Air-Supported Structures, Domes and Covers Require Tough Textiles

摘要

There are many applications for air-supported domes. How about one that would supply cover for an entire city, or one that could be used on the moon. These were just some of the possibilities seen by Life Magazine when it featured a story on this emerging technology almost a half century ago. The brave new world didn't actually work out in real life as Life predicted. But air-supported structures, domes, and covers have had an interesting evolution. In some arenas they still represent a very viable technology. In some others they have been discredited. The original idea for an air-supported structure design was developed and patented by Walter Bird and his fellow engineers during the 1940s and '50s at the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratories. When Cornell lost interest, Bird and his colleagues started a company called Birdair Structures Inc., in November 1955 in Mr. Bird's home in Williamsville, NY.