[NewCandle] EDS adventures

[Robin van Spaandonk]

In reply to  Nick Reiter's message of Sun, 3 Aug 2008 07:00:38 -0700 (PDT):
Hi,
[snip]
>One of these has been examination of aluminum foil
>surfaces from some of the tightly rolled "Casimir
>cavity" salt water hydrolysis runs.  Very cautious and
>very tentative, but I've been seeing signs of
>elemental spectra that don't appear to have been in
>control foil samples.  Boron and Si being two, in
>measurable amounts.  Also been seeing at high mag that

The Si could be simple contamination if you did it in a glass container. Since
the whole electrolyte would have been somewhat alkaline, it could have leached
some of the glass. OTOH Si is also Al + H, so perhaps you were getting some
fusion. As for the B, that might also be a glass contaminant, if you used e.g.
Pyrex. B is more difficult to explain as a fusion product (i.e. I can't see how
it could happen ;).


>the pinhole perforations in the aluminum foil rolls
>after the reaction is spent are fascinating, and very
>unlike what I expected.  Almost like acoustic shock
>ruptures rather than corroded holes or round pinholes.

Or blast holes from small explosions? 

>
>I'm gathering a collection of EDS and SEM images and
>will eventually get them onto a web page.
>
>ALso, speaking of EDS, I was able to use EDS to finish
>up some final analysis on my long running (year and a
>half?) project of the two Ohio cases of mystery
>sky-fall aluminum alloy. Paper is here:
>
>http://www.theavalonfoundation.org/docs/metal.html
>
>SO what have all of the other lurkers here been up to
>this summer?
>
>All the best,
>
[snip]
Remnant of an old satellite that reentered the atmosphere perhaps (reentry of
old military satellites might not be widely advertised)? (or shuttle fragments -
time and place?).

Regards,

Robin van Spaandonk <rvanspaa at bigpond.net.au>