Combustible Sky Lantern Base Frame for Zero Residue Decomposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sky lanterns, made of bamboo base frames, paper envelopes, and metal wires, leave residues that harm the environment when they fall and decompose slowly, posing a threat to wildlife and ecosystems.
Innovation Solution
A combustible sky lantern design featuring a combustible base frame with a combustion carrier and an envelope-connecting rim, where the combustible object is positioned to spread fire to both the base frame and hot air balloon, ensuring the entire lantern burns down to minimal residues like carbon and water vapor, reducing environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional sky lanterns are made with bamboo base frames and metal wires, then structural strength and stability are improved, but environmental harm increases due to non-decomposable residues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter of the base frame from non-combustible bamboo and metal to combustible materials such as paper or fabric. This parameter change allows the entire base frame to be consumed during combustion, transforming it from a persistent environmental pollutant into a temporary structural component that fully decomposes into harmless residues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material construction where the base frame combines combustible structural materials (paper or fabric) with the combustible envelope material. This composite approach ensures uniform combustion characteristics throughout the entire lantern structure, enabling complete decomposition without leaving metal wire residues that would harm the environment.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the base frame and envelope are made of combustible materials, then environmental impact is reduced, but structural stability during flight may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the base frame with a circular or annular configuration rather than rigid angular structures. This curved geometry provides inherent structural stability while maintaining flexibility, allowing the combustible frame to maintain its shape during flight and combustion without requiring non-combustible reinforcement materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material properties to different parts of the base frame structure. The frame uses combustible materials with specific structural characteristics optimized for both flight stability and combustion performance, while the envelope uses combustible material optimized for heat retention and controlled burning, achieving local optimization of both stability and environmental compatibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The combustible sky lantern minimizes environmental harm by burning down to nearly zero residues, reducing the ecological footprint of sky lantern releases, as both the base frame and hot air balloon are made of combustible materials that fully combust, leaving only carbon and water vapor.
Implementation Method 1
a simple combustible object is firstly placed inside the sky lantern, then the combustible object is burned to generate heated air for inflating an envelope of the sky lantern
Implementation Method 2
the envelope could be inflated to a stage that the sky lantern can fly. By burning the combustible object to heat up the surrounding air, the entire sky lantern can fly by the heated air inside the envelope
Implementation Method 3
After a fire at the combustible object spreads to the combustion carrier, the fire would further spread orderly to the envelope-connecting rim and the combustible hot air balloon
Data Source
AI summary
A combustible sky lantern includes a combustible base frame and a combustible hot air balloon. The combustible base frame includes a combustion carrier and an envelope-connecting rim. The combustion carrier combustion carrier is used for positioning fixedly a combustible object to be ignited as a flame source. The envelope-connecting rim is connected with the combustion carrier. The combustible hot air balloon, fixed to the envelope-connecting rim, is to contain thereinside a heated air generated by burning the combustible object. After a fire at the combustible object spreads to the combustion carrier, the fire would further spread orderly to the envelope-connecting rim and the combustible hot air balloon.