Rupert Boleyn wrote:
On 16 May 2006 at 7:39, Pauli Hakala wrote:
It is also possible to get some weight savings and performance
improvements by putting thrusters etc. into pods, but this is not
as radical increase in performance as making everything relevant
easily removable modules, since the pods increase the ships
surface area and thus increase the mass fraction of hull, armor
and surface features somewhat.
I know what I am writing about here, I have been making different
ship designs for a scifi-setting (3rd edition TL 10-11) of my own
for years, and the importance of access space has become very
obvious for ship performance specs. In practice, going modular
can give a starfighter 3G STL acceleration instead of just 1G
with full maintenance access space.
For modules to be easily removable you still need the components they
are part of in pods or surrounded by access spaces, unless you are
proposing half disassembling the craft to get the modules out, at which
point whether the components are modular or not isn't exactly relevant.
Ve2 rules do not require maintenance space within modules, and
components in a module do not need to be placed into a 'pod'.
A module is something that can be fairly easily taken out and
replaced with another compatible module. It is possible to design
the vehicle around the modules, so that the modules remain
accessible (through an armored hatch frex) without dismantling
the vehicle, in fact that seems to be the whole point of having
module slots in the first place.. Main drawback for using modules
is that easy removability of the module adds more complexity to
the components within, resulting in a +20% increase in cost - For
an expensive key component like thruster or reactor, this cost
increase can be quite substantial, so there's no such thing as
a free lunch here.
Think about it like this; a modular power plant is removed. When it
was installed in the vehicle, it had no maintenance access space
whatsoever, but after it is removed, it is possible to work all
around it doing maintenance work - there's a whole hangars worth
of access space around it when it is out, and if need be it can
even be taken apart and put back together all the while the
vehicle is out operating with a spare replacement module..
(Removal of a large module of course requires some maintenance
infrastructure, like cranes and winches, so it isn't possible
on smallest of the starports.)
Besides, arguably modular construction is just as useful for civilain
designs as the same arguments about reduced hull and structure costs
apply, and being able to simply rip out a module and plug a new one in
will cut down on lost revenues due to repair times considerably, and
that's important ofr most civilian applications.
Craft designed for ongoing maintenance cannot depend on modular key
components (military or civilian alike). Civilian applications are
usually not as demanding on performance specs as military
applications are. Non-modular designs are also somewhat cheaper..
Even so, some short-occupancy civilian design concepts could benefit
from modular design, like small auxiliaries (lifeboats, small
shuttles) for a larger ship.. but concepts like a tramp freighter
most likely will go for endurance rather than high performance
specs. Civilian lifeboats and shuttles (modular or not) can in any
case easily get by with notably lower sAccel scores than military
starfighters, so pushing the envelope with maximum power density
is not really as necessary as cost-effectiveness is.
Also, civilian vehicles are usually off necessity cheaper than
military designs, simply because civilian buyers usually have much
less of a budget to spend on their fleet, and are concerned with
making a profit. Non-modular can be cheaper, if the lesser
performance is acceptable (for most civilian applications, it is).
-Pauli
--
"..Wings on my back, I got horns on my head. My fangs are sharp
and my eyes are red. Not quite an angel or the one that fell.."
-Lordi, Hard Rock Hallelujah
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