Word: honeycombs
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1992-1992
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...averages only 2.8 cm thick. What prevents this marvel from fracturing under its own weight is a supporting truss composed of thousands of glass ribs that are cast as part of the mirror's underlying structure. Arrayed in a striking hexagonal pattern, the ribs form an airy honeycomb that confers on the mirror the structural strength of solid glass at one-fifth the weight. Because the hexagonal cells are hollow, air can be circulated through them to keep the mirror in constant thermal balance...
Although the conceptual design appears straightforward, the casting of a honeycomb mirror requires considerable technical know-how -- and time. Angel's team tackles the job in their hangar-like mirror lab located, improbably enough, under the stands of the University of Arizona football stadium. In the center of the lab is a huge round furnace. To make a mirror, a complex ceramic mold is assembled inside the furnace and filled with glittering chunks of Pyrex-type glass. Once the furnace lid is sealed, the temperature will slowly ratchet up over a period of several days, at times rising no more...