🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec17.035214.15058@u.washington.edu>, basiji@stein.u.washington.edu (David Basiji) writes:
=>Unless you wrap the flywheel in a massive enough container that it can absorb
=>all that energy without vaporizing, you're going to have an explosion.
=
=I would design a housing of Kevlar or Spectra woven around a thin lead
=alloy lining. The lead would prevent small particles from penetrating the
=weave by distributing the force over an area larger than the mean cell
=size of the fabric.  The weave would contain any larger particles so that
=the energy would be dissipated within the housing by all the mechanisms
=mentioned before, as well as a considerable portion from particulate
=collisions within the housing.  The housing would be relatively light
=and could be formed into fairly complex shapes. Cost would not be prohibitive
=, probably on the order of $300, with economies of scale.

You're saying, then, that you couldn't melt that container with a blowtorch and
on the order of a gallon of gasoline?  And that you STILL couldn't melt it if
you managed to apply all that heat in the course of a fraction of a second? 
Sounds like pretty impressive stuff to me.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carl J Lydick | INTERnet: CARL@SOL1.GPS.CALTECH.EDU | NSI/HEPnet: SOL1::CARL

Disclaimer:  Hey, I understand VAXen and VMS.  That's what I get paid for.  My
understanding of astronomy is purely at the amateur level (or below).  So
unless what I'm saying is directly related to VAX/VMS, don't hold me or my
organization responsible for it.  If it IS related to VAX/VMS, you can try to
hold me responsible for it, but my organization had nothing to do with it.