Interesting Material Sciences Problem - Page 2

Azisien · 08-13-2011, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smarty McBarrelpants

CNTs are only really strong in a single direction. Missile would explode that bitch hard out.

Could you stack them in a rotating circular manner (like chitin protein is laid down in many insects) to form super-duper anti-missile armour?

Loyal · 08-13-2011, 11:16 AM

Given the size of the structure, I'm guessing the use of carbon nanotubes would go beyond "prohibitively expensive" and edge into the realm of "more money than what actually exists."

Barring, of course, magic.

Azisien · 08-13-2011, 11:21 AM

Moon....Nanotube....Activation!!!!

Professor Smarmiarty · 08-13-2011, 11:26 AM

Well what people do is they basically inject CNTs as stabilisers into fibres made from other polymers which makes fibres that can be woven into say a combat jacket and they are one of the toughest materials known- if I remember they are about 5 times tougher than spider silk. I don't think anybodies made anything out of them yet.
Except Damascus steel!

But it's still more like stop a bullet than a missile. And like if you want to stop a missile you've got a lot of thinks you have to stop. You have to stop the initial impact of just a big bit of metal flying really fast at you, you need to stop the explosion which applies both lots of heat and lots of force and you'll need to stop sharpnel. Like you could design materials to stop (or at least mitigate) each of these factors but the problem is that the better you stop one thing the worse you are going to stop the others. Surely you're best bet is just fuckloads of metal plates which you go patch up all the time.

TDK · 08-13-2011, 01:05 PM

Also there pretty much isn't a material that could actually stop the type of railgun shot you are talking about.

Like these things punch through dozens of FEET of solid metal. And these aren't even the ones that are deployed yet. (they are hooked up to a more limited power grid, whereas most battleships of the kind that would have railguns, to my knowledge, are nuclear powered and thus have a little more oomph than your average grid-hookup.)

Like maybe if your walls were absurdly thick, but that still wouldn't even take little to no damage. It just wouldn't actually penetrate the building.

If you wanted to protect against things like that, your best bet would be being deep underground. But that has its own defensive problems.

As an engineer, I would go with magic. Or maybe some kind of superscience? Force fields maybe. :I

stefan · 08-13-2011, 11:38 PM

its not actually crystal, its sculpted aerogel. the name is just all marketing.

Overcast · 08-14-2011, 06:07 AM

But isn't aerogel as fragile as a clod of dirt?

stefan · 08-14-2011, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Overcast

But isn't aerogel as fragile as a clod of dirt?

aerogel has a ridonkulous amount of compressive strength.

08-13-2011, 11:26 AM	#14
Professor Smarmiarty Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: K-space Posts: 9,758	Well what people do is they basically inject CNTs as stabilisers into fibres made from other polymers which makes fibres that can be woven into say a combat jacket and they are one of the toughest materials known- if I remember they are about 5 times tougher than spider silk. I don't think anybodies made anything out of them yet. Except Damascus steel! But it's still more like stop a bullet than a missile. And like if you want to stop a missile you've got a lot of thinks you have to stop. You have to stop the initial impact of just a big bit of metal flying really fast at you, you need to stop the explosion which applies both lots of heat and lots of force and you'll need to stop sharpnel. Like you could design materials to stop (or at least mitigate) each of these factors but the problem is that the better you stop one thing the worse you are going to stop the others. Surely you're best bet is just fuckloads of metal plates which you go patch up all the time. Last edited by Professor Smarmiarty; 08-13-2011 at 11:30 AM.

08-13-2011, 01:05 PM	#15
TDK Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Reality Posts: 2,914	Also there pretty much isn't a material that could actually stop the type of railgun shot you are talking about. Like these things punch through dozens of FEET of solid metal. And these aren't even the ones that are deployed yet. (they are hooked up to a more limited power grid, whereas most battleships of the kind that would have railguns, to my knowledge, are nuclear powered and thus have a little more oomph than your average grid-hookup.) Like maybe if your walls were absurdly thick, but that still wouldn't even take little to no damage. It just wouldn't actually penetrate the building. If you wanted to protect against things like that, your best bet would be being deep underground. But that has its own defensive problems. As an engineer, I would go with magic. Or maybe some kind of superscience? Force fields maybe. :I Last edited by TDK; 08-13-2011 at 01:27 PM.

08-14-2011, 06:07 AM	#17
Overcast Cinderella Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Trespassing in the graveyard Posts: 3,076	But isn't aerogel as fragile as a clod of dirt? __________________ Time to bust out the glow sticks!

08-13-2011, 11:21 AM	#13
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	Moon....Nanotube....Activation!!!!

08-13-2011, 11:38 PM	#16
stefan Sent to the cornfield Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 870	its not actually crystal, its sculpted aerogel. the name is just all marketing.