Onion Crane (Advanced Light-Weight Lunar Gantry)

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

This is a highly advanced Ganty/Crane (Onion Crane)


It can condense to the size of 15-20Ft by 3-5Ft, with a weight of about 6,000 lb (Refer to Drawing/PDF). when it's fully inflated it can stand about 50 feet off the ground (Please note that the legs can be significantly smaller, this was designed if it was on the earth and it could lift 7,000-15,000 lb. (Please also note that the cad model is very minimalistic)



The main structure (the inflatable part) is layered with first Kapton as the bladder material, then Kevlar, with Nomex on top (This protects from the extreme temperatures and the MMOD Impacts). Finally, on top, it is coated with aluminum, whether that be foil, paint, or fabric (This is used to protect against UV as plastics degrade much faster Under UV light) (refer to picture for more info).



Please Note: I did not add solar panels to some of the pictures as It would obstruct the view of the actual design. Note: Look at Drawing/PDF for more info.



Control Panel:

Antenna

Gas Regulation System

Safety Control

Communication Systems

Power Control Systems

Hoist Control System

(Look at Drawing/PDF for more info)



So, the crane can dock to the camp It uses a special cord with a "what I call the" Onion Knot Plug (refer to picture to see design). It has a positive, negative, and ground so the crane can charge during the lunar night. The draw node is used when the crane is not in use and fully charged where it will give power to the camp during the lunar day. Signal node allows the camp or earth (using the camp antenna) to communicate to the crane manually in case the antenna breaks, also it will have less noise than the signal going by an antenna. (Look at Drawing/PDF for more info)



There are strap hoists on the rope (refer to drawn images) near the base of the crane to allow manual tightening (They should already be at their correct tightness when blown up but if a wire HAS TO CHANGE this can help).



On the opposite side of the leg of the control panel, the battery sits, for easy access.



The rope, wire, and straps are made of Kevlar coated in aluminum.



The wheelbases are bearings/slip rings to allow for multi-directional usage.



The wheels extend when blown up but stay retracted before being blown up saving a lot of space. This uses a clap/clip slide on the wheelbase till it "clicks" into place, with extra space it can allow for minimal suspension helping have softer landings (even though it is on the moon it may still need suspension)



The wires that follow the top of each leg all lead to a spool. When deflated the spool will be completely rolled up to make sure that the wires won't get stuck on other objects. As it starts to inflate the spool unrolls. The use of the wires is to strengthen the inflated legs by creating tension in the opposite way the rope pulls.



For all edges of the inflatable legs and the bases of the steel eyes, It may require Whipple Shield to make sure that this crane is almost completely leak proof.


Lastly, on the inside, there are metal reinforcements to allow the legs to have lower pressures, I did not model it as it is not required and it would make the model much more complicated, but I would imagine it would be folded and would snap into place once the crane inflated.



For more information, please look at Drawing/PDF, if you have any question please email me at Zealousllc.co@gmail.com