Ouinhed cylinders are massive structures, and yet analysis of construction techniques of damaged and vacant ones have showed them being significantly lighter than numbers would suggest.
As suggested by the name, “Astrocrete” mass is largely derived from asteroid particulates. This is generally the silicate heavy asteroids, as metal rich asteroids largely are turned into recognizable alloys after initial processing.
Silicates have two destinations; the expected glasses, both impure and further refined for visual clarity, and a “wool” matrix similar to fiberglass, that has a clear density gradient.
A sheet of water ice is placed between two layers of Astrowool – dense layers further away from the ice – and then sealed into a monolithic unit with unpurified silicate glass. This unit, 30 cm thick and usually in excess of 10m by 10m, is the major building block of both inner and outer cylinders – moved into place with in this state, the glass is remelted to fuse these blocks together. The expectation is that during this process, the water ice sublimates and integrates into the porous structure of the wool, providing an internal low-density atmosphere that give more radiation shielding, and prevents carbonation from the external atmosphere’s carbon dioxide.
One might ask, what if the water vapor pressure got too high and blew? The current assumption is this was an intentional part of the test, as iw would mean carbonization would happen much quicker on the enormous internal surface area.
It is also suggested that these slabs were kept at temperatures near the glass point between production and “stitching”, and the whole stitched structure was allowed to cool slowly in vacuum as assembly continued. They could only said to be quenched when the actual compressed atmosphere was introduced – or released – post spin-up.
There are, of course, regions of solid astrocrete within a cylinder;
The Pylons connecting the outer cylinder and the massive maglev alignment system of the inner cylinder (at either end, and the two major braces at approximately 2/5 and 3/5 of the cylinder’s length) that act as bearings and energy injection and extraction points for the primary flyweel the vessel acts as.
These seem to be built to be passively cooled – the wind turbulence at this interface would be enormous, meaning the only still air below would be inside structures; thanfully, the 50 m minimum clearance would mean groundlevel was not always gale force winds; it would be the difference between still and terrestrial jetstreams, though. Ground level structures seem to have been built to intentionally and understandably manage this constant crosswind.
The secondary reaction wheels; a dozen taking up significant space along the equator of the outer cylinder, spaces evenly around it’s equator, at spinning at right angles to the major axis of rotation. These are used for shorter term energy storage, as well as applying torque to the whole ship – useful in both reorientation (pulling or adding power unevenly) and canceling resonances introduced by adding or removing energy from the main system.
Fine reorientation was necessary for use of ion thust systems, and absolutely crucial for use of main antimatter thrust systems. The former would waste a lot of fuel managing minor reorientation, the later worked with huge bursts in acceleration.
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In operation, it’s clear the “Upper Cyl” is the inner cylinder, and the “Lower Cyl” is the outer. Upper is a dark place, lit primarily with grow lights on 10m poles, and visible as a constellation from the other side.
The Lower Cyl, other than the reaction wheels, has industry – manufacture, reclamation – distribution, and residential. Buildings seem to be built in arrangements to reduce or otherwise control the wind form above.
Traffic is either by foot or by maglev; the passenger maglev system weaves through the pylons for inner/outer cargo and personnel transfer at near vacuum to make up for velocity differences. The pylons themselves bore the bearing maglev.
Agriculture was handled both by permanent residents, but also compulsory service; two “years” – whatever that meant to them – of harvesting and mixing with Ouinhed from other parts of the lower cylinder, after which one was free to pursue their own career or sign up for a second round. Which as often as not was reclamation, but could be farming.
Third round compulsory signups got interviews – and were either assigned “compulsory until further notice”, “farmer until further notice”, or assigned counseling. The first group were formally called “They have the too-great ambition of wanting all to be happy.”
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The lower cyl shows significant use of wind power to supplement the energy needs of residences – by construction, one may imaging an consistent ocean breeze rather than the turbulence above. One may expect, if excavation were possible, different eras of electrical cables underneath, presuming copper was plentiful enough they were not recycled, or left as redundancies.
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