Garry Whitman wrote:
>
> Jerry
> on 8-30-98
> you wrote to Meat Truck
>
> >Now, in order to test this effect, he is supposed to have built a metal
> >disc with a detachable coupling that was connected to a lawnmower
> >engine. I don't know the actual size of the disc but I'm thinking one
> >report said it was three feet in diameter.
>
> This is a fascinating story. Just a few odd facts and comments to think
> about. Machinery's Handbook (Twentieth Edition) page 347 says that a flat
> disk of cold rolled steel 3 ft. in Dia. will explode at approx. 4931 RPM.
> If you take my 5 hp. Briggs & Stratton lawn mower engine out at night and
> shine a battery powered light under it while holding a photo tachometer on
> the blade you will find the engine is governed at 3000 RPM. By sticking
> your finger way inside the housing and pushing aside the throttle spring it
> will rev up to about 4000 RPM.
>
> >The story goes that he took this contraption out in the country in an
> >open space surrounded by bushes. When he cranked up the gasoline
> >engine, the disc increased in speed. Now I don't know if he had a
> >remote throttle but as the speed increased, ionization of the local air
> >and the characteristic pale blue glow indicated high voltage appeared on
> >the outside rim of the disc.
>
> Whether belt drive or direct, common sense says the top speed probably did
> not exceed 5000 RPM. Unless the material under the effect of high voltage
> became much stronger.
>
> >The reports say as the speed continued to increase, the ionization
> >became so great that bushes 15 or so feet away were crackling with high
> >voltage and at a certain critical velocity, the disc broke away from the
> >detachable coupling, rose into the air to a height of about 30-50 feet
> >(I don't recall the original height), where it stopped, hovered and
> >continued to speedup, ON ITS OWN.
>
> Did you ever hear why he thought that this electricity producer would fly
> and thus need a detachable coupling?
>
> >As it speeded up, the pale blue glow of high voltage ionization changed
> >to a pink color and it was at this point that the disc shot off into the
> >upper atmosphere never to be seen again.
>
> Any idea what the metal disk was made of? My first thought on reading of
> this story was that it was totally refutable by every-day experience. Many
> of us have been exposed to high speed rotating disks at various times and
> not seen or felt electrical discharge. But in every instance I can think of
> the machine was massive and grounded. Ground the moving part on a Van de
> Graff generator and there will be no electricity either. So maybe a high
> speed disk setting on insulators does generate high voltage.
>
> I have been doing similar work trying to engineer the Clem Engine. Just for
> fun I tried to calculate the speed needed for the 8 gallons of Mazola oil
> ejecting at the edge of a 24 in. Dia. spiral cone out of 12 .5 in.
> tubes to create 350 H.P. The answer came out to 196079 ft. per sec. !!!
> Maybe one of you out in Keely-Land can come up with a more sane answer
> because this is a mind blower. At least a 24 in. cone will stay together at
> 1800 RPM. If someone out there has ANY more info on this engine Please
> contact me.! Duplicating an engine with just a line drawing that is
> admittedly wrong to start with is just impossible. This project will
> continue based on my best guesses unless someone comes forward.
>
> One other item on the Clem project. If anyone would like to convert my
> construction photos and place them on this site or elsewhere on the
> internet please contact me.
>
> Garry Whitman
> whitman@kskc.net
>
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