Re: don't get mercury on your aluminium risers
Interesting article. I didn't know rubies and sapphires were made of aluminum oxide (or corundum). I thought they were carbon-based, like diamonds, with different impurities giving them their color. I guess ya learn something new every day, even at my age.
From the article:
"The few-micron-thick layer of aluminum oxide is the only thing holding an airplane together. Think about that the next time you're flying. Or maybe it's better if you don't."
At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago there's a 707 with cutaway sections so you can see the construction of the hull. The aluminum skin that holds all the pressure is unbelievably thin. I guess if I had thought about it I'd realize that you couldn't make the outside all that thick or the plane couldn't get off the ground, but actually seeing just how little makes the difference between a nice comfortable flight and explosive decompression made me
