ILC Dover Develops Advanced Ballonet Film for American Blimp Corporation
ILC Dover, the company that manufactures spacesuits for NASA, announced today that they qualified a next-generation ballonet film for American Blimp Corporation's Lightships.
Online, February 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - ILC Dover, the company that manufactures spacesuits for NASA, announced today that they qualified a next-generation ballonet film for American Blimp Corporation's Lightships. The ballonet is the portion of the airship that is filled with air to displace helium volume in the airship to control buoyancy. The ballonet is constantly flexing during its life and must maintain its integrity to maintain the purity of the helium in the airship.
ILC has been producing envelopes with integral ballonets for ABC since 1995. At that time, ABC leveraged ILC's materials development expertise to develop a unique translucent long life airship material. Recently, ABC asked ILC to work with them to advance the ballonet film to a new level of performance.
The new ballonet material incorporates a specialized resin chemistry and additives to inhibit the movement of gas molecules through the membrane. This novel material significantly reduces diffusion rates for air, helium and water vapor compared to conventional materials. Use of this material will result in increased airship performance allowing ABC to better meet the needs of its customers.