Re: Rotary gap safety - RE: spark gap muffler?

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "G by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <bog-at-cinci.rr-dot-com>

>Hi Chris, and Gregory,
>  >
>>  I saw a video once of one of Greg Leyh's big rotary gaps coming apart at an
>>  SRL show.  The parts breaking away (a bearing got a primary arc and
>>  suddenly welded solid I think) hit that shield like a ton of bricks!!
>>  Heavy steel plate, well bolted down, not only to control parts but to
>>  literally control an "explosion" is needed!  If the rotor comes off, or
>>  worse, cracks away so it suddenly becomes super unbalanced, you will have a
>>  monster on your hands really fast!!
>>
>>  I looked at:
>>  http://www.srl-dot-org/
>>  but they don't have a video of it up.  It was pretty cool!!  
>>
>>  This is obviously a much larger concern for a publicly demonstrated coil
>>  with an audience filled with lawyers...  A daily inspection probably with a
>>  check sheet is a good idea to insure consistent safety.  Small low RPM
>>  rotors are far more tame but I always position the rotor so I am not in the
>>  plane of the disk incase something flies off and I usually have Shields
>>  unless I am fiddling with them :-))  
>>
>>  Cheers,
>>
>>     Terry
>
>
>
>Hi Terry, Chris, et al!
>
>Here is a quick table of how fast things are thrown from the edge of a disk
>running at 3600 RPM. As you can see, things get real nasty, real quick.
>Diam    Tangential
>(in.)        velocity (mph)
>4.00 42.8
>5.00 53.5
>6.00 64.3
>7.00 75.0
>8.00 85.7
>9.00 96.4
>10.00 107.1
>11.00 117.8
>12.00 128.5
>
>Matt D.

Great chart Matt, but if we evaluate 128 mph, it is only about 1/7 
the speed of a normal bullet, and my 30-30 lead bullet weighs close 
to what a 3/8" X 1" tungsten electrode would. :)
Steel plate isn't out of the question though, very compact, just 
expensive, I'd probably use wood if I had a need to armor.
I agree that steel is a good idea for a publicly exposed unit!

-- 


ICQ 95403614