Re: Toroid Design

To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
Subject: Re: Toroid Design
From: Esondrmn-at-aol-dot-com (by way of Terry Fritz <twf-at-verinet-dot-com>)
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 21:50:57 -0700
Approved: twf-at-verinet-dot-com

In a message dated 12/19/98 6:34:55 PM Pacific Standard Time, tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
writes:

<< > The two existing toroids are made from 5" diameter corrugated black
 plastic
 > drain pipe bent into a circle around a .25" thick acrylic disk.  It is
 then
 > covered with clear packaging tape then aluminum foil tape.  Does this
 same
 > pipe come in larger diameters like 8" or 10"? 

 Yes it does. Call up an irrigation supply place or a larger plumbing
 wholesaler. Here in LA, Familian might be one to start with. However, the
 stuff is pretty stiff, and you'll have a very tough time bending it into a
 4' diameter torus, unless you do some surgery on the inside of the bend to
 remove some plastic.

 Why not go with a tube frame scheme like Gregy Leyh used on Electrum (and
 Nikola did on Wardenclyffe, for that matter).  Light weight, good
 performance, etc. If you could find some nice soft, cheap aluminum tubing,
 it would be almost idea.
  >>
Jim,

I had not considered that I couldn't bend it.  The 5" stuff was a bit stiff
and I had to drill holes in the two ends and use lacing cord & tie them
together as tape alone would not hold it.  I was hoping I could do that also
with the larger stuff.  The 10" x 50" toroid that I would like to make will
cost quite a few dollars in aluminum tape alone, it is not cheap.  I like the
looks of the tubing/frame toroid designs but think they would be too heavy for
my light weight set-up.

Ed Sonderman