X-Message-Number: 2022 Date: Tue, 23 Mar 93 20:41 PST From: (Keith Lofstrom) Subject: CRYONICS - foam thickness Regards foam costs - foam can be cheaper in large slabs, it depends on how it is made. Years ago, friends of mine made floating docks out of foamed polystyrene; they worked with slabs that were 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet. Handy tip for working with foam - run lots of current through a thin wire and pull it taut, and you can cut through foam like a cheese cutter ... but I digress. Later on, one of them went on to become a civil engineer, and designed the approaches to the I-205 bridge over the Columbia River. Concrete reinforced bridges are made with boxed sections, containing large hollow cavities to reduce weight (same theory as bicycle frames), and are usually poured with wooden forms. My C.E. friend replaced the forms with HUGE chunks of styrofoam - and left them in place after all the concrete was poured. It was cheaper and faster than the wood, and wouldn't rot in place. Perhaps we should be storing patients inside bridge approaches. I'm told the Mafia has been doing it for years ... :-) -- Keith Lofstrom Voice (503)-520-1993 KLIC --- Keith Lofstrom Integrated Circuits --- "Your Ideas in Silicon" Design Contracting in Bipolar and CMOS - Analog, Digital, and Power ICs Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2022