Dr. William C. Schneider, Zachry Professor of Engineering Practice, and Dr. Ozden O. Ochoa, TEES Research Professor, received a patent for their Tri-Hull Dirigible Airship. Both Schneider and Ochoa are professors in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University.
The dirigible is designed to lift 175 tons of oil field equipment with the ability to place it in an isolated region such as a swamp or isolated forest, negating the need to build a number of roads. It is designed with a capacity to fly 60 miles per hour.
“This patent is my 14th patent involving a company coming to me with a problem and asking for a seemingly impossible solution," said Schneider. "Working with Dr. Ochoa we quickly realized the resolution would involve a three part system as opposed to the proposed individual design the company had originally proposed."
Schneider has been a part of the mechanical engineering department since 2000 after retiring from a 38-year career at NASA as the Johnson Space Center’s senior engineer.
More information on the patent can be found here.