quipment Description
Syringe
The metal syringe used to dispense the alloy will have various sized, short,
screw-in Teflon nozzles with no needle attached. Its plunger has been
modified so that it is threaded. This will not only allow for greater
control of the volume dispensed for each drop, but will also allow for a
more efficient seal between the plunger and the syringe.
The syringe will be heated to 1-7 (to be determined during the testing
phase) above the melting point of the alloy used (158F) by wrapping it with
nichrome wire with enough voltage applied through a variac to maintain this
temperature. A normal metal thermometer will be placed between the nichrome
windings and the syringe to monitor the temperature of the syringe.
Additionally, a kill switch will be placed in-circuit and attached to the
side of the frame where it will be easily accessible to the operators and
crew. To prevent the syringe from leaking during the 1.8 G portion of the
flight plan we have moved it from a vertical position, entering the tube
from the top, to a horizontal position, entering the tube from the side.
Pipe
The 3-foot long, * inch thick, acrylic pipe will be entirely sealed during
the flight. Where the syringe protrudes from side of the pipe, an acrylic
box will enclose it to prevent hazards in the event of a leaky seal and to
prevent burning from contact with the syringe.
Frame
The structural frame will be constructed of welded aluminum bar and will
support the pipe in an upright position with a base that can be bolted to
the 20" by 20" floor attachment fitting with steel bolts. To minimize the
risks of collision by a floating object, the entire structure will be
contained within an aluminum, box-like, padded frame. The variac will be
mounted to the frame with all wires insulated and secured to avoid snagging
and electric shock. The overall dimensional footprint will be approximately
24" by 24" by 40" high.
Collecting Wheel
A funnel will be attached to the bottom of the tube that dispenses the balls
into a collecting wheel. The collecting wheel will be mounted to the base
of the frame so that it can rotate, allowing each ball to be directed to its
individual numbered container. Between the funnel and the wheel will be a
plate with a single hole where the bottom of the funnel is, allowing access
to one container on the wheel at a time. While one container is lined up
with the funnel, all of the others will be covered to prevent direct contact
with alloy 158.
Camcorder
A small camcorder will be mounted to a camera pole at about 3 feet above the
floor of the aircraft to record the formation of the balls.
