Every adult has a memory of a bright balloon bursting into the sky in the depths of his soul. This is probably why now the donated balloon gives a good mood and a smile.
The balloon is an indispensable attribute of birthdays, weddings and any other celebrations. And it's absolutely impossible to imagine a children's holiday without it. What is its magic? Perhaps in striving upward, in the ease with which he rises to the sky?
Balloon magic
Modern balls that can fly are filled with gas. Its density is significantly less than that of air, which allows it to fly higher and higher. The gas, which has a lower density, fills the inner space of the ball and is acted upon by the buoyancy force of the air.
The most common balloons can be inflated with your mouth. But such balloons cannot fly upward, since the density of carbon dioxide exhaled by a person is lower than the density of air. They need wind to fly. But light gas allows the ball to rush up on its own.
How the ball learned to fly
The history of the appearance of balloons has more than one hundred years. There are mentions of sacks made of leather of bulls dressed by Karelian craftsmen, filled with warm gas, with the help of which they moved over short distances. These testimonies date back to the XII century, but scientists have not found precise confirmation of their truth.
And here is the documented chronicle of the birth of balloons:
- The great-grandfather of balloons was the results of an experiment by Michael Faraday, as a result of which he created rubber bags filled with hydrogen. It was they who began to be used as decorations for holidays, flying in the air to the delight of people.
- A year later, do-it-yourself kits appeared on sale, representing a tube of liquid rubber and a can of gas. Children received their first inflatable toys.
- In 1922, a disaster struck, which nevertheless contributed to the development of the "ball" industry. During the city festival, balloons filled with hydrogen exploded. Since then, the use of dangerous combustible gas has ceased and absolutely safe helium has been connected to entertainment.
- 1931 was the year of birth of latex balloons. Now it became possible to create balls of various shapes for the delight of children.
Now balloons are produced not only from latex, but also from foil - of various shapes and sizes. For inflation, helium or a mixture of helium and air is used, which guarantees complete safety and gives the balloons the ability to fly far into the sky.
What do you associate the holiday with? Fun, delicious treats, and of course balloons! It seems that picking up the balls is quite simple, but it is not. In this article, you will find some tips to help you make balloons one of the main "highlights" of the upcoming celebration.
If you want to surprise the hero of the occasion with an unusual bouquet and think that fresh flowers are too commonplace, order a bouquet made from balloons. Such a bouquet will not fade for a very long time and, of course, will certainly please the person to whom it is intended!
Balloons can be a wonderful decoration for a wedding. They will look great not only in the form of arches or wall compositions: you can make the balls one of the main "characters" of the holiday. For example, a helium balloon with confetti will be very effective, which will burst at the right moment, for example, during the first dance.
Balloons filled with helium will help you very effectively present a small and fairly light gift. For example, if you put them in a huge box tied with a bow, then as soon as the ribbon is untied, the balls will slowly pull the gift out of the box. Remember: the lifting force of one ball is approximately 1.5 grams! If the thing that you want to present weighs too much, it is not necessary to tie it - such a presentation will in any case be remembered for a long time by all the participants of the holiday!
If the celebration is celebrated in the summer season, it is worth remembering that the balls should be chosen in light shades. This is due to the fact that ultraviolet light has a destructive effect on latex, which means that the surface of the balls must reflect light.
So that the balls retain their shape for as long as possible in bright sunlight, you can inflate one ball inside the second: the inner one will maintain the desired shape, and the outer one will take on the destructive effect of light rays.
You shouldn't buy balls in advance: latex quickly deteriorates when overheated or hypothermic, and it is not always possible to maintain the optimal temperature regime.
It is not recommended to use balls in rooms where temperature changes often occur. This is due to the fact that the air or helium with which the balls are filled, with a change in temperature, rather quickly loses its original volume. The balls will begin to deflate, and their appearance, instead of delighting the guests, will evoke a slight melancholy.
If you need the balloon composition to retain its original appearance as long as possible, use the balloon foil service.
Of course, foil balls are more expensive than regular ones, but they do not deflate or deform within 10-14 days. These balls are perfect for children's parties: little ones will be able to take the balls home and use them as toys for a long time! You can also order balloons treated with a special polymer compound that "seals" the pores in the latex, thereby extending the flight time. Processed balls will delight you up to two to three times longer than ordinary balls. 
Balls can be used as a substitute for flying lanterns, which are far from safe and can cause fires. You can order special glowing balls: if you release them into the sky at the moment of the culmination of the holiday, the spectacle will be quite spectacular.
If you are planning to decorate the room with helium balloons, choose balloons made of latex or foil. Moreover, if the balls float under the ceiling, it is better to choose round balls without drawings, which no one will see anyway.
If you want your holiday to be decorated with the brightest balloons, opt for latex.
Want to decorate the bonnet of your wedding car with balloons? It is better to give up this idea: such a "composition" will last no more than one hour of driving, and if the car accelerates to 50 kilometers per hour, the balls will burst immediately.
If you are planning to give the holiday some kind of "madness", you can use helium balloons for other purposes. Helium, when inhaled, quite funny changes a person's voice, while it is completely harmless to health. Do you want your wedding video to be truly original? Let the guests say their congratulations, having previously inhaled helium into their lungs!
If you decide that balloons will be the best decoration for the upcoming celebration, then you are not mistaken! Bright and light balloons will float above the guests, like butterflies, creating a wonderful festive mood. Use the above tips and ideas - and the balloons will delight you even longer, and will make the holiday more memorable and original!
Now I am planning to promote a page on the topic of balloons to the TOP.
I decided to educate the public a little and tell the facts about balloons that may seem interesting. Let's start with them, so!
Popular balloon shapes
Probably, you shouldn't talk for a long time about the shape of balloons, everyone knows them. The most popular is the shape of an ellipsoid of revolution - a shape that occurs when an ellipse rotates along one of its axes. The classic ball shape is also popular.
For Valentine's Day, heart-shaped balloons are very popular.
Another popular form of balloons is the so-called "sausage" - a long ellipsoid. This long ellipsoid can be shaped to any shape by bending the ball where you want it. This is how the shapes of rings, knots, animals are obtained. A great opportunity to show your imagination!
And, of course, there are a huge number of balloons in the form of various animals and colors.
Types of balloons
There are a different number of types of balloons, among which the following should be noted:
- Standard balloons made of latex.
- Balloons for modeling- the very "sausages" that can be given any shape.
- Packing balloons used as storage for things. They have a wide neck and are usually transparent or translucent.
- Balls with double tails are used to create complex spatial structures.
- Self-blowing balloons can inflate on their own due to a chemical reaction.
- ... Usually they are filled with helium, and inside them there is a weight, which is needed so that the figure does not fly away. As a result, such a figure sways from any breeze.
- Milar (foil) balloons.
Filling balloons
Balloons can be filled with both gas and water. Filling with water is used for various hooliganism: for example, you can throw such a ball in front of a passer-by from the balcony, which brings a lot of laughter and positive emotions (usually the passer-by is not funny, although rare individuals come across). This kind of ball even got the name "water bomb".
The most popular gases are helium, hydrogen, methane, neon and nitrogen. These gases are lighter than oxygen, which allows balloons filled with them to fly upward. The most popular is helium or helium-air mixture, as this gas is safe and also non-toxic.
The balloons rise upward because the gas filling them is lighter than the surrounding air. Many gases, in particular hydrogen and helium, are less dense than air. This means that at a given temperature, they have a lower mass per unit volume than air.
When such light gases are pumped into the balloon, it will rise until the total weight of the gas envelope, basket, load and ropes is less than the weight of the air displaced by the balloon. (Since air is considered in physics like a liquid medium, the same law applies here as for bodies immersed in a liquid.) Hot air, which is less dense than cold air, also rises. While hot air is not as light as some gases, it is safer and more easily reproducible with propane burners mounted under the neck of the balloon shell, which is usually made from a lightweight fabric such as reinforced nylon. Hot air filled balloons usually remain in flight for several hours, but without additional heating of the air inside the envelope, they will gradually lose altitude.
Molecules at different temperatures
- When the air is cold, the molecules move slowly and close together.
- When the air heats up, molecules begin to move faster and diverge to the sides, filling a larger volume.
- Since the heated aircontinues to expand, it becomes less dense.
- When the air is cooled,molecules lose their speed, volume decreases and density increases.
- The balloon lies on its side. Propane burners heat the air inside the shell, which will cause it to swell and rise upward.
- Hot, light air (picture below the text) rises up inside the shell and then flows down along its walls. Cold air is squeezed out through the throat, the weight of the shell with air decreases and the balloon rises up.
- Pilots maintain or increase flight altitude by periodically turning on the burners. As long as the air inside the shell is hotter than the outside, the lift overcomes the force of gravity.
- The balloon shrinks as the filling air cools and contracts. Pilots can accelerate their descent by releasing hot air through an opening at the top of the balloon.
Interaction of pressure, volume and temperature
Interdependence of three parameters. Gas pressure, volume and temperature are interrelated. At room temperature (near right), the movement of gas molecules inside the vessel creates a certain pressure. If the volume is> less than half (middle figure on the right), the internal pressure is doubled. As air heats up (far right), its pressure rises and volume increases in proportion to the rise in temperature.
It would seem that it could be simpler and clearer than a balloon familiar from childhood. However, if you think about it, many questions arise. How, for example, and how are the beloved balloons inflated? Could aerodesigners really be able to prepare a huge number of them to decorate the holiday by inflating them with their mouths ?! And balls for modeling, which look like long sausages and are used in twisting, also cannot be inflated without any devices. Let's talk about everything in order.
Air
To decorate rooms, create unusual shapes or to organize the release of balloons from the ceiling at a large event, the balloons will be filled with simple air. They do it in the following ways:
· As already mentioned, you can use your mouth to inflate a small amount of balloons at home. This activity is fun and you can attract all family members to it. Children should not be left alone while playing or inflating balloons, as this can be dangerous.
· A hand pump is used by aerodesigners to inflate a small number of balloons to create compositions and figures, filling with air SHDM (balloons for modeling).
· The electric compressor is used by professionals to implement large projects that require a huge number of balls. Some models come with a set of nozzles to make it easier to inflate various balloons. This device is not suitable for home use, as it costs a lot of money.
These are the most effective methods and devices for inflating balloons with ordinary air.
Helium
Hydrogen, neon, helium, methane, and carbon dioxide can make the balloons fly up. Helium was selected from this list because it:
· Non-toxic, safe;
· Has an affordable price;
· Creates good lifting force;
· Not flammable and not explosive.
It is stored and transported in cylinders of different sizes, and the balloons are inflated using a reducer screwed onto the cylinder. Thanks to helium, we can enjoy whimsical arches, garlands, fountains and balloon clouds.
Mixture of gases
Today giant balls are in vogue. They are used to decorate holidays, used for photo shoots. Filling this whopper with helium is optional, and unprofitable. Air designers partially inflate the balloon with helium so that it can fly, and fill the rest of the space with air using a pump or gearbox. The walking balloons are filled in the same way, since the balloon inflated with helium will not fly up with the weights, and if there is not enough helium, it will lie on the floor.
Water
For hooligan purposes, the balls are filled with water, creating a kind of "water bomb". When it falls, it bursts, and water from it splashes on the sides. The "criminals" are especially happy if a passer-by is nearby. It is worth remembering that the risk of being caught is too great, so it is better to look for more peaceful fun.
These are the most popular balloon filler options. However, in the field of aerodesign, every day they come up with something new and creative, so at any time the list may be replenished with unexpected items.
