US2845236A - Combined appendix and inflation tube - Google Patents

Description

July 29, 1958] R. l. HAKOMAKI 4 COMBINED APPENDIX AND INFLATION, TUBE Filed Sept. 19, 1956 w ice COMBINED APPENDIX AND INFLATION TUBE Raymond I. Hakomaki, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Application September 19, 1956, Serial No. 610,876

4 Claims. (Cl. 244-31) This invention relates to an improved balloon and, more particularly, to a balloon in which inflation and launching is facilitated.

In the science of meterology and weather observation, it is customary to send balloons aloft in order to determine various atmospheric conditions, as for example, the direction and speed of air currents at various altitudes. Where it is desired to determine the overall pattern of air currents at altitudes, a large number of these balloons are released to ascend to predetermined altitudes. After reaching a given altitude, each of said balloons will descend to various positions on the ground and from their various distances away from the release point plus the time it takes each balloon to reach its respective position, the direction and speed of air currents at different altitudes may be determined; however, this can involve a multiplicity of errors since the accuracy of this method depends, primarily, on the measurement of a plurality of distances to the point of ground contact and the time to each ground contact which is not only a time-consuming, but is also a'relatively inaccurate operation; consequently; in order to obtain more accurate information as quickly as possible the balloons are equipped with radiosonde and other meteorological equipment to give continuous data from each balloon, thereby eliminating the multiplicity of errors possible in the former method.

When the balloon is to be used, primarily, to track the wind pattern at various altitudes including the upper atmosphere, it is desirable that said balloon be relatively small in size, both from the standpoint of economy and to ensure its rise to a relatively higher floating altitude because of the relatively light weight. In addition to the above, the heretofore relatively large type balloon formerly used for such purposes not only was at a disadvantage due to its increased weight but also because of the difliculty in getting a relatively small amount of lifting gas into the upper portion of said balloon. Furthermore, the considerable extent of loose folds at the lower portion of said relatively large type balloon involves a considerable difliculty during handling and manipulation on the ground due to the presentation of a substantial and :unwieldy surface to ground winds during the charging and launching phases of operation whereas the utilization of the smaller type balloon minimizes these ground handling problems.

As a result of the extreme difliculty in handling the large type balloon, as indicated above, certain means have been developed for eliminating or minimizing the danger of wind catching in the folds during charging and launching. An example of said means involves the addition of some surrounding structure, such as, a reefing sleeve element to enclose said loose folds and thereby provide a passageway for the admission of lifting gas into the upper end of said balloon and to present a smooth surface to the wind. Said sleeve element is ordinarily removed from said balloon either prior to launching or during its ascent and, as such, is not normally a permanent part of the balloon structure. Moreover, the removal of said sleeve element required an additional time-wasting step and/or additional structure to automatically release said element during the launching and/or ascendency of said balloon.

During inflation prior to launching, the balloon is partially filled with some appropriate gas, as for example, helium or hydrogen. Complete filling is not effected since the gas will expand tremendously at the higher altitudes and it is, therefore, necessary to allow for such expansion at ground level. Prior to such inflation, the balloon is usually stretched out in a flat condition, and since the gas is normally introduced into the bottom portion of the balloon, this has led to the problem of positioning the gas into the upper part of said balloon. It has been found that there is a tendency for the gas to collect in the folds and bottom or intermediate portions of the balloon. One means for overcoming this latter difiiculty has been to incorporate an inflation tube in the balloon itself, one end of which is led into the interior of said balloon by way of the balloon appendix, while the other end thereof is connected to a suitable source of gas supply. Such an inflation tube is, of course, most appropriate for use with the very large type of balloon. This solution has been found unsatisfactory both from the standpoint of time and the equipment involved, and also because upon completion of the inflation or charging, it is necessary to remove said tube prior to launching the balloon, making for additional Wasted eifort whereit is extremely important that the time expended be reduced to a minimum, as in the case of launching a large number of small balloons in I rapid order. Furthermore, there is the difliculty encountered when a kink develops in said tube during inflation or charging, at which point it becomes necessary to stop inflation until the kink is removed. Moreover, if this is not done in time, said tube may burst resulting in gas being trapped within the lower portion of the balloon. In addition, such a tube is an accessory which may produce further complications.

It has thus been determined that the utilization of a relatively small balloon for certain purposes is most appropriate; furthermore, said balloons may be made either of rubber or plastic material depending on surrounding conditions. ber has been found most appropriate since its use facilitates handling and manipulation due to the retention of its spherical shape on expansion, whereas a plastic material is more feasible at low ambient temperatures. In the latter event, rubber becomes brittle and hard and, therefore, increasingly diflicult to handle and manipulate.

The advent of plastic materials utilizable in a balloon to obtain the necessary rigidity of surface now makes it feasible to utilize a relatively small balloon to full advantage in order to determine the wind pattern and other desirable data at various altitudes including the higher altitudes Where the instruments carried thereby are released automatically and lowered by parachute.

It is therefore seen that where, as in the instant case, it is necessary to launch a large number of small, lightweight balloons, almost simultaneously, to obtain information on the direction and speed of various winds and air currents at different altitudes, it is not only highly desirable, but it is even necessary to provide a balloon simple and unique in design to enable inflation and launching to be accomplished with a minimum of equipment and effort required.

It is an object of the invention, therefore, to provide a means of inflating a balloon which obviates the requirement for an inflation tube to be incorporated within the balloon.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a.

Patented July 29, 1958- With moderate temperatures, rub-- I 3 balloon construction which facilitates the launching of a plurality of balloons in a minimum of time.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of a simple means for separation of the lifting gas supply line from the balloon with a minimum of motions required.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a simple means for enhancing flight performance by maintaining gas purity in the balloon by the restricting of air flow therein during its ascent.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts in the figures.

Fig. l is a view of the balloon utilized in the invention immediately after charging and just prior to launching illustrating details of the combined appendix-inflation tube.

Fig. 2 is a second view of the balloon of Fig. 1 immediately after the inflation tube has been severed and the balloon launched.

Fig. 3 is a third View of the balloon of Figs. 1 and 2 with the appendix removed, illustrating the condition thereof after ascendency to an intermediate altitude.

With particular reference to Fig. l of the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a fully charged balloon having an envelope with a relatively small spherical upper body portion 1a and a relatively large conical lower body portion 111. The balloon envelope may comprise a plurality of gores sealed together in any appropriate manner. Said gores may consist of a suitable plastic material, such as, polyethylene. A load 2 is suspended from said balloon 1 in a manner hereinafter described. The load 2 may include radiosonde or other meteorological equipment whereby continuous data is radioed back to ground as to appropriate information, such as, temperature, pressure and humidity. The main suspension cord 3 is employed to suspend the load 2 in its suspended condition. Said cord 3 is attached at one end to said balloon 1 at the suspension point 4 while the other end thereof extends downwardly and is threaded through the ring 6 and then is attached to said balloon at the suspension point 5 which is horizontally aligned with, and is in spaced relation to, the suspension point 4. A second cord 7 is attached at its upper end to the bottom part of said ring 6 and at its lower end to the payload or load 2.

The balloon 1 includes an appendix 8 incorporated therewith on the bottom part thereof. The main suspension cord 3, the ring 6, and part of the cord 7 are enclosed within said appendix 8; however, the important and unique feature of the latter is that it has a two-fold or combined characteristic, first, it is an appendix, and, second, it is an inflation tube also. In other words, instead of a separate inflation tube incorporated in the balloon itself, the present invention comprises a combined appendix and inflation tube. Thus, this combined element 8 may be broken into an upper and lower portion, the appendix 8a and the inflation tube 811, respectively. Said upper portion 8a serves as the usual appendix to provide a guide channel to direct the incoming inflating gas to the interior of the balloon 1. Said lower or inflation tube portion 812 extends from the point 10 and is curved and tapered to the tube opening 11 to facilitate its connection to a suitable source of gas supply, as seen clearly in Fig. l. The latter is not shown. The combined appendix and inflation tube 8 is provided with a hole or opening 9 through which the load line 7 extends during the initial charging phase of the balloon 1.

The previously-described combined appendix and inflation tube 8 not only has the characteristic of adaptability for connection to a suitable source of gas supply, but also has the inherent means for restricting the inflow of air into the interior of the balloon 1 and thereby maintaining gas purity therein. Said restricting means may take two forms. One such form is as shown in Fig. 2

of the drawings wherein a simple cylindrical appendix is shown in which the load line 7 passes through the center or longitudinal axis of the cylindrical section. With the use of this form of restricting means, air intake is prevented during the ascent of said balloon 1 by the laminar collapse of said cylindrical section when air attempts to enter into said balloon 1. Moreover, the addition of the pressurehead of gas in the cylindrical appendix retards mixing of gas and air. A second form of restricting means involves the same combined appendix and inflation tube as at 8 in Fig. l but instead of severing at the point 10, said appendix 8 is circumferentially severed at its tapered opening 11 so that the load line 7 is allowed to remain extending through the opening 9. This results in a cylindrical section of plastic material between the point 10 and the tapered opening 11 and lying free of said load line 7. Such an arrangement provides a bronx-cheer or flapper type valve to exclude the admission of air into the interior of the balloon 1. Moreover, said valve may be further refined by the positioning of a spreader bar device (not shown) in said valve to insure that said cylindrical section of plastic material ordinarily lies flat and, as such, is in an ideal position to collapse if air should attempt to pass into the interior of said balloon 1 and, at the same time, provides a low resistant opening for excess gas to vent to atmosphere as the balloon 1 reaches the final portion of its ascent.

After a predetermined amount of inflating gas has been introduced into the interior of said balloon 1 at which time the latter is ready for launching, the combined appendix and inflation tube 8 is circumferentially severed either at the cut-off point 10 or the tube opening 11. In order to ensure proper separation between the inflation tube 8b and the appendix 8a and to free the load line 7 from its narrow confinement in the opening or hole 9, a plurality of wax pencil marks 12 are circumferentially arranged around the combined appendix-inflation tube 8, said marks extending from said cut-off point 10 to said opening 9 and acting as a guide during the severing operation. Upon completion of said severing operation, the balloon 1 may now be released or launched. This is the condition of said balloon 1 as illustrated in Fig. 2. Of course, at this point the upper body portion 1a is relatively small while the lower body portion 1b is relatively large, since only the initial volume of the lifting gas admitted is present in the balloon envelope.

With particular reference to Fig. 2, the balloon 1 is illustrated immediately after it has been released or launched. Immediately prior to said release, the balloon 1 was charged with an appropriate amount of inflating or lifting gas as previously described, the amount thereof being just suflicient to lift the balloon 1 and the load 2 at ground level plus an excess lift necessary to force the balloon upward so that as the balloon rises to the upper altitudes, the increasing rarified atmosphere will permit expansion of said gas to increase its lifting power. This rise to higher altitudes continues until, in the case of the constant volume balloons, the maximum predetermined altitude is reached and the balloon 1 will float at constant altitude until some of the gas has been dissipated, at which time it will start to descend unless ballast is dropped. It is to be noted that the appendix 8a may include an appropriate automatic valve or the like which prevents air from mixing with the gas as the balloon is being charged and, also, positively closes off the appendix opening when inflation or charging is completed. Said automatic valve structure is not shown since it plays no important role in the present invention. There remains only the final step of severing or cutting off the inflation tube 8b preparatory to releasing or launching the balloon. A plurality of such balloons are released at the same time or as near together as possible. These balloons may be equipped with a message so that anyone discovering them after their descent tov ground may effect their prompt return.

It is noted that the upper body portion 1a of the balloon illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 is relatively small in size and that the lower body portion 1b thereof appears somewhat elongated since in both Figures 1 and 2 only suflicient lifting gas has been admitted into said upper body portion 1a to charge said balloon and, as yet, no additional inflation has occurred. In Fig. 1, the balloon envelope is shown immediately after it has been fully charged but just prior to the severing of the inflation tube 8b from the appendix 8a whereas in Fig. 2, the same balloon is shown immediately after said severing has occurred and the release has been completed. In the latter case, no change is apparent in the relative sizes of the upper and lower body portions 1a and 11) since said balloon has not yet ascended above ground level. In Fig. 3, however, the balloon 1 has ascended to an intermediate altitude and at this point it is seen that its spherical upper body portion 1a has become larger than that seen in Figs. 1 and 2 in relation to its diameter and to its relative proportion with respect to its conical lower body portion 1b. In other words, a considerable amount of inflation has become evident in the balloon 1 of Fig. 3. The balloon 1 will continue to ascend and expand until it reaches its predetermined altitude at which time it will be almost entirely or generally spherical in shape, or it will take the shape as determined by its design.

To summarize the complete operation of the balloon 1 of the present invention, first, the balloon of Fig. 1 is fully charged with an appropriate lifting gas, second, the combined appendix and inflation tube 8 is separated or severed and the balloon is launched (Fig. 2), third, the balloon has inflated considerably after ascending to an intermediate altitude (Fig. 3) and, lastly, an inherent means of venting gas is provided during its ascent to the ceiling altitude to reduce the danger of rupturing.

An important characteristic of the invention, therefore, resides in the provision of a balloon construction which permits the utilization of a balloon that is relatively small in size and yet will ascend to the higher altitudes without the danger of rupturing, but, most of all, the invention provides a balloon construction which eliminates the need for a separate inflation tube and combines that element with the balloon appendix, since the balloon is relatively small and the diflicult problem of handling and positioning the lifting gas in the upper body portion of the relatively larger type balloon is minimized.

Thus, the present invention involves a new and unique balloon, simple in'design and operation, one that facilitates inflation and launching with a minimum of wasted effort, and which provides such a valving mechanism as will enhance successful flight performance.

I claim:

1. A meteorological balloon comprising a balloon envelope of substantially spherical configuration, an appendix extending downwardly from said envelope and tapering into a bottom inflation opening adapted to be connected to a source of gas supply, said appendix having a circumferentially disposed aperture at an intermediate portion thereof, and means for suspending a load from said envelope, said means comprising a suspension rope attached to said envelope, a load-supporting ring attached to said suspension rope, and a load-line extending through said aperture attached to said load-supporting ring and adapted to be attached to a load.

2. A meteorological balloon comprising a combined appendix and inflation tube attached to the bottom of said balloon, and means for suspending a pay-load from said balloon, said combined appendix and inflation tube consisting of an upper substantially straight-line appendix portion and a lower cur-ved extension inflation tube portion terminating in a tapered inflation opening, said appendix portion having a circumferential wall opening in the area of juncture between said lower and upper portions remote from said inflation opening, said combined appendix and inflation tube having circumferential guide marks in communication with said wall opening facilitat ing separation between said appendix and inflation tube portions, said suspending means comprising a load-line attached to said pay-load, a suspension line attached to said balloon inside said appendix, and an interconnecting member between said suspension line and said load-line inside said appendix, said load-line extending between said pay-load and said interconnecting member through said wall opening.

3. A meteorological balloon as in claim 2, said inflation tube portion being adaptable for connection to a source of gas supply in the area of said tapered inflation opening and severable therefrom along said circumferential guide marks in the area of said wall opening.

4. A meteorological balloon as in claim 2, said appendix portion constituting means for effectively retarding the influx of air into said balloon subsequent to the severing of said inflation tube portion therefrom, said means comprising a tubular appendix section, said tubular section consisting of plastic material lying free of said load-line and automatically collapsible to restrict any flow of air attempting to enter into the interior of said balloon.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,635,835 Dungan et a1 Apr. 21, 1953 2,764,369 Melton Sept. 25, 1956 2,771,256 Ryan Nov. 20, 1956

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