This guide details the assembly of the 20-tether Ribbon Core and the precision balancing of the 270kg Hexagonal Kinetic Ring.
To reach a 30 MN breaking strength, the 20 Dyneema tethers must be under perfectly equal tension.
- The Tension Rack: Build a 5-meter long frame with 20 tensioning bolts.
- Equalization: Use a digital scale to pull each of the 20 strands to exactly 10kg of static tension.
- Flat Belt Formation: The strands are bundled to form a 150mm wide "flat belt." This core will serve as the spine for the hexagonal weights.
Each of the 47 hexagonal weights must be identical in mass within +/- 1 gram.
- The Hex Mold: Use a CNC-machined mold for the hexagonal 70mm x 70mm cross-section.
- Sleeve Placement: Place a polished Titanium Sleeve with a low-friction Ceramic Liner in the center of the mold. This allows the weight to slide freely on the tether.
- Magnet Insertion: Press-fit N52 Halbach arrays into the recessed pockets on the hexagonal faces.
- Density Check: Use a digital scale for the lead-polymer pour. Every weight module must be exactly 5.74 kg to maintain system balance.
Because the containment is a circular pipe, the ring must be assembled in situ:
- Threading: Slide the 47 completed hex-weights onto the Dyneema Ribbon Core.
- Splicing: Join the ends of the Ribbon Core using a high-strength "Chinese Finger" splice to form a 4.7m continuous loop.
- Distribution: Manually space the weights at equal intervals around the loop.
Since the weights are "free-riding" on the tether, the ring will exhibit unique balancing characteristics:
- Static Centering: Suspend the ring horizontally. Adjust the "tuning screws" (small titanium weights) on the hex-weights until the ring sits level.
- Self-Correction: At low-speed rotation (10-50 RPM), the free-sliding hex-weights will naturally move toward the point of equilibrium.
- Symmetry Adjustment: If vibration persists, check the ceramic bushings. Any friction that prevents a weight from sliding will cause a persistent imbalance.
- Thermal Expansion: The ring's balance will shift as the tether expands at 600 m/s. The free-sliding architecture is designed to accommodate this change without manual intervention.