wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (04/27/84)
In the vein of 'spinoffs', I have a question concerning the heat tiles used on the shuttles. From what I understood and read (from the media, so I don't trust the reports 100%), the tiles are designed to absorb heat on reentry and dissipate the heat over a longer period of time. I seem to recall a news report that featured a guy heating a tile with a torch for about a minute, then picking up the tile with his bare hands and not being burned. Now, my question is, if the tiles do indeed have this property, would it be possible to line a gas or oil=fired furnace with these tiles, apply heat for a short period, then turn off the heat and allow the stored heat to slowly dissipate, thus providing a heat source over a long period of time and saving fuel? Could this be a possible use in the area of conservation? If engineered correctly, could a whole new generation of devices be developed to take advantage of the heat retention properties of the tiles? T. C. Wheeler
cmaz504@ut-ngp.UUCP (04/27/84)
That's funny I thought it was just the opposite:the tiles are suppose to dissipate heat very quickly. One story I heard said that during one of the demonstartions after he had heated the thing up to >1000 degrees the engineer grabbed hold and nearly burned his fingerprints off. Apparnetly the tile only cools quickly on the edge and he grabbed it in the middle (could be the other way around).