View Single Post
Old 01-23-2023, 01:10 PM   #15 (permalink)
aerohead
Master EcoModder
 
aerohead's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Sanger,Texas,U.S.A.
Posts: 15,892
Thanks: 23,969
Thanked 7,221 Times in 4,648 Posts
structural concerns

My greatest fear has always been shock-loading due to killer pot-holes, even on the interstate highways.
In engineering parlance, its 'jerk', which is an instantaneous acceleration.
If there isn't sufficient rigid triangulation in some tension member, spanning from the top of the car's rear, angled down to the tip of the extended stinger, if the car strikes some nasty road hazard, the car 'must' undergo a sudden change in position, however, if there's 'slop' in the structure, it can allow the tail to 'remain' where it 'was', because of its inertia and momentum. It's now become 'elastic'.
And if the stress or strain exceeds even one attachment point, anywhere along that pathway, the thing can begin to unravel and separate.
Sum of all fears!
Given that there are 'three' sections, there just needs to be some inelastic member ( maybe just section of woven steel cable ) which achieves a level of pre-tension ( preload ) as each nested section locks into it's fully-extended position.
The first main cavity will have to pickup and carry the load of the two traveling cavities.
After that, I don't see any major impediment.
Crosswind will be acting on a diminishing and rounded weathervane. The further the moment ( wind-induced torque ) is acting from the center of gravity, the smaller it's transverse aerodynamic footprint becomes.
It would be blowing on the pointed end of an ice cream cone.
You should have essentially zero rear lift. The pressure at the tip is equal to the forwards stagnation point, minus the skin-friction component associated with the turbulent boundary-layer.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Your high conspicuity paint scheme will alert the un-anointed that your car is 'LONG" and don't hit it! (reminds me of Korean War-era US Sabre Jet fighters ).
__________________
Photobucket album: http://s1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj622/aerohead2/
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to aerohead For This Useful Post:
freebeard (01-23-2023)