Multibody system model of a cargo airship to study the load exchange process

Projected cargo airships for the transport of large loads exceed the dimensions of existing aircrafts and gave rise to various technical problems. One important task in an airship mission is the loading and unloading of the heavy and spacious load from the payload bay of the airship. In order to study the dynamics of the load exchange process, mathematical models of the airship including the oscillating load frame are developed. The hull together with the load frame represent a multibody system. Crucial aspects contributing to the dynamics of the system are the floatation of the flying crane and nonlinear couplings between hull and load frame. Furthermore, added masses of the surrounding air are considered. Oscillations of the load frame are excited by wind loads, airship maneuvers and winding up the cables.