Internal support structure for an airship

A method of support for an airship comprising:

• providing an airship, said airship having a front end, a tail end and an overall length from the said front end to the said tail end and a skin, said skin having an internal surface and an external surface , a fore section proximate said front end , a central section, and an aft section proximate said tail end, said airship further having a central portion, a fore portion and an aft portion;
• providing a central member oriented generally fore and aft within said airship, said central member having a central portion, a fore portion and an aft portion, and said central member running said length of said airship;
• providing at least one central attachment point proximate to the said internal surface of said skin and which central attachment point is affixed to said internal surface of said skin by at least one consisting of the group consisting of hingedly, slidingly and fixedly;
• providing at least one radial strut, said at least one radial strut having a near end and a far end and an inner end and an outer end, said inner end slidingly, hingedly and lockably attached to said central member and said outer end hingedly attached to said at least one central attachment point such that said inner end may be slid along said central member with said outer end held in fixed longitudinal position with respect to the said longitudinal axis of said central member while the radial position of said outer end is free to move during collapse or expansion thus allowing the said strut to change position with respect to said central member from parallel through perpendicular;
• providing at least one first guy, said at least one guy having a first end and a second end;
• attaching said first end of said at least one first guy by at least one selected from the group consisting of slidingly, hingedly and fixedly to at least one chosen from the group consisting of said fore portion of said central member and said aft portion of said central member, and attaching said second end to said at least one central attachment point;
• thereby supporting the skin of said airship;
• using said central member, said at least one radial strut and said at least one first guy to support longitudinal compressive loads and longitudinal bending moments placed on said airship.

An airship having a front end and an aft end and having an overall length from the said airship front end to the said airship aft end and an internal support structure, comprising a skin, said skin having an internal surface and an external surface, said skin further having a central portion, a fore portion proximate said front end and an aft portion proximate said tail end;

• further comprising a central member oriented generally fore and aft within said airship, said central member having a fore portion, a central portion and an aft portion and running said length of said airship;
• further comprising a plurality of central attachment points proximate to the said central portion of said internal surface of said skin and which are affixed to said internal surface of said skin by at least one chosen from the group consisting of hingedly, slidingly and fixedly;
• further comprising a plurality of radially oriented struts each having a first end and a second end, and each attached at said first end lockably and slidingly to said central portion of said central member so as to allow said struts to lie along said central member so as to allow collapse of the support system along said central member, and said second end attached to at least one of said central attachment points;
• further comprising a plurality of first guys each having a first end and a second end, wherein said first end of at least one of said plurality of first guys is attached to one chosen from the group consisting of said fore portion of said central member and said aft portion of said central member, by at least one selected from the group consisting of slidingly, hingedly and fixedly, and said second end of said plurality of first guys is attached to one of said plurality of central attachment points;
• whereby said central member, said at least one radial strut and said at least one guy are operative to support longitudinal compressive loads and longitudinal bending moments placed on said airship.