What if the Hindenburg never explodes in 1937? Would they still eventually be phased out by the airplane? Would Hydrogen eventually be replaced with a less explosive gas?
using carbon monoxide from the engines to be pumped into hollow tubes that would comprise the frame, thus lightening them. But, those are also fire hazards as much as the Hydrogen. One other idea was the one of producing the hydrogen gas from the atmosphere as one flew along, thus ensuring a ready supply of lifting gas in event of venting. I didn't "invent" that one.
Here's one possibility: the Hindenberg is taken out of service and overhauled to be the same safety specification as the Graf Zeppelin II. That means much better protection against static electricity and possibly a change in the canvas doping compound to reduce the fire hazard (given the hazardous nature of the original doping compound, note why the canvas cover burned off so fast if you've seen that famous newsreel).
I feel it's important to link this here. Truly a great timeline, one of the ones I'd rank as a board classic...and really short!Honestly the place to play with if you want some more interwar airships is probably the USN ships. If you can save Macon (not that hard) or better yet Akron (might be tough) its much more conceivable for Pan Am to build an American Hindenburg like ship based on the Akron class, and quite likely we see at least one or two ships operational in the opening phase of the Pacific War. They aren't hugely likely to survive, let alone have much impact, but it seems the best Zeppelin wank you can get without messing with WWI. Save the 1919 incarnation of DELAG, or push WWI out a few years and things could be very different, but so much depends on the geopolitical situation I'm not even going to speculate right now.
Ah! That's the revised version of the one I linked to, that's better to read.Got pre-empted by e of pi, but here's another good one.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=310325
That will all please the allies, the more the Nazis spend on airships, the less they can spend on military aircraft.That stuff was a response to Hindenburg's loss though. Honestly butterflying Hindenburg is going to be a question of details. You will get Graf II in passenger service, as well as probably LZ-131 (Somewhat larger Hindenburg derivative that had a few frames laid before things shut down). I'd guess by the time the war starts there will be a 132 under construction butonce Poland is invaded the ships are going to be grounded.
believe the Hindenburg was to be filled with BOTH hydrogen and helium. an inner envelope of hydrogen surrounded by envelope(s) of helium (sort of a safety gas.)
instead of the unavailable helium maybe nitrogen could have been used? if hydrogen leaks into the outer nitrogen envelope ammonia would have been created.
First: nitrogen is minutely lighter than air at the same conditions. Don't forget that air is a mixture of many gases, although apart from water vapor, nitrogen, oxygen, and argon account for all but a very small proportion of it. And since approximately 78% of air is nitrogen, pure nitrogen gas has negligible lifting power/buoyancy at the same temperature and pressure as the atmosphere. You'd need a constant source of heat-not a good idea around hydrogen-to have practical lifting power: in other words, you'd then have a hot air balloon, in effect.
As to hydrogen in the atmosphere: forget it. Yes, there is some but the concentration is so minute as to be negligible. Concentrating it from the atmosphere is not at all practical from the viewpoint of a stationary, ground-bound chemical installation, never mind an airship.
And further, nitrogen and hydrogen do not combine spontaneously to produce ammonia. Nitrogen is sufficiently inert that it has to be forced to combine, either with the application of energy or provision of a catalyst or both. Check out the requirements of the Haber process.
in fact it might be possible to fuel the airship with ammonia or add it to diesel carried for fuel?
Ammonia only burns in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. Are you going to carry oxygen on a hydrogen-bearing airship? The fireworks would be...interesting in the case of an accident.
all that process the Germans would be expert in from fertilizer industry.
as to Hindenburg explosion possibly they needed to switch to cargo service instead of passenger service anyway?
(my scenario, during 1930s, would be regular flight between Germany and Japan)