The use of balloons. Balloons: science, sports, tourism, entertainment...

Balloons are an attribute of any celebration. They give a lot of positivity and lift your spirits. The creator of the bright object is considered to be the English physicist Faraday, who in 1824 made it from several sheets of rubber pressed together. Since then appearance has changed significantly, but the emotions caused by flying surprises remain invariably positive among people of any age. Not everyone thinks that practical use is possible. balloons. And there are a lot of such options.

Interesting ways for the budget conscious

The subject of universal joy is fraught with enormous possibilities. You just have to look from the other side. Many useful items are easy to make for kids:

• Happy drum. The rubber is stretched over the top of the glass jar. With the help of pencils and the child's diligence, the musical instrument will sound. A son and daughter can sit with this toy for more than one hour.
• Painting medium. A slightly inflated balloon will replace the brush. Just dip the edge in paint and make bright prints on a piece of paper. The result of creativity will be similar to the works of great impressionist artists.
• Anti-stress animal. A rubber bag filled with kinetic sand will turn into a calming device. The object can take on intricate shapes, developing imagination.
• Decor for glasses. Cut “tails” of different colors can be tied to the stem of a wine glass. The children's party table will get a bright detail.

The attribute can also be useful for parents. Many housewives will approve of a competent household assistant.

Help with cooking

Kitchen gadgets are expensive, but everyone wants to create masterpieces. Alternatives to contraptions are very easy to find.

Unusual uses of paper towels

Options:

• Delicious dessert plates can be prepared using chocolate and a balloon. The size is selected at will. First you need to make a mount so that the cup is stable. To do this, pour a spoonful of chocolate mixture onto a saucer. The inflated ball is dipped in hot chocolate and placed on the base. All that remains is to cool the masterpiece.
• Some dishes require quick cooling of ingredients, and ice cube trays are not always available. Water can also be frozen in a bright ball. The resulting assistants will provide the required temperature for both food and soft drinks. This option can also be used on a picnic; you just need to stock up on round “mini-fridges” in advance.

Use in the countryside

Leaving for Vacation home, many risk forgetting to take some necessary things with them. It is enough to save the leftovers from the holiday in the closet so that relaxation does not turn into survival.

Ideas for the thrifty:

• The ball can replace a container for liquid; it can hold up to 2 liters of water. From such a “bucket” you can water a recently planted bush or tree.
• Flowers will not wither on the road if you place them in an improvised vase. The savior of plants will be a holiday attribute familiar to everyone. You can also make a full-fledged vessel for a bouquet from it. To do this, it is placed in a bottle or jar and the edges are secured to the neck.
• Seeds for sowing are also well preserved in the ball. You need to pay attention to the lack of moisture, otherwise rotting processes will begin.
• It is very easy to get wet in the rain at the dacha. To prevent a wet knitted headdress from losing its shape, it is recommended to dry it on an inflated ball. The main thing is not to overdo it with the size, otherwise the hat will stretch.

Interesting ideas for reusing cans

Options for Teens

Modern schoolchildren follow fashion and understand many technical innovations.

Not everyone has the opportunity to constantly buy expensive accessories for gadgets, but anyone can make them with their own hands.

Extraordinary ideas:

• It is easy to make a case for a mobile phone from an unusual material. You should inflate the balloon, clamp the outlet hole and place the smartphone on it. Gently release the air by pressing on the mobile phone. When the air is completely released, the rubber will fit tightly to the body.
• To catch the subtle sounds of music and increase the volume, just apply the balls to your ears. In Europe, they do not hesitate to use this method even at classical music concerts. What can we say about the Russian fun disco?

Stories from different countries

Japan is a place of amazing discoveries. Craftsmen came up with the idea of ​​tinkering balloons that resemble deli meats. Such props on store windows attract customers and are completely uninteresting to insects.

In America they paid attention to art. Sculptor Larry Moss created copies of paintings by famous artists. He also developed a collection of extraordinary clothes from balloons. And the aerial sculpture even ended up in the Guinness Book of Records.

Balloons are products made from thin, specially processed latex. When a balloon is inflated with air or helium, its walls stretch and become very thin, so finished balloon products must be handled correctly.

Most often we use round balloons filled with helium or air. That's why they hang on the ceiling or lie on the floor. Immediately after inflation, they are exposed to aggressive environmental influences. Factors that are very difficult to influence include:

Sunlight, under its influence, the walls of the ball are oxidized and destroyed, the stronger the sun shines, the faster the process goes;

High ambient temperature, under its influence, the gas inside the ball heats up, which leads to increased movement of its molecules, as a result of which these molecules quickly leak through the walls of the ball into the environment and the ball loses its ability to fly;

High humidity has a negative effect on the polymer glue applied to the inner surface of the ball; it simply does not dry out and does not prevent the release of helium into the surrounding space;

Thunderstorm, in such weather the oxidation processes of the ball are accelerated many times over.

Negative factors that can be influenced include:

Suspended ceilings, which, in Russian terms, are made of compressed glass wool, sharp particles may remain on their surface, destroying the ball upon contact with them;

Strong wind, in which the balls rub against each other and in some cases may burst;

Dust raised by the wind from a nearby construction site, road, or sandbox acts on the ball like sandpaper, wiping it;

Contact with any sharp or hot objects;

Transporting balls in a dusty luggage compartment.

When using balls, these factors must be taken into account, which means:

1. Avoid direct sunlight shining on the balls.
2. Do not use balloons in hot weather or hot rooms.
3. To ensure maximum flight time, do not use balloons in areas with high humidity.
4. During storms, thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind, do not take the balloons outside.
5. Transport and carry the balls carefully.

In addition to round balls, there are various compositions of balls. When done professionally, they are made without the use of glue. This allows you to give the figures additional strength and use them not only as decoration, but also as a toy for children. Such products are influenced by all the same factors as round balls. But, when using them as a toy, you may encounter a number of problems:

When using such toys, they may burst, scaring adults or children, losing their presentation, or simply deteriorating;

When an explosion occurs, the balls scatter into small pieces, which can lead to injury to both children and adults;

Balloon products can have inscriptions or designs made with permanent markers that can stain hands, face, or clothing;

Some elements made from balloons are very small; a child can tear them off the product and swallow them.

It turns out that not only environment can have a negative impact on the balls, leading to loss of their presentation, reducing flight time, but the balls themselves can also have a negative impact on the person who uses these balls. When ordering balloons, you must take this into account.

In order for balloons to only bring joy at a holiday, decorate memorable moments and not create any troubles or problems, you need to do several things: simple rules security.

The main rule: children under three years of age inclusive can play with inflated balloons (touch them) only under the constant supervision of adults. Children under three years of age should never be left alone with balloons (and helium balloons) if they have the opportunity to reach them.

Older children need to be explained the rules for safe handling of balloons and products (figures) made from balloons. It is recommended that children's behavior around balloons be monitored well into adolescence.

What to do with balloons is completely unacceptable

You cannot bite the inflated balloons and you must not put them in your mouth, under any circumstances. Besides the fact that it is unhygienic, the balls may simply burst in the mouth or near the face. In addition to being frightened, a child may receive a blow to the skin or eyes, or debris from a burst balloon may enter the child’s respiratory tract as he inhales, which can lead to even greater harm to the person. In general, inflated balls and mouths are completely incompatible things.

You should not pop balls near your face for the same reasons. It is especially not recommended to pop balloons for evil fun, wanting to jokingly scare another person (child). A person, especially a child, can really get scared and cry. Balloons should make you happy, but causing fear and children's crying is not the correct use of balloons.

It is completely unacceptable to pop inflated balloons with lit cigarettes. This, by the way, is very popular with tipsy guests who have decided to have fun (to misbehave) at the holiday. The fact is that when a balloon bursts, a powerful expansion of air occurs, which was previously compressed inside the balloon. This air takes with it and spreads the tobacco smoldering in the cigarette. You can set fire to curtains, hair, you can burn clothes, skin... In general, how lucky you are.

Balloons have very thin and highly stretched walls, consisting of either a very thin film or very thin latex. This is how they differ from other inflatable items: beach mattresses, balls, inflatable toys made of durable plastic. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to sit on inflated balloons, or lie on them, jump and gallop on them, lean on balloons. The balloon will inevitably burst, and the person will receive either injury or a painful blow.

Case in point: a mother brings her child a foil figure inflated with helium. The child, in joyful excitement, taking advantage of the connivance of adults, begins to jump on this inflated figure on the floor, playing “horse” with it... The foil figure bursts with a roar, the child hits his butt on the hard floor with all his might and breaks his tailbone , For example.

Dear mothers, take care of the health of your children, do not allow them to jump and race on inflated balloons.

What to do with balloons with care

Young people at parties like to have fun by inhaling helium and then making a “funny voice.” Yes, the helium with which balloons are inflated has a low density, so the ligaments of the larynx, when trying to “speak with helium,” change their vibration frequency, and the person begins to speak a couple of octaves higher, in a cartoonish and “funny” voice.

We won’t discuss how fun or funny it is, let’s just note two points:

Helium gas is completely safe for humans; you can inhale it without the risk of poisoning or other harm to the body.

Man needs oxygen to live. By inhaling pure helium, we completely fill our lungs with it, in which there is no oxygen at this time. If a person's lungs are filled with non-air for a long time, he may suffocate. Therefore, if you want to talk in a “funny voice,” then you need to do this not constantly, with pauses so that the body can breathe the vital air it needs.

Take care of yourself, your children and your loved ones

The first mentions of balloons can be called mythological... They relate to the legend of the ancient Karelians about flying in balloons made of whale and ox skin. They were used as a form of transport, carrying residents from village to village through swamps, forests and off-road terrain. There are tales of buffoons entertaining residents with painted bubbles made from animal intestines.

The actual confirmed invention of the hot air balloon belongs to the great physicist and chemist Michael Faraday. The great scientist and inventor, famous for his discoveries of electromagnetic induction, the laws of electrolysis, who assembled a model of an electric motor and a transformer, drew attention to the sticky qualities of rubber resin. For experiments with hydrogen, he made a kind of bag out of rubber, which became the prototype of the modern flying ball.

People have been talking about air bags used for fun since 1847. It was then that J. G. Ingram introduced the celestial flying ball.

At first, hydrogen served as a filler. The light gas lifted the balloons high into the sky, delighting an audience unspoiled by the wonders of technology. Explosive canisters were used until an extreme prankster set the city's holiday decorations on fire in 1922. The explosion led to the use of safe helium as a filler.

Balloons acquired their modern latex shell thanks to a patented invention by Neil Tylotson in 1931.

Natural latex is obtained from the sap of rubber trees by dispersing water in combination with salts and minerals. This is a durable, elastic and environmentally friendly material. Decomposes well in natural conditions.

Y. BOYKO, head of the department of the Russian Aeronautical Society.

Science and life // Illustrations

Charlier from the middle of the last century was practically no different from what is used today.

Tethered kite balloon.

Soviet reconnaissance balloon.

So now they fill the hot air balloon with hot air.

Collecting seeds from trees.

Balloon crane on a forest skidding site.

Construction of a dam using a balloon.

Diagram of a modern hot air balloon.

This is what the shell and its dome ring look like from above.

Aeronautics in our time is becoming more and more widespread: thousands of brightly colored balloons float over all continents, and even the North and South Poles have been conquered by balloon travelers. For them, finally, a relatively cheap, unpretentious and easy-to-fly aircraft appeared, travel on which gives an incomparable feeling of flight.

For the first time, as is commonly believed, the balloon was born on June 5, 1783. On this day, in the French town of Vidalon-les-Adonnets, somewhat south of Lyon, a so-called hot air balloon - a ball of paper and linen filled with hot smoke - took off into the air. It was made by the brothers Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, paper craftsmen, who were inspired to create such a ball by observing paper being burned on a fire and its charred scraps flying into the sky.

There is, however, not very reliable information about much earlier balloon flights. For example, the one that was raised in Beijing in 1306 during the accession ceremony of Emperor Fo Kien. Or about the one on which the Portuguese monk Bartolomeo de Cusmao flew in 1709. But still, June 5, 1783 is considered the official birthday of the balloon.

And two and a half months later, in Paris on the Champ de Mars, the first Charlier - a balloon filled with light gas - was lifted into the air. It got its name from the French physics professor Jacques Charles, who found a way to fill a balloon with hydrogen. Charlier turned out to be much more effective than a hot air balloon and much more dangerous, since hydrogen is 15 times lighter than air, but extremely explosive. Therefore, subsequently - after the discovery of helium - charliers began to be filled with it.

The first balloons were unmanned, but already in November of the same 1783, people first rose on a hot air balloon - the Marquis d'Arlandes and Pilatre de Rozier, standing in a basket attached to the bottom of the shell. In its center there was a brazier that supplied hot air inside the shell, and the basket itself and the shell were impregnated with a special fire-fighting compound.

In the next decade - during the French Revolution - balloons began their military career, which actively continued into the 19th century. In the Franco-Prussian War of 1871, for example, with their help, constant communication was established with Paris, surrounded by the Germans. In 4 months, 150 passengers and 16,675 kilograms of letters and dispatches were transported on 65 balloons, totaling more than 3 million.

In 1869, a permanent Commission on the use of aeronautics for military purposes was organized in Russia, and since 1870, in the Ust-Izhora sapper camp near St. Petersburg, observations from balloons of the movements of troops and adjustment of artillery fire were carried out. In a number of countries, people appeared who were involved in aeronautics professionally.

The designs of free gas balloons gradually took into account the experience of many thousands of flights. The shell materials became lighter and stronger, and they were impregnated with compounds that minimize the leakage of the carrier gas. The rigging has become more reliable and convenient: cables, slings and other equipment. A modern free-flight balloon is almost no different from what flew a century and a half ago (picture above).

Its shell, made of silk, was equipped at the top with a valve for releasing gas, and at the bottom with an appendix, which also freely communicated with the atmosphere. The gas valve was opened using a cord drawn from it to the gondola. Another cord was also placed there - from the bursting panel, which the aeronaut used to quickly release gas during landing.

The shell was covered with a network of silk cord knitted in the form of loops. From bottom to bottom, the number of loops gradually decreased, and they came off the ball in separate descents, which were then tied to a hanging ring made of wood or a metal tube. The gondola slings, anchor and ballast rope - hydraulic rope - were also tied to this ring. By manipulating it, as well as the gas valve and ballast, experienced aeronauts made long flights.

But a free balloon raised on a leash turned out to be very unstable. Even with a wind of more than 10 meters per second, the observer in the gondola could not perform his functions at all. To hold the balloon, very strong ropes and specially reinforced places where they were attached to the shell were required, and this additional weight reduced its lifting force. To increase the stability of tethered balloons in windy weather, they began to be given an elongated shape and equipped with feathers, and they were controlled using ropes going to ground winches.

Such balloons found their first practical application in military affairs: they were successfully used in Napoleon’s army - to raise observers, and later - in the American Civil War of 1861-1865 - for reconnaissance and adjusting artillery fire. The most widespread design in those years was the tethered kite balloon, which, like a kite, stably soars in the air due to the interaction of the high-speed wind pressure with the shell. Its internal volume is divided by a diaphragm into two compartments: a gas container and the so-called “air balloon”, which communicates with the surrounding atmosphere and is filled with wind flow.

Such balloons were successfully used both in the First World War - for reconnaissance and adjustment of artillery fire, and in the Second World War - as barrage balloons. Military use of balloons continued during the Cold War. Reconnaissance balloons freely crossed the border in the thick clouds; it was almost impossible to detect them with radars. And even if it was possible to detect them, it was also not easy to shoot them down: with a large volume of gas, holes do not lead to a quick leak.

For communication between submerged submarines, long-distance communication balloon antenna systems were developed in the USSR and the USA.

But even in peaceful life, balloons are used quite widely. Strato balloons, for example, provide considerable assistance to astronomers, raising telescopes to such great heights where the transparency of the atmosphere is almost ideal. The Americans were the first to carry out such a lift in 1957, when a stratospheric balloon with a volume of 85,000 cubic meters raised the Stratoscope-1 telescope to a height of 24 kilometers. In the future, similar rises were carried out in our country.

Cases of launching space balloons are also known in the history of aeronautics. In 1960, the Echo-1 communication balloon satellite was launched in the United States using a launch vehicle. Its shell, made of polyester film and covered on both sides with aluminum foil, was located rolled up in a container during launch. Inside it were 20 kilograms of spontaneously combustible acetamide powder. Once the container was opened and heated by the sun's rays, it turned into a gas and filled the shell. At an altitude of 1680 kilometers, the Echo-1 balloon satellite existed for 9 years and was used as a radio reflector. A similar balloon satellite, Echo-2, existed at an altitude of 1030-1310 kilometers for about 15 years. Both of these satellites can be called stratospheric balloons - they were located in the uppermost layers of the atmosphere. Stratospheric balloons are also used for other space needs: for testing space instruments and pressurized cabins, for studying cosmic radiation, for studying jet streams at high altitudes.

And tethered balloons are widely used for the most peaceful purposes: for hauling timber, unloading ships, as crane balloons in the construction of dams, dikes, and in the development of quarries, especially deep ones. It is convenient to use small balloons to collect seeds from elite trees or cedar cones.

At the end of the 1970s, an aerostatic tropopause wind power station (TVES) was designed at the Kiev Public Aeronautics Design Bureau. At an altitude of 8000-10000 meters, where the tropopause (the boundary between the troposphere and stratosphere) is located, there are constant wind currents at a speed of 70-100 meters per second. The concentration of wind energy at these altitudes is 20-25 times higher than at the Earth's surface. Kyiv designers proposed installing a wind wheel and electric generators on a tethered balloon with a fiberglass shell, and transmitting the resulting energy via cable to Earth. The estimated capacity of such a wind farm was to be 1500 kW, and the annual output would be about 10 million kW. h. The project was not implemented.

The last decade and a half has been marked by the flourishing of sport aeronautics. In addition to being easy to control and comparatively cheap, the balloon is relatively compact: when assembled, its shell and basket easily fit in a car trailer. Helium for sport flights is too expensive: each cubic meter costs about 50 rubles, and at least 1000 cubic meters are required to fill the shell. And since the gas has to be released into the atmosphere after landing, only unique flights are made on helium balloons - record-breaking and scientific ones - lasting several days. For travel and ordinary sport flights, as a rule, a hot air balloon is used, the diagram of which is shown in the figure above.

Its shell has a so-called parachute valve at the top. It opens using a control cord, the end of which is lowered into the gondola. The gondola itself, like two centuries ago, is made of willow twigs or reeds, which have good shock-absorbing properties and can withstand impacts during a rough landing.

The load from the mass of the gondola and its contents is transferred to the shell fabric by the vertical and horizontal power strips that weave around it. They, like the shell itself, are now made from lightweight and durable synthetic materials. The shell fabric is treated so that it is airtight, resistant to solar radiation and non-flammable. The lower part of the shell - the so-called skirt - is made of fire-resistant polymer fabrics that can withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees; the air temperature in the shell is usually 90-100 degrees Celsius. It is maintained using one or two burners connected by hoses to gas cylinders, and the fuel is liquid propane, butane or a mixture of both. Liquid gas enters the tube immersed in it due to the pressure of saturated vapors and, passing through the hose and through the pilot-controlled fire valve, enters the evaporator. Here it turns into steam and, mixed with air, burns in the nozzles. The burner power can reach two million kilocalories per hour. The pilot burner burns with a low flame constantly so that the injectors can be ignited from it.

A gas cylinder usually holds about 35 kilograms of propane, which is enough for a hot air balloon flight of 45-60 minutes. Each cylinder is equipped with a safety valve and pressure gauge. When one tank runs out of gas, the pilot switches to another tank. In addition to the burners and cylinders, the gondola is equipped with an altimeter, a variometer (vertical speed meter), an air temperature sensor in the shell, a radio station, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit.

The specific lifting force of hot air at a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius is 0.278 kilograms per cubic meter. This means that a balloon with a volume of 1500-2000 cubic meters can lift half a ton, that is, three to four people and three to four propane cylinders. As the volume of the ball increases, of course, the lifting force also increases. In 1988, a hot air balloon with a volume of 24,000 cubic meters was raised in Holland, its 50 passengers were accommodated in a comfortable double-deck basket.

Unique flights have been made on hot air balloons: a flight across the Atlantic Ocean, an ascent to an altitude of 18,000 meters, a flyby is being prepared globe For two weeks.

A balloon is an aircraft; it must have a certificate of registration and a certificate of airworthiness, which is issued immediately after production and renewed by the commission after flying a certain number of hours. The balloon pilots themselves undergo training in aeronautical schools and, after completing a theoretical course and flying - first with an instructor, and then independently - receive the appropriate documents. Every year they undergo a medical examination and a test of theoretical knowledge.

Each flight is carefully prepared. A route is being developed that should not pass in the areas of airports, military installations, etc. All data about the flight is reported to the air surveillance authorities - date, launch location, altitude and purpose of the flight. After obtaining permission to fly, weather reports are studied: it is important to know not only the strength and direction of the wind, but also the air temperature, cloud height, and types of precipitation. All this allows you to plan your flight and ensure its safety.

The development of aeronautics in our country is actively promoted by the Russian Aeronautical Society, founded back in 1880, which today publishes literature on aeronautics, organizes exhibitions and sports competitions.

The World Aeronautics Federation holds alternating world championships: in even years - for hot air balloons, in odd years - for gas balloons. In our country, the Aeronautics Federation was organized in 1990 and since then has held a number of all-Russian and international competitions. Its members participate in World and European Championships.

It is perhaps worth adding that for residents of many countries, and for some time now also for residents of large Russian cities, advertising balloons carrying on their sides banners or emblems of advertisers, sometimes illuminated from the inside, equipped with sound broadcasting installations, made in the form of some then funny figures. Increasingly, city holidays are not complete without these elegant and important aircraft floating in the air.

Despite its relative conservatism, balloon technology is constantly being improved and balloons are finding more and more new areas of application. This is greatly facilitated by the developments of domestic designers from the aeronautical center "Augur", the companies "Interavia", PC "Vozdukh", "Aeronatz", "Aeroecology", NPF "Aerohypnefo", "Ural-Jikom" and others.

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