Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical model for predicting the motion of an aerostat after tether breakage. Aerostats are equipped with emergency deflation valves for safe recovery of payload in case of accidental tether breakage. The trajectory of breakaway aerostat depends on the number and locations of these valves. The dynamic simulation of the aerostat is done by setting up and solving equations of motion in three dimensional spaces, considering the effect of added mass, aerodynamic forces and wind velocity. The model is implemented in MATLAB and simulation results are generated for input data of a sample aerostat. Comparison of aerostat trajectories for different valve configurations is presented along with some inferences.