Coastal Ron: cable wheel, "spider web" and Ringworld bands (2014–2015)

Design summary

  • Cable wheel (2014). A suspension bridge curled into a circle, with cables joined at the centre like a bicycle wheel and hab modules on the "road". Add parallel wheels for capacity. Cables are mass-efficient and replaceable Coastal Ron, 2015-02-14.
  • SpinCalc: 225 m radius is the smallest that eliminates all side effects at 1 g Coastal Ron, 2014-02-18.
  • "Spinning spider web" (2015). A 1 g station of Zylon/Dyneema Coastal Ron, 2015-09-03:
  • 2 rpm → 450 m diameter at 1 g; Mars g at 170 m diameter at an intermediate level.
  • The rim is made of parallel cords of standard cables joined at plates, so they are replaceable.
  • Only mass that needs 1 g goes at the rim; supplies sit at intermediate diameters.
  • Synthetic rope is ~10× lighter than steel but needs UV protection Coastal Ron, 2015-09-03. JasonAW3: taper the cables, thicker at the hub JasonAW3, 2015-09-03.
  • Dyneema ring load: a 156 mm rope is 14,400 kg/km and breaks at 13,300 kN. At 1 g and 225 m radius, one hoop supports ≤ ~960 kg/m of rim Coastal Ron, 2015-09-12.
  • Ringworld bands (2015). Coastal Ron, 2015-09-13; Coastal Ron, 2015-09-13
  • Bands of multi-ply synthetic cable made in space on a reusable mandrel, with platforms on pylons on the inner surface; 10 m wide; several diameters and levels with different g.
  • Widened indefinitely by adding bands and retiring old ones, so the station is continuously rebuilt.
  • Docking at a counter-rotating floating dock at the station end; power via LOX/LH₂ shipments Coastal Ron, 2015-09-14.
  • 225 m radius, 2 rpm and a 10 m floor give ≈ 14,000 m² (~3 soccer pitches) Coastal Ron, 2015-10-07.

Critiques raised

Open questions

  • Can multi-ply synthetic bands be fabricated in orbit with verified strength?

Sources

Forum posts

  • Coastal Ron, 2014-02-18 (reply #44): 225 m radius. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-02-14 (reply #275): Suspension-bridge wheel. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-03 (reply #601): Synthetic rope. Post.
  • JasonAW3, 2015-09-03 (reply #608): Taper cables. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-03 (reply #612): Spider web; parallel cables. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-12 (reply #629): Dyneema hoop load. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-13 (reply #631): Ringworld bands. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-13 (reply #633): Bands detail. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-09-14 (reply #635): Floating dock; power. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2015-10-07 (reply #680): Floor area. Post.
  • mikelepage, 2016-01-13 (reply #809): Need compression. Post.
  • Paul451, 2023-09-19 (reply #3982): Creep. Post.
  • Coastal Ron, 2023-09-19 (reply #3984): Cold reduces creep. Post.