Configuration design and aerodynamic research of new type tandem buoyancy-lifting airships

Based on NACA airfoils, a new type of tandem buoyancy-lifting airships with both higher utility and economy efficiency was developed. With numerical simulations aerodynamic and configuration design for buoyancy-lifting airships was investigated and buoyancy-lifting characteristics were evaluated and analyzed synthetically. It shows that a tandem buoyancy-lifting airship has considerable volume efficiency. Its lift-drag ratio is increased 50% than single wing resulted from block of airflow by posterior flying-wing and speedup of airflow in overlay field. Its deadweight can be decreased and payload is increased as velocity is higher than 30 m·s^-1. At the same time, chord wise size of tandem airship is comparatively small so that surface tension of skin material can be reduced availably. It provides a wider scope for skin flexible material selection of high altitude aircrafts.