Sometimes it DOES take a rocket scientist

[archiver]

Posted by Thomas A. Frank, Engineer on team #121, The Islanders/Rhode Warrior, from Middletown (RI) High School and Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

Posted on 5/19/99 10:08 AM MST


In Reply to: Re: Sometimes it DOES take a rocket scientist-THE TRUTH posted by Dan on 5/17/99 5:29 PM MST:




: Origins: There is at least one shred of truth in this tale - then a large snip!

Hello All;

Actually, there is even a bit more truth to it. Back in the early 1980's, someone from
the aerospace field (don't remember whether they were from industry or the military) came to
RPI and gave a little lecture on aircraft engine testing. He brought a movie...scene one, engine
test with dead bird - boom, cannon fires, bire goes in one end, comes out other end. Cooked
faster than the microwave, and pre chopped into bit size peices. Scene two, frozen bird - boom,
cannon fires, test stand literally leaps a good foot into the air, the engine seems almost to bend, there
is a column of flame out the back followed by all the engine innards, which throughly trash the back
of the test cell.

Conclusion - the engine casing can contain worst case engine failure without endangering the aircraft...

Tom Frank