ACHIEVE THE UNACHIEVABLE
The unsolvable problem of Francesco Lana’s project was the creation of the Vacuum Balloons, spheres so light that they can lift in the air thanks to the internal vacuum and, at the same time, tight enough to withstand the weight of the atmospheric pressure.
In the original project by Francesco Lana, these Vacuum Balloons consisted of a thin sheet of copper, but this was not the right choice. The copper, like any other metal, has a relatively low resistance to compression. It would have been better to use glass, stone, or ceramics. But how is it possible to build a Vacuum Balloon with a diameter of tens of meters in ceramic, glass or stone?
Moreover, even using ceramics, which is the material with the highest resistance to compression currently on the market, the Vacuum Balloons, as they were designed by Francesco Lana, featured extremely thin walls. This characteristic would have exposed them to the so-called Buckling, very strong vibrations and deformations that, in the end, would have led them to collapse.
Because of this Buckling, until today, Francesco Lana’s invention could not be realized, despite the commitment of aeronautical physicists and engineers and the development of hi-tech materials.
However, a solution to the Buckling problem is already present in the engineering history of our civilization, and it is available for all to see since many centuries ago: The Roman Arch.
ACHIEVE THE UNACHIEVABLE
The unsolvable problem of Francesco Lana’s project was the creation of the Vacuum Balloons, spheres so light that they can lift in the air thanks to the internal vacuum and, at the same time, tight enough to withstand the weight of the atmospheric pressure.
In the original project by Francesco Lana, these Vacuum Balloons consisted of a thin sheet of copper, but this was not the right choice. The copper, like any other metal, has a relatively low resistance to compression. It would have been better to use glass, stone, or ceramics. But how is it possible to build a Vacuum Balloon with a diameter of tens of meters in ceramic, glass or stone?
Moreover, even using ceramics, which is the material with the highest resistance to compression currently on the market, the Vacuum Balloons, as they were designed by Francesco Lana, featured extremely thin walls. This characteristic would have exposed them to the so-called Buckling, very strong vibrations and deformations that, in the end, would have led them to collapse.
Because of this Buckling, until today, Francesco Lana’s invention could not be realized, despite the commitment of aeronautical physicists and engineers and the development of hi-tech materials.
However, a solution to the Buckling problem is already present in the engineering history of our civilization, and it is available for all to see since many centuries ago: The Roman Arch.
ECCE THE IDEA
Instead of making the walls of the Vacuum Balloon in a unique round piece, which will be inevitably very thin, if we would use many hollow bricks, like the ones used for buildings, and then we fill them with foam or another ultra-light material, we would obtain a 360° vaulted structure, that, according to the principles on which the Roman arch is built, would be resistant and able to effectively counter the Buckling.
Right now, all this has been verified with a 3D simulation program that confirmed the validity of the hypothesis. Obviously, this is a virtual confirmation. To really confirm the hypothesis, it’s necessary to create a prototype of a Vacuum Balloon, and this is the first goal of the O-Boot project.
YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE IN THE REALIZATION OF THIS PROJECT
The future of non-polluting intercontinental transport is an issue that concerns all human beings and the future generations. Keep in touch to find out how to contribute.
YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE IN THE REALIZATION OF THIS PROJECT
The future of non-polluting intercontinental transport is an issue that concerns all human beings and the future generations. Keep in touch to find out how to contribute.
