On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 16:48:21 GMT, Mark Thorson
wrote:

Robert Clark wrote:

Robert Clark wrote:

Another method would be to use several microwave ovens of the
same 6kW size used by Yan et.al. simultaneously, each working
on its own seed diamond. If we used a hundred of these we could
get an equivalent total size of a 30 meter mirror in 90 days.
...

Correction. If several 6 kw ovens were used to make separate
segments it would take more ovens than this or a much longer time.
If 900 ovens were used, you would you get 900 segments each 1 m
wide. At 150 microns/hour this would take 1000 mm/.150 mm/hr
= 6667 hours, or 278 days.

Oh, nuts. NOW you tell me. After I bought the ovens! :-)


Don't want to get involved, but your extrapolation of 1/2.664 = 3.75
to get a 30 m mirror from an 8m is incorrect. The drooping is
proportional to the square of the diameter. The stiffness is
calculated using moment of inertia mr^2 etc. I believe you can only
go by square root = 1.93 to get a large mirror 15.5 m. Of course,
there's the saving in ovens .
John Polasek
If you have something to say, write an equation.
If you have nothing to say, write an essay