[FT] Hull Strength and Stress

> John Leary wrote:

> Donald Hosford wrote:

This makes sense. The vehicle can manouver quickly because it has been
designed to do so, with the "Impact" of sudden thruster changes loaded across
the entire frame (maybe 10 manouver outlets per direction instead of 2).
However weapons hits are more focused, and put force on parts of the structure
that are not necessarily properly stressed for those forces. The concept of
Pressure per Square Area is important here: 100 pounds on a
surface 10 inches by 10 inches is 1 PSI, while the same weight on a 1/2
inch square is 400 PSI.

In other words: That bridge could hold 1,000 lbs (properly distributed across
the frame), up until someone takes a sledgehammer to it, or drops a
knitting needle off the empire state building at it (1/16th to 1/8th lb
with less than a 32nd of a square inch impact area, at a velocity of 32
feet/second.....roughly translated means: "Ouch")