The Prince of Darkness!...... I grew up *hating* that M/f'er! *Magic* smoke, please........ Cheers, Ian
+1 I'd seen the ad for the kit before, but those Q&A's were new to me, and some of 'em are *epic*! Ohh, you gotta be careful mixing Lucas smoke with American smoke!...... Something to do with right hand drive, 50HZ and positive (albeit floating) grounds. "Good luck". Cheers, Ian
As of yesterday, boeing is still officially sticking with the lithium: "Boeing is confident in the safety and reliability of lithium-ion batteries," said Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel. "Our years of experience and deep expertise confirm that, like other technologies, when the appropriate battery, system and airplane protections are in place, lithium-ion batteries deliver significant benefits," Birtel said. And the latest from from airbus on the subject: Boeing competitor Airbus plans to avoid using lithium-ion batteries in the A350 long-range liner under development, a company source told AFP on Friday. "The first planes will be delivered with cadmium, not lithium batteries," the source said, adding that the airliner's first test flights will nevertheless take place with lithium-ion batteries.
Bloomberg News: Boeing May Offer Interim 787 Fix This Week, Seattle Times Says Boeing May Offer Interim 787 Fix This Week, Seattle Times Says - Businessweek
jcurry Quote: The plan calls for a titanium or steel box to be put around the battery cells, and high-pressure tubes to be installed to vent gases outside the aircraft when they catch fire So, jcurry, why in H... would you deliberately falsify what Boeing said????? The quote said "If they catch fire", not WHEN... Do you have stock in Airbus, or????
The batteries have caught fire in the past. If the only thing they are going to change is the box in which they reside, then it is not a matter of if.
Agree. This is not a solution this is a crash aversion technique. I'm amazed personally that aeroplane safety is now so apparently casual. Pete
Titanium can catch fire and if it does it burns like hell. They might us steel, but it still is not a very reassuring solution.
While strictly you're correct, I don't think that was the intent. Rather a little 'tongue in cheek' comment about an incredibly serious issue. Hopefully, Bob and some other *real* aircraft guys get to work on the problem - 'Venting to the outside in case of fire' doesn't sound like a good plan to me....... Cheers, Ian
My intention was not to mislead anyone into believing that the sentence as I structured it was what Boeing actually released. I apologize to anyone who was. The point is, should Boeing put out such a statement when the reality is closer to what I wrote than what they stated. Are you willing to be over the N. Pacific 3 hrs from the nearest suitable airport based on their statement? Their FMEA has been shown to be completely inaccurate. Putting a box around the battery does not change that in the slightest. They probably should have had such a box around the batteries in the first place. If they had, I would have expected the airplanes to still be grounded given that the reason for the events is apparently still unknown. The only place on an airplane where there is a contained fire is between the compressor and turbine stages on the engines.
Agree It is not casual. I seriously doubt the FAA and NTSB will okay a "Fire Containment System" for an EXPECTED FIRE in the pressurized section of this aircraft. This sounds like something suggested in a brainstorming session by Executives. We all know the CORRECT solution is to STOP THE CAUSE and it doesn't appear they have reached that conclusion yet. I won't fly on one until they do.
Yes it does. I've done it and it burns nearly as fiercely as the Li batteries themselves. Yeah, lets surround the burning battery with titanium. Better yet, magnesium, just to save weight. What a bunch of dumb asses.
Boeing announced today that they think they might have a solution. They want to increase the distance between battery cells and put ceramic spacers between the cells. Really hope this works. Hate to see these fantastic planes parked. We need Boeing to prosper... They're all we've got now. We'll see...
Whoa! I dunno about that - Seems more like a damage limitation exercise than a solution! It should stop the "cascading" problem, but if one goes up it still seems *very* sketchy to me. I wonder if this is an "engineering" or a "suit" solution? Cheers, Ian
That will help mitigate the thermal run-away but I still haven't heard what the true cause and resolution is. What ever it is, it has to be bullet-proofed through and through or they can't leave the ground. The jury is still out on this one.
