RibbonDesign

Title: Ribbon Design
[Cover Img]	About: Moderator: Brad Edwards Created: July 6, 2008 Modified: July 26, 2008	Tags: This is a collaborative article Discipline(s): Major Technical Issue, Ribbon

Optimal Ribbon Design

An optimal ribbon design has minimized mass and maximized axial strength;--this is paramount for the space elevator. The ribbon must also have a high resistance to damage.

The baseline ribbon design incorporates aspects to deal with meteors, atomic oxygen, radiation, wind, etc. and does so with a high strength to weight ratio. This design to first order deals with the major issues however the details of the design must be examined and optimized and several major questions must be answered.

What is the optimal fiber size and number? What is the optimal interconnect design, size, spacing, construction,...? Can spun CNT fiber be coated completely with a metal and will it survive the climbers? How will the ribbon react when it is damaged with a micrometeor? What dynamic stresses and oscillations will be created in the ribbon by wind?

All of these need to be answered quantitatively.

Specific Work

1. Definition paper on the driving requirements of the ribbon
   • The driving requirements of the ribbon design are the mass to strength ratio and resistance to damage
2. 3D models of the possible ribbon designs using ODE showing how it deforms under normal operating conditions
3. Models must include friction at interconnects, forces in three directions, realistic response to these forces
4. Include in generation 2 models how the ribbon deforms when it is damaged in different ways: microholes, 5% hole, edge damage, ... this will likely relate back to results found in the stored energy in the ribbon discussion.

File:Ribbon tests.odt : Early ribbon work by Edwards

File:Cable write up.odt : Early ribbon Work by Edwards

Ongoing Work

Title:Open for Use:

Lead: Place Name Here E-mail: Place E-mail Here Focus: Write a brief line or two on what the page is to work on. This is so other might step up to help.

Title:Open for Use:

Lead: Place Name Here E-mail: Place E-mail Here Focus: Write a brief line or two on what the page is to work on. This is so other might step up to help.

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