The Huntsville Concrete Rocket

eric writes: "Students at the University of Alabama in Huntsville have designed and launched the world's first concrete rocket. Video of the launch can be found on their site" Look to the bottom of the page. What's next? Concrete cell phones? I could use a cell phone that could float.

Comments

Re:For more info about this concrete malarky

[Ioldanach]

Calling it a concrete rocket is a bit misleading however IMHO - if it is like the boat, it's got a very thin layer of concrete ( < half an inch) over the top of a structure made from another material.

And IMHO, you should read more about the current state of concrete boat races. The boat raced in 2001 is a concrete hull. No support structures, just the concrete. Granted, the fill components are anything but mundane, being far more advanced than basic crushed stone. From the website:

UAH's flexible concrete is the end product of more than 200 different combinations that were mixed and tested. It is made of Portland cement, glass microbeads (microscopic hollow spheres), latex, acrylic fortifier and water. Mix in the right proportions, then dry for 12 hours. The end product is concrete so light that a solid block will float in water, and so flexible it can bend without breaking.

The canoe itself flexes and is tuned to the harmonic wavelength it travels at in the races. I suggest reading their old press release from the 2001 races.