Posted by Scott Ellis (216.87.95.64) on August 10, 2002 at 01:29:41:
Just got an update from Jean Yves Hervouet. He has corresponded with Aldo Costa personally, and finally got to the truth about the wheel. Thanks Jean for your efforts. Here is his report:
Last tuesday (08-06) I phoned Aldo Costa for the third time. I had read his patent and wanted to 'grill' him more precisely than I did before.
(Btw, for getting his patent see this url:
http://l2.espacenet.com/espacenet/viewer?PN=FR2745857&CY=fr&LG=fr&DB=EPD)
My first technical questions were answered very accurately. But when I asked him: "What is, approximately, the angular speed of your wheel (how many turns/minute)?", his answer seemed embarrassed.
In fact, as I could, at last, get it, his wheel stalls.... I was completly astounded by it!
Mr Costa is a very kind and easy-going guy and, in my opinion, also honest.
I guess that his argued points are:
- The first wheels he built were too small and did not even move.
- Further calculations show that a wheel must have about 40 or 50 meters height to be really seft running.
- He was not allowed to build such a giant one.
- The actual 18 meters wheel stalls after a while because the 'unbalance' is to weak.
- Even if it stops, he is convinced that he has demonstrated a working principle.
- A best choice of building materials to lower friction and chafing is always possible.
- When the wheel is big enough it does the job... etc...
Thursday, Mr Rudolf Wehrung ("9-11 Monument - Eternal Light") gave me (by e-mail) confirmation of all these points. I find difficult to follow Costa's argument. I also think that Mr Wehrung is very optimistic.
Jean and I, as I'm sure most of you, are discouraged, but also relieved to finally have some hard facts about the wheel's performance. In Mr. Costa's defense, he claims that larger forces are at work than orthodox physics suggests. In general, I don't discount such claims.
He has mentioned the application of the inverse square law, and has stated that the wheel must be very large to achieve its desired effect (apparently larger than the current wheel). As has been noted on this discussion board, such large wheels may exploit natural physical phenomena that are not readily apparent.
Jean mentioned an idea which is intriguing. The larger a wheel gets, the more it will be affected by the earth's Coriolis force.
http://www.windpower.org/tour/wres/coriolis.htm
Interesting to think about ways in which the Coriolis force might be exploited. However, we may not want to do that, since according to the Law of Conservation of Angular Momentum, which is admittedly up for debate (see Hans Weidenbusch's challenge), tapping the Coriolis force would slow down and ultimately stop the earth's rotation!
-Scott