nbk2000
October 15th, 2004, 06:58 PM
An idea I've been kicking around for a while came to me when I saw an article in the september '04 issue of Popular Science, where they showed an aluminum I-beam 'rusting' into dust after contact with a small amount of mercury.
From New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw547)
Planes are largely made from aluminium and, surprisingly, a very small amount of mercury can destroy a large amount of aluminium. Despite its apparently inert behaviour, aluminium is actually a rather reactive metal which will combine violently with oxygen in air. However, this reaction quickly produces a thin, tough oxide layer which stops further attack. The process of anodising the aluminium thickens this layer to give better protection.
Mercury has the ability to disrupt this protective oxide layer, and the results can be spectacular. It can dissolve aluminium to form an amalgam which may break up the oxide layer from below--presumably the initial attack occurs through tiny faults in the oxide.
Many years ago a technician working for me spilled a few drops of mercury on his wooden bench, which had heavy aluminium angles screwed round the edges to protect it. Next morning large holes were eaten through the aluminium, the wood nearby was deeply charred, and large fragile towers of friable aluminium oxide had grown like strange corals.
This used to provide a fine chemistry experiment but it is now frowned upon because of the toxicity of the mercury.
On one occasion a passenger in front of me was prevented from carrying a barometer onto an aircraft because it was on the list of prohibited articles, even though this particular barometer was empty. With difficulty I persuaded the staff that it was harmless. They did not realise it was the mercury that was dangerous, they thought it was just barometers per se. I wonder what they thought an altimeter measures . . .
Harvey Rutt , Department of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton
=======================
Given the mobility of liquid mercury, the corrosive amalgam may form deep within the structure. An aircraft in which mercury has been spilled must be put into quarantine until the amalgam makes its presence known. Ultimately, the aircraft is likely to be scrapped because the engineering textbooks state that the amalgam slowly spreads like wood rot to adjacent areas.
Rod Paris , Air Medical Limited Oxford Airport Kidlington Oxfordshire
Hmmmm....destroy airplanes with mercury? My, oh my.
My concerns were more mundane, that being the destruction of the commonest puck lock found on vending machines, the American Lock Company Series 2000.
US Patents 5127244 and 5345794
Since these locks are 'composite', meaning a mostly aluminum body with some steel inserts for strength, it seems logical to think that, if you smeared some mercury on the lock early in the night that, by dawn, that it would have disintegrated into a loose collection of parts that would no longer constitute anything close to a lock.
This wouldn't affect my lock, a 2010, as it's solid steel and not cheap-ass aluminum. :p
Seems to me like a project about to happen, as mercury switches are dirt cheap to buy, and series 2000 locks are free for the destroying on vending machines. ;)
Though I've already ordered a series 2000 lock for use to make a drilling template for the purpose of bypass, so perhaps I'll wait till after I'm done using it for that purpose and test this idea on that lock instead.
Suggestions on how to keep the mercury on target? I'm thinking of mixing it up well with melted vaseline and smearing that on. Or perhaps a mercury salt like corrosive subliminate would work?
This is a SW idea, because if it works, it's too valuable to give away for free to anyone running a google search. ;) That, and I'd like to avoid giving away the game prematurely.
From New Scientist (http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw547)
Planes are largely made from aluminium and, surprisingly, a very small amount of mercury can destroy a large amount of aluminium. Despite its apparently inert behaviour, aluminium is actually a rather reactive metal which will combine violently with oxygen in air. However, this reaction quickly produces a thin, tough oxide layer which stops further attack. The process of anodising the aluminium thickens this layer to give better protection.
Mercury has the ability to disrupt this protective oxide layer, and the results can be spectacular. It can dissolve aluminium to form an amalgam which may break up the oxide layer from below--presumably the initial attack occurs through tiny faults in the oxide.
Many years ago a technician working for me spilled a few drops of mercury on his wooden bench, which had heavy aluminium angles screwed round the edges to protect it. Next morning large holes were eaten through the aluminium, the wood nearby was deeply charred, and large fragile towers of friable aluminium oxide had grown like strange corals.
This used to provide a fine chemistry experiment but it is now frowned upon because of the toxicity of the mercury.
On one occasion a passenger in front of me was prevented from carrying a barometer onto an aircraft because it was on the list of prohibited articles, even though this particular barometer was empty. With difficulty I persuaded the staff that it was harmless. They did not realise it was the mercury that was dangerous, they thought it was just barometers per se. I wonder what they thought an altimeter measures . . .
Harvey Rutt , Department of Electronics and Computer Science University of Southampton
=======================
Given the mobility of liquid mercury, the corrosive amalgam may form deep within the structure. An aircraft in which mercury has been spilled must be put into quarantine until the amalgam makes its presence known. Ultimately, the aircraft is likely to be scrapped because the engineering textbooks state that the amalgam slowly spreads like wood rot to adjacent areas.
Rod Paris , Air Medical Limited Oxford Airport Kidlington Oxfordshire
Hmmmm....destroy airplanes with mercury? My, oh my.
My concerns were more mundane, that being the destruction of the commonest puck lock found on vending machines, the American Lock Company Series 2000.
US Patents 5127244 and 5345794
Since these locks are 'composite', meaning a mostly aluminum body with some steel inserts for strength, it seems logical to think that, if you smeared some mercury on the lock early in the night that, by dawn, that it would have disintegrated into a loose collection of parts that would no longer constitute anything close to a lock.
This wouldn't affect my lock, a 2010, as it's solid steel and not cheap-ass aluminum. :p
Seems to me like a project about to happen, as mercury switches are dirt cheap to buy, and series 2000 locks are free for the destroying on vending machines. ;)
Though I've already ordered a series 2000 lock for use to make a drilling template for the purpose of bypass, so perhaps I'll wait till after I'm done using it for that purpose and test this idea on that lock instead.
Suggestions on how to keep the mercury on target? I'm thinking of mixing it up well with melted vaseline and smearing that on. Or perhaps a mercury salt like corrosive subliminate would work?
This is a SW idea, because if it works, it's too valuable to give away for free to anyone running a google search. ;) That, and I'd like to avoid giving away the game prematurely.