Saturday, September 05, 2009
Extreme steel 'Velcro' takes a 35-tonne load
New Scientist: "For all its usefulness, Velcro hardly inspires excitement. But German engineers have taken inspiration from the mild-mannered fastener to create a version of the hook-and-loop concept with enough steely strength for extreme loads and environments."
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13 comments:
This is quite possibly the closest thing I've heard of to something straight out of a science fiction story. I know that Velcro is one of those things that people tend to take for granted, but come on, this is METAL VELCRO that apparently has pretty good holding strength to boot. Velcro has always been on of those products that I've always liked, and well, so long as this stuff can be made cheaply I'm excited to see what comes of this.
It looks like it's only about a 10-15% strength improvement over the "industrial strength" velcro that they already sell. Apparently the main benefit to this one is the heat resistance, assuming that the adhesive holding it to the surface is able to take the same heat.
This is an interesting new idea, although Velcro has been around for some time, it is interesting that they are just now inventing a high heat, and higher strength version. I wonder what else they will try and use this for. One thing that could be a bit of a problem is the need for a specialized tool to release it, this could lead to a few problems.
@Teddy: Pretty sure they said it *didn't* need a specialized tool.
Although the article didn't address cost, nor if there is a way to verify the the connection has been 'made' (presumably a criteria for using it in a rated situation,) if these things are overcome, this could be a useful material to know about in the touring world. It may be faster to assemble some things using this than fumbling with fasteners, especially for things that want to be reconfigurable. It would also be the easiest way I could think of to make a repeatable connection without piercing either surface.
This thing is very inserting in the way that they took a every day thing and made it so much better and heat resistant in high temps. it seems like it is something that should have been invented a long time a go but now it is hear so i hope that people adopted it and start to uses it.
This sounds absolutely crazy, but it seems like it could have potential to very useful. The strength of the material as well as it's heat resistance ability could make it useful in a variety of the environments. I'd be interested to see the applications that something like this would be used for. Being honest, though, it's metal velcro, and that just sounds awesome.
This...is...AWESOME!! (with and emphasis on the "AWESOME". This will make production in several fields dramatically easier. It will definitely make the breakup of scenery a lot simpler to do.
I am incredibly confused by the way you could ever, ever use this velcro. The object of velcro is to make the connection removable. The article says that it requires OVER 7 TONS OF FORCE to remove the connection. That, to me, is not an easily removable connection.
I would also like to point out that the article says that the velcro "does not require specialized tools to remove." I don't know about you, but I personally I can't pull over 7 tons with my bare hands, and will be requiring a specialized tool, thank you very much.
Sounds kind of ridiculous. Also sounds like your gonna pierce yourself if you ever try and handle the stuff. However, does sound like an improvement over the traditional notions of Velcro. I'd be interested to see if it ever finds its way into our industry -- whether the spring steel would make it prohibitively expensive for us. I also don't see velcro used too much in scenic applications, but then again, I might just not be working in the right shops. One also has to consider that the bond between the velcro is only as strong as the material it is attached to, and the methodology used for attachment. Do you really want to trust 35 tons overhead on something that is...removable??
Despite the fact that this may not be a step ahead of what we already have, the concept of steel velcro leads me to be happy for many reasons. First, that something so simply applied can withstand such weight and heat, and secondly, that this could change the way that run crews break down scenery. Without the need for special tools, this could drastically cut time off of changes and make later storage and breakdown much simpler.
I want.
I think that the invention of this type of material has many applications. The useful aspects of the invention can be utilized in the various disaplines of theater. From lighting and riggings to sets and props, the high weight limit opens up possiblities that were not possible before. This opens up a wide range of new tehniques for performing tass nt previously revolutionized.
After reading this article, I have more questions than answers. Are there tools needed to separate the two sides? If not, how can something hold 7 tons and then be separated easily by a human?
Regardless though, kudos to the company for improving a product and will probably have many good uses in industry.
Re: 7 tons of force to separate: Just like regular Velcro, we usually pull it apart in a very different direction than we stress it. We rely on leverage and the flexibility of regular velcro such that we pull apart a relatively small percentage of the overall bond at any given time. The article said that a square meter (that's a lot) can hold 7 tons when pulled *in the plane of contact* if you tried to take it apart by shearing one face against the other, you'd be screwed, but if you peeled it up, it may well be quite doable.
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