For some reason, this did not make it onto the PIClist. So a day late, it has lost it's topical brilliance. cc Begin forwarded message: From: Cedric Chang Date: February 24, 2008 9:45:02 PM MST To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." Subject: Re: [EE]: advice on material that is strongest per unit of weight Okay Jack I give up. What can I do for fun now ? You are saying no more crawling under a swaying SUV that is balanced on some river boulders ? No more having someone turn over the engine while I am underneath testing the clutch and transmission ? No more opening the the radiator cap just after driving for 5 miles ? No more shooting at a cast iron bath tubs with a .22 rifle ? No more repairs of 220V appliances while they are plugged in ? No more chain-sawing a tree down one-handed while pushing it over with the other hand ? No more lifting, and pushing and grunting while trying to get a snow stuck vehicle back on the road ? ( said vehicle was idling with manual transmission in 1st gear. ) No climbing out a dorm window and inching 2 dorm rooms over while balancing on a 4 inch ledge while a campus security cop 5 stories down yelled at me ? No more experiments with dry ice in a sealed bottle or gasoline in a balloon or restarting a camp fire with a one gallon container of gas ? No more trying to restart a stalling panel van [ that has had the inside motor cover pulled away ] by pouring a cup of gasoline down the carburetor while the van is moving and two 10 gallon tanks of propane are stored in the rear ? * No more letting my Crown Victoria Ford roll down the driveway ( I did not set the brake properly and the doors were locked ) and leaping away at the last moment when I decide that my body is not going to work as a bumper to protect my Dad's brand new red sports car ( 3 days new ) from the blow? Don't get me started. Cedric * that one destroyed the van, caused over 200 people in a project neighborhood to come out and watch while flames leapt 100 feet in the air and two kids tried to steal the custom wheels. Several people in the crowd kept shouting , " the driver is still in there ". > > > Cedric - > > Much of my life I've worked on automobiles. > > I knew personally 2 guys killed by improvised ramps. > > I've had a jack collapse while I was fortuitously not underneath... > > Spend the money to do it right. > > best regards, Jack > > > > On 2/24/08, Cedric Chang wrote: >> I have bought a pair of Harbor Freight steel ramps ( item # >> 55424-5VGA ) that will support 1000 pounds ( say the specs ). They >> are 6 feet by 228.6 mm. ( Ever since Russell showed me how, I now >> mix measurement units ) Anyway, I want to attach a beam to the >> bottom of each ramp that lays flat in storage and swings down in use >> to give each ramp more ability to support mid-span weight. >> >> I can think of two questions....... >> Q1 : What would be a low cost material that is strong and >> lightweight ? easy to cut ? >> Q2 : What is the optimal shape for such a beam ? a triangle ? some >> kind of hyperbolic thing-a-ma-jig ? >> >> Update: I wrote up a concept paper on this idea. It is located at >> http://oh-dog.com/ramp/concept.pdf >> Take a look and tell me if I have I fluffed the math or structural >> concepts. >> >> Thanks >> CC >> >> If I make a zillion money units off this idea, proceeds will go to >> the old - age - engineers fund. >> >> >> -- >> http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive >> View/change your membership options at >> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist >> > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > > -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist