[geeks] Re: the Hindenburg disaster....

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Wednesday, June 19, 2002 at 20:38:35 (+0000), Kris Kirby wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] Re: the Hindenburg disaster....
>
> On Wed, 19 Jun 2002, Greg A. Woods wrote:
> > "got away with"?!?!?  History lesson time!!!!   :-)
> >
> > (or did you mean: "got away with flying them over USA soil"?  ;-)
> 
> I mean, didn't someone *realize* what they were making them out of?

Well, on the technical history side I'm sure they knew exactly what they
were making them of -- just not what the consequences of all those
combinations might be.  The details of airship engineering are quite
complex, and were even in those days.

The German engineers probably knew more about metal fatigue at the time
than anyone else too, yet when the inspection records reveal direct
evidence of fatigue-induced failures they apparently didn't even attempt
any quick repairs before making a trans-Atlantic journey.....

Why the Titanic was made out of britle steel plates too!  Shouldn't they
have known the consequences of that too?  :-)  (and it didn't even
manage a single trans-Atlantic crossing!)

As has been pointed out the German engineers made quick changes to the
next model when they learned of the disaster, no doubt after making some
quick tests to confirm their theories of its cause.....

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;  <woods at robohack.ca>
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