Posted on 10/01/2005 6:10:57 PM PDT by strategofr
Everything we have seen really neat like lexan etc I believe was pretty much discovered by accident.....
Wasn't the sugar free sweetner aspertame (sp?) a rat poison in development ?
Sorry outside my field. Maybe a Chemist here can answer. I stick to Mechanical Engineering.
An aerodynamic shape with negative lift.
Little known fact: when aircraft models are tested in wind tunnels, they are tested "upside down" so that lift forces are added to the weight of the model. The model is "pushed" down instead of up.
For another example of a shape which is pushed down in a wind, look at one of the genuine Mexican Sombreros. The real big ones with a turned-up lip around the outside. Despite the American perception that it is just a goofy-looking hat, it is an areodynamic surface which causes a wind to force the hat tighter onto the wearer's head instead of lifting it off and blowing it away.
OK....:o)
Stay safe !
Three more tequilas, and I'd believe you.
LOL. Not similar to my "experience" at all, though. I ended up at a slow crawl, surrounded by about 30 cyclists, who spat on the car (a rental), and made all sorts of rude comments, including the usual speculation about Corvettes and their male drivers (I had a Boxster reserved but they overbooked and that was what I got). They even insulted the girl I was with, who was a bit naive and actually asked them for directions.
Had I backed up, I would have flattened several of them.
yoi desho nee!!!! daijobu koto dessho nee!!!!
Hey, thanks.
See, I knew we could and were/are doing better than trial and error. It only makes sense that chemists and physicists using super computers could come up with new stuff.
This is so cool. Wonder how long it will take for some of this new stuff to show up commercially?
Ultralight cars and bikes will be really great, but think what it will mean to aviation and space - lighter planes and rockets, less fuel. And how about stronger framework for highrise buildings, or super ships like carriers twice current size or subs diving twice as deep? And what top speeds might be possible? How about stronger lighter armor plating?
Awesome possibilities.
Toyota is a gigantic company with many interests ranging from mining to space. A few years ago they certified an aero-engine (which was then never produced) and they had Scaled Composites build a proof of concept aircraft which was tested under great secrecy for about two years. They never said "boo" about it in public, but just cause it says "Toyota" don't assume it's destined for the next Camry.
A theoretical/molecular approach to alloys development is not new. I believe the lithium alloy that Airbus is using for the "forehead" or upper nose of the freight version of the A380 was developed this way. Of course lithium is not entirely new; some marks of F-15 have lithium alloy wing skins (lighter than anything that's a solid metal at ordinary temperatures). That alloy was developed traditionally.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
It will be tough, elastic and yet exceedingly hard. And from this sword will come miracles. And then will come Toyotas, and tent poles, and flatware.
For some of us bicycle (weight) technology has long since passed the point of diminishing returns. Just give me a chain lube that needs to be applied but once a year while sloughing off dirt in Seattle's rainy environment...
I quit the local (and I believe the largest nationally) bike club once I'd determined its membership, not to mention leadership, was largely comprised of such. That they preferred cycle-commuting, no problem -- so did I (for *myself*; it was easy on the pocketbook, enjoyable, faster than driving, and good for my health). But they didn't stop there...
The Revised Code of the state of Washington (RCW) permits riding two abreast on the road. IMHO a bad rule, but there it is.
But I agree: bicycle-riders and cyclists alike ought to know and obey the law. I wish the police were more aggressive at ticketing violators...
Would there be trim tabs for varying conditions?
cool stuff
please add me to your futuretech list
try a cobra 454 composite with a 7.5 degree some butt whuupin tool
This stuff will first be first used in a golf club within 4 months and all of the weekend duffers will take out second mortgages in the hopes of shaving 2 strokes from their +25 handicaps.
Welcome aboard!
Foam aluminum has been around for nearly 20 years or more. I have a sample packed away in a box somewhere. I also have a foam carbon sample that is really cool as well. The foam ceramics are the really interesting materials though. Once upon a time I used to be on top of this new advanced materials stuff. Then the Cold War ended and we are lucky to use the stuff on golf clubs and tennis rackets.
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