5 ms·

"Floating in oxidizer" doesn't matter - airships are under such low pressure that leaks are too slow to maintain a flame front. I researched this quite a bit fo

"Floating in oxidizer" doesn't matter - airships are under such low pressure that leaks are too slow to maintain a flame front. I researched this quite a bit for the Army back in the day, even worked with a vendor who fired 50 caliber tracer rounds through an airship to try to get it to catch on fire, and it did not.

MichaelZuo 5y ago
There are rumours that because of this fact, that the Hindenburg disaster was not from natural causes.
- solarkraft 5y ago
  Okay, what’s the alternative scenario and how do we ensure that doesn’t happen?
  - elliottkember 5y ago
    Rips along the seams of the fabric siding causing large surface areas of hydrogen to be mixed, I think?
  - m4rtink 5y ago
    IIRC something about the pain used on the aerodynamic outer shell (the gas cells inside were separate gas tight balloons made from processed cattle stomach tissue (!)). This paint apparently turned out to be highly flammable and/or explosive and could be activated by dischrges of static electricity.
  - ant6n 5y ago
    I think there was static discharge involved, and thermite paint. And of course a giant bag filled with hydrogen, surrounded by oxygen.
    - max-ibel 5y ago
      Iirc there is a great YouTube video with Bill Hammack about this. Highly recommended. https://youtu.be/ixxXhZVFXxQ https://youtu.be/ixxXhZVFXxQ He also wrote a book.
- ElijahLynn 5y ago
  Do you mean that it was sabotaged?
  - MichaelZuo 5y ago
    There are also rumours along those lines. Not entirely unfounded as incendiary bullets were available by the 1930s
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
rozab 5y ago
German Zeppelins were essentially invincible until the British invented incendiary ammunition. Their conventional rifle rounds would harmlessly punch through the gasbag. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomeroy_bullet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomeroy_bullet
aaron695 5y ago
In this doco they run through the ammunition types they tried and actually fire some from WW1 and they still worked. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/zeppelin-terror-attack/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/zeppelin-terror-attack/

MichaelZuo 5y ago

There are rumours that because of this fact, that the Hindenburg disaster was not from natural causes.

solarkraft 5y ago
Okay, what’s the alternative scenario and how do we ensure that doesn’t happen?
- elliottkember 5y ago
  Rips along the seams of the fabric siding causing large surface areas of hydrogen to be mixed, I think?
- m4rtink 5y ago
  IIRC something about the pain used on the aerodynamic outer shell (the gas cells inside were separate gas tight balloons made from processed cattle stomach tissue (!)). This paint apparently turned out to be highly flammable and/or explosive and could be activated by dischrges of static electricity.
- ant6n 5y ago
  I think there was static discharge involved, and thermite paint. And of course a giant bag filled with hydrogen, surrounded by oxygen.
  - max-ibel 5y ago
    Iirc there is a great YouTube video with Bill Hammack about this. Highly recommended. https://youtu.be/ixxXhZVFXxQ https://youtu.be/ixxXhZVFXxQ He also wrote a book.
ElijahLynn 5y ago
Do you mean that it was sabotaged?
- MichaelZuo 5y ago
  There are also rumours along those lines. Not entirely unfounded as incendiary bullets were available by the 1930s
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

rozab 5y ago

German Zeppelins were essentially invincible until the British invented incendiary ammunition. Their conventional rifle rounds would harmlessly punch through the gasbag. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomeroy_bullet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomeroy_bullet

aaron695 5y ago

In this doco they run through the ammunition types they tried and actually fire some from WW1 and they still worked. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/zeppelin-terror-attack/ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/video/zeppelin-terror-attack/