autogyro-lift usage.
CoolIP*
~Dave Santos June
28 2012
AWES6591 and following posts.
Comment and development of this topic will be occurring here.
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