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Hyperdiamond

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Fri, 2012-07-13 15:19
#1
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Hyperdiamond
-Hyperdiamond A molecularly perfect form of carbon, despite its name, this lattice is formed of carbon with Sp2 (graphene type) rather than Sp3 (diamond type) covelant bonds. It pushes the boundaries of max theoretical chemical bond stregnth. This material is more than twice as hard as diamond, while having tensile stregnth greater than that of Carbon-nanotube. Chemically pure samples of hyperdiamond approach perfect translucency. Blocks of this material are usually nanomachined to have access channels bored into it for quick nanite access, for repair or reshaping purposes. First developed by Argonauts after recovering samples created by TITANS after the Fall, creating more was incredibly energy intensive and uneconomical until recently. A joint project between the Atlas Institute and House Emiya has seen the rise of the manufacturing technique spread among the Argonauts, and are currently negotiating with the Titanians for a contract to provide them with Hyperdiamond. (Armor Modifiers: +20 DUR (to armor), Double Original Base Armor value for Hyperdiamond armors. Add Expensive ++ to cost)
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As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.
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Fri, 2012-07-13 15:34
Prophet710 Prophet710's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Still cool though, reminds me of Diamond Age.
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Fri, 2012-07-13 20:06
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
I think you are overestimating its effectiveness as an armor. A solid, non-flexible material does not absorb kinetic impact in any way, and as a result would probably allow any and all inertial force through. This means that you can be hurt relatively easily with a club, and even a bullet despite being prevented from piercing the flesh, would be about as effective against you as a punch. It's like an old thought experiment I remember talking with someone about. Do you know how safe an indestructible bus would be for passengers? Not as safe as the destructible one… because at least that bus has a crumple zone.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Fri, 2012-07-13 20:11
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
I understand Decivre... Although Level III soft body armor will not allow a 12GA shotgun slug (conventional) penetrate through, the sheer shock can still kill you, and thus Level III soft body armor is not rated as being able to stop 12GA slugs. This doesn't mean the Hyperdiamond armor is made from pure hyperdiamond, or has nothing but hyperdiamond. It just means it uses a very significant amount of hyperdiamond throughout its construction.
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As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.
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Fri, 2012-07-13 20:59
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
NewAgeOfPower wrote:
I understand Decivre... Although Level III soft body armor will not allow a 12GA shotgun slug (conventional) penetrate through, the sheer shock can still kill you, and thus Level III soft body armor is not rated as being able to stop 12GA slugs. This doesn't mean the Hyperdiamond armor is made from pure hyperdiamond, or has nothing but hyperdiamond. It just means it uses a very significant amount of hyperdiamond throughout its construction.
Still, doubling base armor is a bit excessive for a modification. I simply don't see a hard-to-destroy material adding that much effective protection. Especially since most armors from the day are probably already very close to "hard-to-destroy". Plus, there are other issues. If hyperdiamond is translucent, then why would it in any way protect you from energy weapons? Isn't it more likely to let a laser pass right through? Moreover, it probably carries carbon's natural tendency for being very conductive with heat, so you are still very vulnerable to a flamethrower. If I were to rate this sort of mod, I would go with it adding +0/+4 to the armor's values. This would represent a definite boost in impact armor potential (being just under reactive armor for impact protection effectiveness), while being largely ineffective in protecting against energy weapons.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Fri, 2012-07-13 22:39
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
It's over twice as strong, without heavy weight penalties or volume penalties... But you're absolutely right. It's not a good Energy Armor at all. I wouldn't count this as a mod though- you'd have to tear most of the original armor down... easier to make a new set.
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Sat, 2012-07-14 01:01
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
NewAgeOfPower wrote:
It's over twice as strong, without heavy weight penalties or volume penalties...
Twice as durable and hard does not necessarily equate to twice as protective.
NewAgeOfPower wrote:
I wouldn't count this as a mod though- you'd have to tear most of the original armor down... easier to make a new set.
Not really. You would probably place hyperdiamond armor on top of, or in between, layers of traditional armor.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Sat, 2012-07-14 10:14
Smokeskin Smokeskin's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Decivre wrote:
I think you are overestimating its effectiveness as an armor. A solid, non-flexible material does not absorb kinetic impact in any way, and as a result would probably allow any and all inertial force through. This means that you can be hurt relatively easily with a club, and even a bullet despite being prevented from piercing the flesh, would be about as effective against you as a punch.
That's just not true. Plates are much better than flexible materials in terms of protection. To damage you through a plate the bullet has to accelerate the entire plate, and even then impact will be spread out over the entire surface of the plate - unless the plate is very small, you're unlikely to suffer any blunt trauma at all. A flexible material will put far less mass between your body and the bullet, and disperse the impact over a far smaller area, resulting in mich worse blunt trauma. Against clubs flexible armors will protect very little, and blades won't penetrate a plate. The reason plates aren't used as much today is the weight, they're pretty much only used for the heaviest armors as a small plate over the middle of the chest. With advanced materials that can stop bullets at low weight, plates would see a lot of use if the wearer doesn't mind the discomfort and visibility.
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Sat, 2012-07-14 10:25
Smokeskin Smokeskin's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Decivre wrote:
If hyperdiamond is translucent, then why would it in any way protect you from energy weapons? Isn't it more likely to let a laser pass right through? Moreover, it probably carries carbon's natural tendency for being very conductive with heat, so you are still very vulnerable to a flamethrower.
Just because it lets visible light through that doesn't mean it doesn't block microwaves, particled, plasma, and whatever frequency pulsers fire on. Thermal conductivity is most likely an advantage, as it'll disperse the heat over the entire armor uniformly (assuming individual plates are linked). It you're getting hit with enough energy to heat up the entire armor to the point it'll kill or damage you, what armor could keep you safe from such a barrage? And you could add in heatsinks and vaporizing materials to keep the armor cool.
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Sat, 2012-07-14 10:29
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Smokeskin wrote:
That's just not true. Plates are much better than flexible materials in terms of protection. To damage you through a plate the bullet has to accelerate the entire plate, and even then impact will be spread out over the entire surface of the plate - unless the plate is very small, you're unlikely to suffer any blunt trauma at all. A flexible material will put far less mass between your body and the bullet, and disperse the impact over a far smaller area, resulting in mich worse blunt trauma. Against clubs flexible armors will protect very little, and blades won't penetrate a plate. The reason plates aren't used as much today is the weight, they're pretty much only used for the heaviest armors as a small plate over the middle of the chest. With advanced materials that can stop bullets at low weight, plates would see a lot of use if the wearer doesn't mind the discomfort and visibility.
I was about to reference the disadvantages of plate armors against blunt force weapons, but you're right; if hyperdiamond is as rigid as this claims it would be, then it would be a superior armor against these sorts of attacks. Still, it would be a terrible armor for energy weapons. And I still don't see it being so effective as to double the protective value of these futuristic armors.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Sat, 2012-07-14 11:12
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Smokeskin wrote:
Just because it lets visible light through that doesn't mean it doesn't block microwaves, particled, plasma, and whatever frequency pulsers fire on.
With regards to other spectrums, I doubt hyperdiamond's properties will change much (they don't for carbon as a whole). The biggest question is the visible spectrum. So, at best, hyperdiamond protects you from the safest waves; millimeter, terahertz and radar.
Smokeskin wrote:
Thermal conductivity is most likely an advantage, as it'll disperse the heat over the entire armor uniformly (assuming individual plates are linked). It you're getting hit with enough energy to heat up the entire armor to the point it'll kill or damage you, what armor could keep you safe from such a barrage? And you could add in heatsinks and vaporizing materials to keep the armor cool.
The problem is that diamond tends to be used as a heat sink, so most things don't pull heat out of it very well. Quite the opposite; it pulls heat from other sources with ease. This makes it great for applications where airflow is awesome (diamond can be used for small electronics as a heat sink), but likely terrible in a combat scenario, where it can be exposed to heat-based weapons. A flamethrower would likely bring diamond to cooking temperatures [i]in seconds[/i], and with an armor design like you mention, it would disperse that massive temperature uniformly over your frame. It would be like being in an oven that pre-heats in mere moments.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Sat, 2012-07-14 13:55
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
-2/+8?
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Sat, 2012-07-14 14:42
Smokeskin Smokeskin's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Decivre wrote:
The problem is that diamond tends to be used as a heat sink, so most things don't pull heat out of it very well. Quite the opposite; it pulls heat from other sources with ease. This makes it great for applications where airflow is awesome (diamond can be used for small electronics as a heat sink)
It doesn't work that way. Heat propagates practically instantly through diamond, so it maintains a uniform temperature. This makes it ideal for transporting heat quickly from say a CPU to a heat sink. It doesn't suck out heat unless it is cooler than what it is touching, and at the heat sink the diamond transfers heat to the sink just fine.
Decivre wrote:
A flamethrower would likely bring diamond to cooking temperatures in seconds, and with an armor design like you mention, it would disperse that massive temperature uniformly over your frame. It would be like being in an oven that pre-heats in mere moments.
You're confusing thermal conductivity with heat capacity. Diamond has a heat capacity roughly equal to steel. Do you think an equal mass of steel would also be brought to cooking temperature in seconds? The diamond armor would have the advantage of a uniform temperature which would prevent you from taking localized damage - a hit that would give you a burn wound would probably only give managable temperatures when distributed over the whole armor. And if the heat levels are really intense enough to cook you inside your armor, I very much doubt a conventional armor's lower thermal conductivity would save you.
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Sat, 2012-07-14 19:46
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Smokeskin wrote:
It doesn't work that way. Heat propagates practically instantly through diamond, so it maintains a uniform temperature. This makes it ideal for transporting heat quickly from say a CPU to a heat sink. It doesn't suck out heat unless it is cooler than what it is touching, and at the heat sink the diamond transfers heat to the sink just fine.
Agreed. That's why diamond makes a great heat sink for electronics, and a terrible suit for fire fighters.
Smokeskin wrote:
You're confusing thermal conductivity with heat capacity. Diamond has a heat capacity roughly equal to steel. Do you think an equal mass of steel would also be brought to cooking temperature in seconds? The diamond armor would have the advantage of a uniform temperature which would prevent you from taking localized damage - a hit that would give you a burn wound would probably only give managable temperatures when distributed over the whole armor. And if the heat levels are really intense enough to cook you inside your armor, I very much doubt a conventional armor's lower thermal conductivity would save you.
Steel is a thermal insulator, so even though it can be heated a skosh bit easier with heat applied to it, that heat will not distribute, transfer well, and therefore does a good job protecting. That said, steel also makes a [i]terrible[/i] heat-retardant material with regards to warfare applications, being worse than the fiberglass in drywall. Don't get me wrong, excellent in specific applications. Just not weaponry. The same is true for diamond (whose thermal capacity is about identical to fiberglass, mind you). In specific capacities (heat sinks for electronics), it is excellent. This is not the case when dealing with heat-based weaponry. Diamond would be absolutely horrid for this application.
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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Sun, 2012-07-15 01:20
The Enemy The Enemy's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
There is another possibility, however, a rather simple one. Just put some insulation between the hyperdiamond and the thing you need to protect (Most of the time, a morph). Then, the outside of the armor heating up does nothing, nor does it conducting heat to a heat sink in a non-vunerable location hurt you, either. You are still safe in your insulated cocoon, within the armor. The insulation would probably work as a cushion, as well, helping migitate physical impacts further. Heck, Asbestos fibers could be good enough insulation to work with this sort of thing, barring their hazardous nature. If things get particularly nasty, simply have a small air-conditioning unit, with suitable cooling right next to morph/protected thing, inside of insulation layer, with a seperate heat-sink to dump heat from that active circut. Humm. Probably make the outside of the hyperdiamond armor slightly corrugated, with ridges- to increase the surface area for cooling, mostly. There are quite a few simple things to make it's protection against energy weapons/fire weapons more plausible. Just makes it a tad bulkier, is all.
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Sun, 2012-07-15 01:28
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Corrugation also increases heat absorption rate. Abestos toxicity, while real, is extremely slow. I don't see it coming into play within years- and never if your character has toxin filters, medichines, biomodifictions... There are probably better insulants anyways, by AF10...
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Sun, 2012-07-15 01:45
The Enemy The Enemy's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
True on both counts, but I was just giving it as an example, honestly. The corrugation is probably a bad idea, but some sort of insulation/cusion between the Hyperdiamond shell and the morph/squishy thing is a much better one.
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Insanity is the Spice of Life. Gun-totin Texan.
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Sun, 2012-07-15 02:02
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
The Enemy wrote:
True on both counts, but I was just giving it as an example, honestly. The corrugation is probably a bad idea, but some sort of insulation/cusion between the Hyperdiamond shell and the morph/squishy thing is a much better one.
No, no. Perfectly reasonable ideals if thought off the top of one's head. Anyways, thank you, both you and Decivre. I have finished designing the next sets of armor. -Medusan Arms Hyperdiamond Skin (Second Skin) High, acquirable with good @, i, or R rep Consisting of extremely thin Hyperdiamond plates wrapped in Carbon-Nanotube, then sewn together with Carbon Nanotube, this Second Skin armor design somewhat resembles standard Second Skin in structure, but offers incredible performance increases against kinetic impacts. However, such a thin layer does not allow for thermal insulation- and coupled with the extreme thermal conductivity of Hyperdiamond, actually decreases one's energy protection. [-2/8 Armor. Can be worn with all other armor without penalty.] -Medusan Arms Hyperdiamond Body Armor (Heavy Body Armor) Expensive, acquirable with good @, i, or R rep Again constructed from Hyperdiamond plates, wrapped in Carbon-Nanotube, then chained together with Carbon Nanotube, this advanced armor not only provides greater coverage than standard Heavy Body Armor, but is thinner and more flexible (allowing it to be worn with Armor Clothing). Unfortunately, it suffers reduced thermal protection, due to reduction in insulating layers. [+10/16 Armor. Can be worn with Armor Clothing without penalty.] I'm definitely going to make a ruling about modifications only active on outermost layer of armor...
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Sun, 2012-07-15 03:52
Arenamontanus Arenamontanus's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
NewAgeOfPower wrote:
this lattice is formed of carbon with Sp2 (graphene type) rather than Sp3 (diamond type) covelant bonds.
So essentially this is layered graphene? I would imagine that a matrix of big graphene sheets would be very tough, but we are still talking about something that is very much like graphite. Still, leaving out the technicalities, in EP people have likely invented lots of diamond varieties: it is ultra-useful in its different varieties, and can be optimized for all sorts of purposes. Heat transfer might be enhanced if it incorporates the right nanowires, energy absorbption using special optical centers, thermal capacity using some other configurations, and so on... but it is likely hard to make *everything* better at the same time, a bit like special steel.
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Sun, 2012-07-15 05:06
Smokeskin Smokeskin's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Decivre wrote:
The same is true for diamond [...]. In specific capacities (heat sinks for electronics), it is excellent. This is not the case when dealing with heat-based weaponry. Diamond would be absolutely horrid for this application.
Like you did with ballisitic armor, you misunderstand how armor works. It's main purpose is to disperse the energy. It doesn't matter if it is kinetic energy or heat. The plasma bolt that will burn a hole through your chest and probably through most armor as the heat energy imparted to the impact area is extreme. However it is likely to fail against a diamond armor, since the heat will be effectively dispersed throughout the entire diamond, and so nowhere rising to damaging levels. Having extreme thermal conductivity is exactly what you'd want to protect yourself against energy weapons. If you want something that will work as firefighter's suit, then diamond isn't useful of course, but the alternatives like ceramic plates or ballistic fibres are hardly any better.
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Sun, 2012-07-15 13:14
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Arenamontanus wrote:
NewAgeOfPower wrote:
this lattice is formed of carbon with Sp2 (graphene type) rather than Sp3 (diamond type) covelant bonds.
So essentially this is layered graphene? I would imagine that a matrix of big graphene sheets would be very tough, but we are still talking about something that is very much like graphite. Still, leaving out the technicalities, in EP people have likely invented lots of diamond varieties: it is ultra-useful in its different varieties, and can be optimized for all sorts of purposes. Heat transfer might be enhanced if it incorporates the right nanowires, energy absorbption using special optical centers, thermal capacity using some other configurations, and so on... but it is likely hard to make *everything* better at the same time, a bit like special steel.
Lol. L6 Tool steel is an low alloy steel that has increased toughness, hardness, wear resistance, and tensile strength when compared to standard High Carbon Steel. Although, it is far more common to create Tool Steels that maximize hardness or toughness, which can exceed the performance of L6 in multiple aspects.
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As mind to body, so soul to spirit. As death to the mortal man, so failure to the immortal. Such is the price of all ambition.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 00:08
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Smokeskin wrote:
Like you did with ballisitic armor, you misunderstand how armor works. It's main purpose is to disperse the energy. It doesn't matter if it is kinetic energy or heat. The plasma bolt that will burn a hole through your chest and probably through most armor as the heat energy imparted to the impact area is extreme. However it is likely to fail against a diamond armor, since the heat will be effectively dispersed throughout the entire diamond, and so nowhere rising to damaging levels.
You should tell that to the military. They've been using thermally insulated materials to protect against heat-based weapons since at least World War II. Clearly you've proven decades of military science wrong.
Smokeskin wrote:
Having extreme thermal conductivity is exactly what you'd want to protect yourself against energy weapons. If you want something that will work as firefighter's suit, then diamond isn't useful of course, but the alternatives like ceramic plates or ballistic fibres are hardly any better.
First off, any sort of diamond is not going to provide [i]any protection[/i] against a laser weapon. Unless you miraculously let the beam tag against an edge or point, it's going to pass right through, and hit bare flesh (or another layer of the armor besides the diamond. The thermally-conductive properties of diamond will do absolute bupkiss if your flesh is contacted with the beam of a microwave agonizer. For most purposes, the only time the thermal benefits of diamond might be useful is if you are hit with an actual thermal weapons, such as a flamethrower. In which case, I'm going to have to side with traditional military science, and assume that thermal insulation is a better choice when someone is trying to cook your ass.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 02:30
Arenamontanus Arenamontanus's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Energy dissipation vs energy capacity: some weapons hurt you by focusing a modest amount of energy on a small spot very fast, causing a destructive explosion or extreme force. Here you just want to reflect it away (fast) - energy dissipation and conduction is usually too slow. Weapons that try to overload you with energy can be dealt with by spreading it out, having a big capacity to absorb it and by having slow diffusion inwards. I think most laser weapons (if they are realistic) will tend to use the explosive approach rather than the slow heating approach, and hence energy armour will primarily be reflective. Plasma looks like it actually overloads with temperature, so here you want effective dissipation and insulation. No doubt there are endless debates about the right compositions against certain weapons among the polemophiles in EP - the single energy armor rating hides a combination of these factors.
Decivre wrote:
First off, any sort of diamond is not going to provide [i]any protection[/i] against a laser weapon.
Well, that depends on the structure. Plain perfect diamond is transparent in most of the visual spectrum, but for short wavelengths it begins to absorb energy and would hinder a laser. But more importantly, if you stack diamond layers in the right way you can create all sorts of fun optical properties, including super-reflectance. If you know exactly which wavelength your enemy is kind enough to shoot you can protect yourself very well - but in practice of course the best you can hope for is some protection.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 12:08
The Enemy The Enemy's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Humm. Perhaps have a three-layer set of armor. Have a sacraficial outer layer of opaque materials, probably something like graphite. Something very hard to vaporize and destroy with energy weapons, can be as soft as you like. Add in a self-repair hive to keep that outer layer in tip top shape- ablative armor, basically. The middle layer would be your Hyperdiamond, that keeps the ablative armor from hurting you when it goes, and helps conduct the heat around you- the fact that it provides very good kinetic protection is the primary reason for the hyperdiamond layer. The inner layer would be the best insulation you can get your hands on, as well as some cushion- to help dissipate kinetic energy impacts. Keeps you from being fried by energy weapons when the hyperdiamond layer starts to absorb energy, as well. The back of the armor would have to have at least three things- hive for self-repair nanomachines, a heat sink/radiator for the hyperdiamond layer, and a heat sink/radiator for the inner layer, to keep the squishy morph center from being fried too badly. This, naturally makes for quite bulky armor, one best suited to Heavy armor, and the like. Or at least, actual armor instead of things like second skins and armor clothing. Yes, this is all pulled off the top of my head.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 15:30
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
The Enemy wrote:
Humm. Perhaps have a three-layer set of armor. Have a sacraficial outer layer of opaque materials, probably something like graphite. Something very hard to vaporize and destroy with energy weapons, can be as soft as you like. Add in a self-repair hive to keep that outer layer in tip top shape- ablative armor, basically. The middle layer would be your Hyperdiamond, that keeps the ablative armor from hurting you when it goes, and helps conduct the heat around you- the fact that it provides very good kinetic protection is the primary reason for the hyperdiamond layer. The inner layer would be the best insulation you can get your hands on, as well as some cushion- to help dissipate kinetic energy impacts. Keeps you from being fried by energy weapons when the hyperdiamond layer starts to absorb energy, as well. The back of the armor would have to have at least three things- hive for self-repair nanomachines, a heat sink/radiator for the hyperdiamond layer, and a heat sink/radiator for the inner layer, to keep the squishy morph center from being fried too badly. This, naturally makes for quite bulky armor, one best suited to Heavy armor, and the like. Or at least, actual armor instead of things like second skins and armor clothing. Yes, this is all pulled off the top of my head.
With nanominiaturization it doesn't have to be so bulky. And if you didn't want full protection a Second Skin is feasible- just add heavy armor on top. I'm thinking this will dramatically enhance battlesuits though...
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Mon, 2012-07-16 16:26
The Enemy The Enemy's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
True, true, I was being thourough. I'm not used to thinking of things in nanominituarization, after all. Though, I do have another question to pose: Wouldn't Hyperdiamond burn, like normal diamond will burn? Wouldn't that hurt it as armor? Especially against energy weapons. EDIT: Looked up, and found that yes, Graphene burns. And sheets of it are used as additives to solid rocket fuel, to help it burn. So, yeah. I'm not sure if that has been taken into account already, but it is a wild card that needs to be considered.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 16:28
NewAgeOfPower NewAgeOfPower's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
The Enemy wrote:
True, true, I was being thourough. I'm not used to thinking of things in nanominituarization, after all. Though, I do have another question to pose: Wouldn't Hyperdiamond burn, like normal diamond will burn? Wouldn't that hurt it as armor? Especially against energy weapons. EDIT: Looked up, and found that yes, Graphene burns. And sheets of it are used as additives to solid rocket fuel, to help it burn. So, yeah. I'm not sure if that has been taken into account already, but it is a wild card that needs to be considered.
Carbon burns fairly easily. Almost anything burns, if you expose it to a high enough temperature.
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Mon, 2012-07-16 16:32
The Enemy The Enemy's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Yup. The difference is, is that you can set diamond and graphite on fire with a mere blowtorch, rather than having to heat it up to just about unnatainable tempatures (At least, without special tools)
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Mon, 2012-07-16 18:46
Decivre Decivre's picture
Re: Hyperdiamond
Arenamontanus wrote:
Well, that depends on the structure. Plain perfect diamond is transparent in most of the visual spectrum, but for short wavelengths it begins to absorb energy and would hinder a laser.
That's why I mentioned that diamond still protects against radio, terahertz and millimeter wave (which I realized after posting was a double-reference to the same thing). Perhaps also microwave, I forget when it comes to that. But most of your weaponized beams are going to sit higher on the spectrum.
Arenamontanus wrote:
But more importantly, if you stack diamond layers in the right way you can create all sorts of fun optical properties, including super-reflectance. If you know exactly which wavelength your enemy is kind enough to shoot you can protect yourself very well - but in practice of course the best you can hope for is some protection.
That's true. But if you keep stacking layer after layer of diamond in order to create protection against a multitude of energy types, you're eventually going to get diamond so thick that it loses the original benefit of being durable at extremely small quantities. At a certain point, the diamond armor will be so thick that you're probably better off switching back to traditional (well, traditional for 10 AF) armor materials. Plus, one has to wonder if layered diamond like that would be as effective as thicker unified sheets in protecting against standard impact weaponry. I know that in some cases it is weaker, and in some cases it is stronger (at least with glass), but I can't say which would be the case with regards to diamond (let alone hyperdiamond).
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Transhumans will one day be the Luddites of the posthuman age. [url=http://bit.ly/2p3wk7c]Help me get my gaming fix, if you want.[/url]
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