rear windshield issue

the current barrel is about 12 feet long. We calculated the volume of it to be the volume of the tank when compressed to 125 PSI. 20lb propane tank with a 2" ball valve in the end with a trigger operated air cylinder that slams the ball valve open and discharges it into a 4"ABS pipe. Water frozen in a hand cream tub just slides down the barrel and self lubes itself going in and out. Pivots on a piece of rectangular tube that we slide on a fork (forklift) and use a step ladder for an elevator mechainism. Have a small ball valve with an air fitting on it to hook up to the air system. Close main ball valve, set trigger to off, load "bullet", charge tank, Yell 'all clear', one final check to see no one coming down the Fraser and fire it. Most times can get it in the mud on the far side of the river. Not the main arm but the side channel. It's about 200 yards from where we set up to the other side.

 

oh, current project is a turbo jet engine from an old turbo off a Hino truck. Powered by propane. Currently amassing parts for it. Will probably have it operational this fall/winter.

 

Frank:

That sounds remarkably similar to the "chicken gun" that Adam and Jamie built for the show Mythbusters.

They wanted to see if aviation windscreens really can resist a bird strike. Of course, they botched the test by using regular plexi windscreens from light aircraft, like a Cessna 172, which are not strike-rated anyway.

Doesn't matter, the chicken blew out the barrel, through the windscreen like it wasn't even there, and into the empty lot behind the building. Nothing better than "science" that is also fun.

A propane-powered "jet" engine from a Hino turbo? It should work, the Super Constellation used a "super compound" piston engine that combined a turbocharger with a supercharger. Remarkably similar to what you're building.

And to think that when we disappear to work our women don't think we're being creative.

Jay

 

the day the creativity stops the carpenter goes to work making a box that they put you in and then nail the lid down. Hot or cold your choice. Should really decide first as you won't have a choice once the process starts.

 

Amen brother ...

 

It would be nice if all the glass in the Prius (or any car) would auto-dark if excess solar radiation was detected and the car was off. Would keep the car much cooler for when you come back in. It took at least a 1/2 hour to cool down the car yesterday, which really hampered my MPG.

Of course in the winter you would WANT solar heat to enter.

 

Dan:

Ever watch This Old House on PBS? Tom Silva, what a character! Anyhoo, as a very pricey option you can get home windows with an LCD panel, so you can either have clear or dark, or inbetween. Want an LCD TV in your window, no problem.

Yeah, like I'd spend $40,000 for a window that can display television when a regular dual Low-E dual Argon fill tri-pane in the same size is $800.

But it does raise the issue of why car makers can't introduce the auto-dark feature.

Not too sure if I've ever felt much "solar gain" from my car at -40. It's only single-pane, so it cools off just as fast.

Jay

 

There's a big difference between auto-dark and LCD TV. Think of LCD TV in your window being thousands of tiny individual panes of glass, each with its own separate control. If TV were non-interlaced, it would be 640Hx480Vx3C panes (C for RGB) or 921K 'panes' of glass. Just creating auto-dark would require one big LCD pane with one control.

But auto-dark is what the rear-view is doing.

And you could take auto-dark through GA or PA without ticketing. Just adjust the darkness appropriately. Now with THIS technology standard, I could see applying tint laws to non-residents and residents alike.

 

Yes, there is a big difference between having to drive an interlaced NTSC or non-interlaced signal and just dimming the window. However, the model home on This Old House had both in the same window. Quite a trick. A very expensive one too, perhaps in 10-20 years all cars and homes will be equipped this way.

 

Shouldn't be as expensive for the monochromatic dimming only.

 

Just the dimming is "reasonable" but still beyond the means of most homeowners. A picture window around 40h by 30w that option alone adds around $1,800 to the price.

Up here, you can get a top of the line insulated PVC, tri-pane, urethane spacers, dual Low E, dual Argon, for around $1,100 in the same size.

I know I would have a *very* hard time justifying it. Blinds and curtains are cheap in comparison.

But like anything else, with increased production and economies of scale, maybe in 10-20 years all windows - home and automotive - will have the autodim feature.

 

I've worn Vari-Gray glasses for years, at least 25, so why not on autos' You can't have a tinted windshield, so tunnels etc. wouldn't be a problem. I've never had a problem in tunnels with them despite what the skeptics claim.

 

I don't think the splotches have to do with low E. I always thought it was a safetly glass thing. Automotive safety glass is a sandwich of glass and plastic, and I think the splotches are interference patterns caused by variations in the stress of the safety plastic. You can't see the splotches when you look straight through the window - they've only visible when looking through the glass at a fairly oblique angle while wearing polarized lenses.

 

the side and rear windows are tempered glass, the windshield is the only laminated glass in automobiles. As I've only seen it on the tempered glass it's possible that it's from the tempering process.