Purpose: The leveling process is a critical metric during the non-forming ascent phase, yet research in this area remains insufficient. This paper aims to propose a leveling model based on the correlation between leveling and volume expansion to address this issue. Furthermore, the effects of the leveling process on vertical velocity, temperature and pressure differential are analyzed, refining the prediction of the non-forming ascent for airships. Design/methodology/approach: The leveling model is integrated into the thermal-flight dynamic coupled prediction model. Variations in temperature, velocity and altitude during the ascent are analyzed. The validity of the model is validated by comparing results with those of other scholars. Furthermore, the effects of different trigger volumes and leveling rates are investigated. Findings: The leveling process increases the vertical projection area and reduces the climbing velocity. For an airship with a volume of 8,578 m³ and a ceiling height of 19.5 km, the preformed minimum vertical velocity is 18.7% to 40% lower than that of the nonleveling and the forming velocity is 20% lower. This forms a “step” in the velocity peak, which is strengthened as the leveling is achieved more quickly and earlier. Additionally, it also reduces the volume expansion, delays the initiation of super-pressure and alleviates the “supercooling” phenomenon, resulting in a helium gas supercooling temperature during forming that is 16% higher. Originality/value: A leveling model is presented for the non-forming ascent of airships. At the same time, both the supercooling phenomenon and the vertical velocity undergo “step” variations. These findings provide insights into the lateral control and pressure differential control of airships, as well as the prevention of cold adhesion during the ascent process.

Aerostats, operating persistently in near‐space, have garnered attention in remote sensing, communication relay, and disaster monitoring applications. Integrating large‐area conformal antenna arrays onto their envelope surfaces can enhance electromagnetic functionality while reducing the aerodynamic and structural penalties of externally mounted rigid antennas. However, deformation of the flexible envelope may alter the antennas’ geometry, input matching, and radiation characteristics. A deformation‐tolerant flexible conformal antenna array for near‐space aerostats is developed and mechanically and electromagnetically characterized under wind loading, cyclic bending, controlled curvature, and aerostat inflation. The sixteen‐element antenna array is integrated onto four aerostat models (scale, dolphin‐shaped, jellyfish‐shaped, and disc‐shaped). Across the four platforms, the largest within‐platform variation in measured |S ₁₁ | among the tested inflation states is 1.12 dB. Radiation‐pattern measurements reveal configuration‐dependent changes in gain, sidelobe level, and half‐power beamwidth after platform integration. Ground and low‐altitude flight tests demonstrate orientation‐dependent microwave signal reception, showing the potential of the array for near‐space communication and directional microwave sensing.

Pre-embedded metal inserts provide a direct load-introduction path for filament-wound composite tubes without cutting the load-carrying fibers. This study evaluates the room-temperature axial tensile response of T700 carbon-fiber/TDE86 epoxy tubes containing grooved, internally threaded TC4 titanium-alloy inserts after one programmed low-temperature conditioning cycle and separately examines a small ambient end-enlarged configuration. Twenty-one destructive test records were analyzed: nine ambient constant-section (“equal-section”) specimens, nine independent equal-section specimens after a 25 → −70 → 25 °C chamber-setpoint cycle followed by 24 h at room temperature, and three ambient end-enlarged specimens. At 1 mm/min, the three cohorts had mean peak loads of 81.39, 81.31, and 88.26 kN and coefficients of variation of 14.04%, 8.70%, and 7.85%, respectively. The −0.07 kN difference between the two independent equal-section cohort means does not establish equivalence or absence of a conditioning effect, and the three-specimen end-enlarged comparison does not isolate a causal geometry effect. Macroscopic failure was dominated by insert pull-out accompanied by visible adhesive/interfacial separation, laminate-layer damage, attached fragments, and local splitting. Because local slip, bond-line deformation, and system compliance were not measured, equilibrium and competing limit states are used only as a qualitative framework. The results concern post-conditioning room-temperature response, not in situ performance at −70 °C.