[HN Gopher] Paper Railroad Wheels? (2016)
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       Paper Railroad Wheels? (2016)
        
       Author : Someone
       Score  : 79 points
       Date   : 2022-01-03 20:55 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.cupery.net)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.cupery.net)
        
       | justsomehnguy wrote:
       | A bit better view from SI:
       | 
       | https://www.si.edu/object/allen-paper-car-wheel:nmah_1028135
       | 
       | https://www.si.edu/object/allen-paper-car-wheels:nmah_117622...
        
       | supahfly_remix wrote:
       | In my experience paper turns into mush when it gets wet and can't
       | support any weight. How did they solve this problem?
        
         | barbegal wrote:
         | If you read the article
         | 
         | > Large metal discs covered the paper, but only served as
         | protection from the elements
        
           | supahfly_remix wrote:
           | Right. What if they leaked?
        
             | mberning wrote:
             | I am wondering if they weren't covered in wax or some other
             | water barrier. Or perhaps the protective disc was welded at
             | the seams. Seems unlikely given the era and the extra
             | expense involved.
             | 
             | It also mentions that they were known to fail, so one could
             | assume exposure to the elements played a part.
        
               | JackFr wrote:
               | Article says after forming the paper core, they were
               | painted. Presumably this gave them some water proofing.
        
             | thehappypm wrote:
             | You are asking "what if an industrial piece of equipment
             | does not perform to specification?" The answer is,
             | mechanical failure. Which apparently (again in the article)
             | did happen a few times which eventually contributed to
             | steel wheels taking over.
        
         | glitchc wrote:
         | Clearly they worked for a considerable period of time. It's a
         | question of construction: In this case, the paper is encased in
         | a metal enclosure and is strong in compression, much like
         | concrete, without being as brittle as concrete.
        
           | kallistisoft wrote:
           | That was the main question that I had -- how durable and cost
           | effective were these wheels?
           | 
           | According to this page (p.148) of the "The Railway Purchasing
           | Agent (Jan 1881)" they had a service life of 500,000 miles vs
           | 50,000 miles for cast iron wheels resulting in an operation
           | savings of 3.5 cents per 1,000 miles.
           | 
           | [https://www.google.com/books/edition/Railway_Master_Mechanic
           | ...]
           | 
           | Given the rave reviews and obvious cost savings, it makes me
           | wonder why|when they fell out of favor; my naive assumption
           | would be a dramatic improvement in metallurgy?
           | 
           | Disclaimer: statements made using an historical sample size
           | of n=1 ;)
        
             | vl wrote:
             | > it makes me wonder why|when they fell out of favor
             | 
             | Read the article.
        
         | JackFr wrote:
         | > and can't support any weight.
         | 
         | Take a textbook and drive your car over it. Hell, park your car
         | on it.
         | 
         | Paper does pretty well under compression.
        
           | mc32 wrote:
           | Oddly, rather than using a spiral roll of paper they used
           | disks. Would the disk construction impart better "shock
           | absorption" than a roll?
        
             | throwaway0a5e wrote:
             | Disk would be stronger because the glue joints would be
             | under less load.
             | 
             | It's a similar principal to the difference between a wheel
             | made from a sheet of plywood vs a wheel made from
             | comparable thickness disc of tree trunk.
        
       | hahamrfunnyguy wrote:
       | I hadn't heard the term strawboard before, so if anyone is
       | curious it is "A coarse yellow cardboard made of straw pulp."
       | 
       | https://www.wordnik.com/words/strawboard
        
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