Charles, I admire your work on the evolution of the ice bath. As a former aircraft structural engineer I understand the challenges of stiffness and weight. The bending stiffnes of a beam is proportional to its cross-section’s moment of inertia. The height dimension of the beam’s cross-section factors as the 3rd power in the calculation. So beam height is everything in terms of stiffness. Fortunately there are very stiff lightweight beams that you can purchase from 8020.net and have cut to length. The 8020 t-slotted 1x2” extrusion (https://8020.net/1020.html) would work for a single beam ice bath. The cool thing about the 8020 structural system is that they have a wide variety of connectors, hinges, handles, and so forth available that attach to the beams with screws. One could design the complete ice bath structure, and order cut-to-length beams and attachments, and assemble it all with only a screwdriver. This is the go-to solution for building custom structures and is used widely now in industry. I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s really that good. I’m available to discuss and assist with a next gen portable ice bath if there’s interest. Contact: robwilkes@me.com, https://www.facebook.com/robert.wilkes.5055.
Thanks for the comment. I did consider the slotted beams that you mention but was unaware they are available as 1" x 2" cross section. I'll email you with more details, and thanks for the kind offer. (I did previously contact a mechanical engineer, but he wanted me to buy some very expensive modeling software.)
Wow...fabulous attention to detail by the legendary Charles Platt. It is easy for many of us to take for granted the unique challenges in the Cryonics field, and how much thought and effort needs to be expended to create optimal protocols and equipment. This article explains in detail the challenges of creating a portable ice bath. Bravo for this article, Charles!
Charles, I admire your work on the evolution of the ice bath. As a former aircraft structural engineer I understand the challenges of stiffness and weight. The bending stiffnes of a beam is proportional to its cross-section’s moment of inertia. The height dimension of the beam’s cross-section factors as the 3rd power in the calculation. So beam height is everything in terms of stiffness. Fortunately there are very stiff lightweight beams that you can purchase from 8020.net and have cut to length. The 8020 t-slotted 1x2” extrusion (https://8020.net/1020.html) would work for a single beam ice bath. The cool thing about the 8020 structural system is that they have a wide variety of connectors, hinges, handles, and so forth available that attach to the beams with screws. One could design the complete ice bath structure, and order cut-to-length beams and attachments, and assemble it all with only a screwdriver. This is the go-to solution for building custom structures and is used widely now in industry. I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but it’s really that good. I’m available to discuss and assist with a next gen portable ice bath if there’s interest. Contact: robwilkes@me.com, https://www.facebook.com/robert.wilkes.5055.
Thanks for the comment. I did consider the slotted beams that you mention but was unaware they are available as 1" x 2" cross section. I'll email you with more details, and thanks for the kind offer. (I did previously contact a mechanical engineer, but he wanted me to buy some very expensive modeling software.)
Wow...fabulous attention to detail by the legendary Charles Platt. It is easy for many of us to take for granted the unique challenges in the Cryonics field, and how much thought and effort needs to be expended to create optimal protocols and equipment. This article explains in detail the challenges of creating a portable ice bath. Bravo for this article, Charles!