Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Unusual propulsion system

[TeslaTony@aol.com]

In a message dated 8/19/00 4:57:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, hylands@ibm.net 
writes:

>  The typical cycle time 2 seconds contraction, followed by 12 seconds to
>  expand again.
>  
>  Later,
>  Jon
>  
I don't know where you got your information since the specs I have say it can 
contract in as little as 4 milliseconds (it's better to do it slower though) 
and relax (a more descriptive word than "expand") in the same amount of time 
it takes to cool down.
 There are several factors that can control the speed at which the wires 
expand and contract:

1. How well can heat dissipate from the wires? The better the heat is drained 
from the wire, the faster the wires relax.

2. Really a rehash of above, but how thick are the wires? Thicker wire=more 
mass=slower heat dissipation.

3. What is the "Transition Temperature"? Higher transition temperatures mean 
faster cooling due to greater temperature differentials with the environment. 
Now the flip side of this is that higher transition temps mean slower 
contraction because it is harder to heat the stuff up, but that part is 
negligible.

4. What wattage is going through the wires? More power going through the wire 
will mean faster heating, as long as nothing burns out.

One thing I forgot to mention previously: Muscle wires are very light for 
their strength, which is very attractive in terms of power because there is 
less weight to haul, saving power that can be diverted to powering more 
sensors or other gadgetry of your choice.

Anthony