allardjd 1,853 Posted October 1, 2016 Report Share Posted October 1, 2016 Rotorcraft Phenomenon Named to Honor Soldiers http://petapixel.com/2016/09/29/combat-photographer-named-phenomenon-honor-soldiers/ There are some pretty neat photos in the article. I don't think this effect is modeled in FSX. John 1 Link to post Share on other sites
wain 879 Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 amazing shots there John, great effect looks very dramatic.... Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted October 2, 2016 Report Share Posted October 2, 2016 Nice catch, JA. Way cool! Link to post Share on other sites
brett 2,316 Posted October 4, 2016 Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 Really cool effect and great shots, fantastic idea naming the effect after soldiers that lost their lives. Unfortunately the effect also paints a target on the craft. Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted October 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 Quote Unfortunately the effect also paints a target on the craft. Yeah, it sure does. I wonder if anti-erosion strips of other materials are available for birds used on missions where more stealth is required. It sounds as if titanium and nickel are the problematic materials, though they probably also perform best for the purpose. John Link to post Share on other sites
Captain Coffee 2,030 Posted October 4, 2016 Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 (edited) Is it for certain that the effect is entirely caused by the ablative metal sheathing? Wondering if some of that light is coming from rapidly melting tiny grains of sand instantly into bits of glass?? If any of the latter is involved, then probably any material might cause it to happen... unless a material could absorb some of the shock of the Collision... I wonder if a strong rubber material could prevent the effect? although rubber would almost certainly fade away much faster than a metal plate. Edited October 4, 2016 by Captain Coffee Link to post Share on other sites
allardjd 1,853 Posted October 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 Quote Wondering if some of that light is coming from rapidly melting tiny grains of sand instantly into bits of glass?? I think sand is already bits of glass... I'm no expert, but that article and another I've read attributes it to a process called "pyrophoric oxidation", essentially combustion of the microscopic metal particles in the air. It's a fairly well known phenomenon that any combustible substance, if finely divided, becomes nearly explosive, e.g. grain dust, flour, sanding dust, and yes, certain metals. Sand and such are not combustible, so if the identified process is in fact the culprit, the sand is not involved in the same way as the metal particles. In any case the sand particles are probably considerably larger than the abraded metal particles. If you don't believe common metals are combustible, put a match, or even a 9V battery according to this video, to a common steel wool pad, in a safe place... John Link to post Share on other sites
Quickmarch 488 Posted October 6, 2016 Report Share Posted October 6, 2016 I'd be inclined to think that the abrasive action of the sand is cutting away microscopic bits of metal. It is more likely the metal that is responsible for the luminous effect. Link to post Share on other sites
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