The foundational building blocks of the each are the Floating Units (FU’s). Their main function will of course be to displace enough water to support the total weight of the HC. They will be spaced on about m ( ft) centers which means that total number of FU’s for the Habitable Lots area ( km2 [ mi2]) is planned to be . Another FU’s will be located in other HC areas such as the Sea-Air Ports area.
As a safety measure each FU is divided into compartments of equal size. With the maximum load weights of the HC's Main area being estimated at metric tons (mT) each of these Floating Unit will support about mT. The Floating Units are being planned to provide the HC with a clearance from the water level of m ( ft). This contribute to a high safety factor of about ) for each FU. As a result, each FU will be able to support almost up to times the load it will normally carry! The FU’s extra clearance will also provide some somewhat useful space underneath the HC (for e.g. various storage and at no additional load to the HC). To maintain a m ( ft) clearance under varying loads, a ballast is incorporated in the FU structure. These ballast areas will be the potable water storage area for the HC.
The following table gives more specifications about the HC's main floating units.
The structural material of the Floating Units will basically be fiberglass, more specifically Fiberglass Reinforced Polymers/Plastics (FRP). Pound for pound fiberglass is actually stronger than steel. In addition to this, FRP’s have high corrosive resistance which is important since they will be in a very corrosive environment- seawater. Now to extend the life of the Floating Units, their FRP structure will be tiled with high strength glass (e.g. fused silica) panes. Since glass is immune to corrosion this will shield the FRP structure from the corrosive seawater. Therefore the Floating Units could be projected to have an indefinite lifetime and require little to no (corrosion prevention) maintenance.
FU Base Assembly
Once the Floating Units are fully built, they will then be joined together by a lattice of beams and trusses in order to form the base to support an
FRP Deck Slab
which will form the main (habitable) deck of the HC. The following illustration gives a preview of how the Floating Units will be joined. Truss (crossing beams) are only used where there will be no floating units directly underneath.
[Components Legend: Floating Units; Beams; Trusses ]
Click on image to Enlarge;
Doubleclick (smaller) image to Hide.
May 28, 2008
