Recent Comments:
Spy Shots: Porsche 998 911 mule {Autoblog}
Jul 16th 2008 3:58PM Stupid question but I've always liked them on pre-production cars, typically astons or porches: what type/who makes the style of wheel on for example this porche?
Japanese firms working to make carbon fiber mainstream {Autoblog}
May 12th 2008 11:06PM Actually carbon fiber is the best structural material in terms of energy absorption. Depending on the application your looking at something like 10-12 times the amount of energy absorbed in a CFRP part compared to a similarly strengthed steel part. All of the energy goes into delaminating the carbon strands from the epoxy, and physically breaking the individual strands themselves. Another added bonus is that it absorbs all of this energy in a very small space, as compared to a steel part which you need to engineer to crumple in on itself in order to absorb the energy. Aluminum is better than steel at this, but still requires extra space to form a "crumple zone".
MINI offers free driving lessons {Autoblog}
May 11th 2008 7:39PM According to my somewhat dated drivers ed manual they switched it from 9 and 3 back to 10 and 2 because when the airbag deployed the drivers hand would be pushed sideways to backhand the passenger in the face, causing serious damage on both ends. I personally dont see how this could happen if the passenger has an airbag deploying as well, but...
Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy {Autoblog}
May 8th 2008 7:39PM Although you can get about twice the energy storage per weight in a flywheel over the best batteries every suggested application I've heard of flywheels being used has been shelved for safety concerns. For example they were looking at using flywheels instead of batteries for energy storage on some satellites: basically just punch up some pre-stressed ceramics so that the outer edge is just barely still subsonic, and keep it on magnetic bearings to minimize friction loss. You want to be using strong but light materials because energy increases linearly with weight, but exponentially with velocity (KE=1/2mV^2). Unfortunately, if the bearings fail or something happens you have you have what amounts to a 15-150 lb buzz saw blade whipping around at 700mph. You should see the facility they were testing these flywheels at - makes a bomb shelter look like a cardboard box. The only current day application that I've heard of for using flywheels at that level of energy storage is on trains, which are apparently safe enough that you dont need to surround said flywheel with 6 feet of reinforced concrete.
Dream Job: Bentley launches online employment portal {Autoblog}
Jan 24th 2008 2:16AM Dont suppose anyone knows if American citizens can apply for the Graduate Development Program?
Detroit 2008: Corvette ZR1 chassis display {Autoblog}
Jan 14th 2008 11:57PM Suprisingly balsa wood is usually the standard to beat in terms of sandwich core materials. It offers much better strength characteristics than most polyurethane foams or skinned polypropylene honeycombs, and you dont run into the low sheer strength problems usually associated with a non-skinned aluminum honeycomb. Costs less too.
Audi hiring 800 in 2008 {Autoblog}
Jan 6th 2008 4:16PM I'll join the crew asking for a direct link to this - I couldn't find anything looking through audi's career websites either.
2007 Holiday Sweepstakes Day 5: DashDAQ Series II {Autoblog}
Dec 14th 2007 1:05PM That would make a pretty good x-mas present.
2007 Holiday Sweepstakes Day 4: Set of Kumho ECSTA DX Aroma tires {Autoblog}
Dec 13th 2007 1:19PM Is the lavender oil really neccesary?
