Material Science Question....

[aramis]

In the (now ancient) article by Christopher Thrash on material science and limitations on starship size (here),

I do wish he hadn't capped at 6G... and had gone to the canonical 10 Tm/Td limit specified in FF&S for T-Plates.

 

[niemand]

In the (now ancient) article by Christopher Thrash on material science and limitations on starship size (here), there's a set of tables for the Material Density in 1ton/m3, 3tons/m3, and 8tons/m3 - and I have no idea what the heck he's talking about.

"Material Density" is another name for "mass density of the vessel (p)," which is defined above. The last sentence before the table justifies the three levels shown as "representative."

 

[infojunky]

In the (now ancient) article by Christopher Thrash on material science and limitations on starship size (here), there's a set of tables for the Material Density in 1ton/m3, 3tons/m3, and 8tons/m3 - and I have no idea what the heck he's talking about.

Could somebody please explain this to me as if I have a doctorate in a very soft science?

Grognard I may be, but this is the part I like least about many editions of Traveller...

Thanks in advance!

D.

Heh, Shades of the TML.

The article stems from TNE discussions about ship size, and material limits. Yes, we did often get into the weeds then.

TNE's FF&S gave us numbers to play with and we did, looking for the limits. Thus the exposition on materials science. I.e. how big can it be before the frame of a ship deforms maneuvering thrust.

Please note these same discussions also generated things like Pachyderm Mounted Particle Weapons, Orbit Capable Pogo Sticks. And of course PGPM (Pelvis mounted, plasma guns).

For a deeper dive in to the Weeds, the discussions of T4's Pocket Empires.