Dynamic simulation of breakaway characteristics of tethered aerostats

A tethered aerostat may break away due to the cable damage caused by abrasion or strong wind. In order to avoid losing the aerostat, the discharge valve will open automatically when the aerostat escapes into the air. It is necessary to know its breakaway characteristics because it is different from those of the launch process. This work develops the dynamic and thermal models for tethered aerostat breakaway characteristics with the finite difference method. Based on the developed models, a computer program in FORTRAN is developed. Then, the program is used to simulate tethered aerostat breakaway characteristics, including ascent and descent behaviors, flight altitude, flight duration, and the influence of the discharge valve characteristics, ascent velocity and hull volume on the hull overpressure. The simulation results are helpful for better understanding tethered aerostat breakaway characteristics and for developing tethered aerostat breakaway control strategies and systems.