I just finished reading the article on Ferrari (05.07.01). One word: GREAT! I have been a fan of F1 for years, and I still enjoy learning about this sport.
One little thing: I was for seven years a pit marshal at the Canadian Grand Prix ('92 to '98) and if I recall correctly, in 1996, Schumacher retired from the race because of bearing problems (parts flew off the car just before exiting pit lane). If it wasn't bearings, I sure don't know what went right by me (parts actually rolled by themselves) and made that very distinct noise...He did a lap and came back in to retire.
Benoit Bouchard Moeller Electric Inc. Granby, Québec
I enjoy your magazine greatly! Please allow me to weigh in on your microwave-boiling scenario (DN Editorial 05.21.01). As a tea drinker, I experienced this phenomenon several times before I got smart enough to realize what was happening. Tea is best when the bag is steeped for several minutes in water that is boiling when the bag is first immersed. I would heat a cup of water in the microwave for three to four minutes, raising it to the boiling point, drop in my tea bag, and all was well. However, on some occasions, I would start the water heating, and then get a phone call, or some other disturbance, and forget about it. Coming back an hour or so later, I would see the cup in the oven, and just dial in another three minutes or so of heat time, without opening the door or disturbing the cup. At this point, the water did not boil, although it was quite hot, and when I dropped in the tea bag, I had Mt. Vesuvius all over the kitchen. Of course, what happened was that the first boiling drove off all of the dissolved gases, allowing the water to superheat readily the second time. It has been my experience that re-heating previously boiled water is almost sure-fire for superheating, but simply boiling tap water is just as safe as using a tea kettle.
Your editorial in Design News was poorly researched. Microwaved water can explosively evaporate. I have experienced it myself. After bringing a full mug of water to boiling in the microwave, I placed a tea bag in the water. Within a split second, the mug of water was about one quarter full. I don't know whether superheating was involved, but something happened. It doesn't happen every time, but it can. Since then I have been more careful with microwaved water. You owe your readers a retraction.
Daniel R. Drop Software Engineer Otis Elevator Co.
Let me give you examples of misinformation generated in this manner. In my prior job I used several common industrial solvents—Acetone, Toluene, ethyl acetate, etc. Seems people were forever asking which solvent they could use as a substitute for gasoline or, "I heard you could strain this material through a loaf of bread and it will be safe to drink." One guy, who had several dogs for deer hunting, asked which solvent to soak his dogs' feet in so they would be tougher.
I just wanted to respond to your editorial about dangerous e-mail. While I hate those annoying panic driven letters as much as anyone, I have to say that there is some truth to the superheated water issue. I have had it happen to me several times and the conditions for the superheating have been less than ideal. After my morning cup of coffee I usually heat some water for a follow up cup of hot chocolate. Being a bachelor I tend to forgo the typical cleaning procedure and skip straight to heating the water. The first time this happened I dropped a spoon into the cup and had boiling water flying everywhere. I nearly burned myself that time but have been cautious enough ever since to avoid any more close calls. I now try to reproduce the phenomenon for my co-workers but it seems to work only 1 out of every 50 times or so.
I guess you missed the TV newsmagazine that demonstrated how easy it is to duplicate the required conditions. I wouldn't have believed it, either.
Mike Offutt Project Engineer HMF Innovations Inc. Manitowoc, WI
Editor's note: Judging from all the e-mail I received, it appears that superheating occurs with high frequency among our readers, even though most of them were not so severely maimed that they could not use their computers. Although I'm sure my housekeeping skills suffer in comparison to theirs (even a single guy's!), the real issue at stake is the proliferation of misleading, anonymous Internet expertise.
JUNE 26TH WEBCAST: Collaborative Requirements Engineering
Speed your innovation. Capture the "voice of the customer" and translate customer requests into user requirements that define new products. Find out why the new ENOVIA Requirements Management solution enables organizations to improve their overall global requirements management process. Read More
Mechatronics in action
Successful synergistic integration of controls, electronics, computers and mechanical systems is key to the 21st century design process. Unlock the secrets at the Mechatronics Zone!
Webcast: Sensor Know-How Now
Join our moderator Randy Frank and John Keating from Cognex and explore Solving Industrial Inspection Problems. Read More
Engineering Concept Conduit
Engineering Concept Conduit looks at new products and the components that make them exceptional. Each month we’ll look at a new electronic product and see what makes it tick from an engineering point of view. We’ll explore the design and engineering challenges for the product and examine the components that solved those challenges.
Light Matters: Systems Level Approach to HBLED illumination applications
Its good practice to apply a systems-level approach to high-brightness LED (HBLED) illumination applications. Minimally, the system includes the optical, thermal and electrical characteristics of the of the HBLED, the lens (if any) which is built-in to its package, secondary optics such as external plastic lenses/reflectors to direct the light as your application requires and power driver electronics. Read More
Design News RSS News Feeds
Webcast: Sensor Know-How Now
