smokefield, on 16 May 2014 - 11:00 PM, said:
good post strum but i have some observations to it :
- that proves my point. if the output is constant then we can acheive greater speed if we reduce the weight.
this is not a constant. actually these articulations and everything else are directly proportional with the speed and conditions. (or should be). And these should be calibrated in such way that with max speed and harsh condition they operate at only 75-80% of their max capacity, so that in cases of much greater stress on those parts, for short time, they can accomodate that stress without failing. this is done in any engineering construction. you do not put in place a part that is under 100% stress because it will fail fast.
yes - we have limitations but they are not reached now at max use. we can even take those into calcul and came up with a formula that adds damage over certain limits to the mech - i agree with that.
No, one fragment of one sentence does not "prove your point".
The Fusion Engines are only capable of putting out a limited quantity of electricity at once, and that amount is fairly close to constant unless the 'Mech is being pushed unusually hard (as is the case when invoking Sprinting Mode - which increases top speed by only ~33%, depending on the 'Mech) and/or when some additional external system (such as a Supercharger - which has the same speed increase limitations as Sprinting Mode, ~33%) to circumvent its normal limitations.
(In TT terms, both Sprinting Mode (which both increases heat generation by 50% & increases the likelihood of the 'Mech falling over) and Supercharger use (which carries the risk of damaging or destroying the Engine, and with the risk increasing rapidly the longer the Supercharger is active) result in being able to move at double the Walk MP, but do not result in a calculation of Running MP like TSM does. Moreover, note that MASC use (which comes with the risk of damaging/destroying the legs' actuators anytime the system is active) also produces the same speed boost as Sprinting and Supercharger use, a ~33% increase in top speed.)
In fact, the limits of Engine power generation were used as a plot point in the novel
Blood Legacy.
Quote
Phelan nodded to himself and studied the auxiliary monitor. "Gauss rifle in my left arm?"
"Great weapon. It uses magnetic currents to launch a ball of ferrous metal about the diameter of a melon. Generates next to no heat and packs one hell of a wallop. The only problem is that its power requirements are fairly heavy. If you try to shoot it and the lasers at the same time, the computer will have to cycle and allocate power, so it will take a bit longer to get your salvo off." - Natasha Kerensky & Phelan Kell, Blood Legacy, chapter 19
-----
A fragment of something he'd heard suddenly hurtled forward into Phelan's consciousness, and it was as though a blindfold had been torn from his eyes. "Vlad isn't in control. Natasha warned me about the power requirements for a Gauss rifle. Vlad hit the triggers for everything in his first shot. He's got the Gauss rifles set up as his primary weapons, so they get first crack at the power from his fusion engines!" - Phelan Kell, Blood Legacy, chapter 19
On top of that,
TechManual actually touches upon the issue of "oversized Engines" on page 37.
Quote
For the first couple of decades in BattleMech design, engineers used oversized Fusion Engines - powerplants that were larger than needed today for a given speed category of 'Mech. It was hoped that this would provide assorted, ill-defined boosts in combat. Unfortunately, these Engines simply ran too hot or shut themselves down with overloads. The problem - in part - was that BattleMech systems could only draw so much power at one time. Ramming more down their throats didn't help.
Which brings us to the second point: myomer bundles, like conventional electric motors (and real-world EAP bundles), have an activation threshold such that not potting in enough power to cross the threshold results in nothing happening, while putting in too much power results in damage & system failure.
Moreover, the several studies included in my previous post - particularly the second one - indicate that bipedal locomotion is dependent on a variety of factors beyond the weight of the walker/runner, many of those (as demonstrated by the third linked study) are largely, if not wholly, dependent on weight.
As such, having the 'Mech's arms blasted off (or having the 'Mech be
modified to be armless, with no other design changes) doesn't change the material properties of the legs' myomer bundles or the legs' supporting structure, nor does it allow the motive systems to be able to use additional power from the Engine.
In fact, the fastest any 'Mech can hope to handle, if even only for short periods and at exceedingly high risk of catastrophic system failure, is around twice its normal top speed; this can only be achieved when Sprinting while both a MASC system and a Supercharger are simultaneously active.
By contrast, using only one or the other (of MASC or a Supercharger) in conjunction with Sprinting is still highly risky with regard to system failure & allows for an increase in top speed of only ~66%.
Edited by Strum Wealh, 17 May 2014 - 09:31 AM.
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). there are particular situations yes but if you place it inside the chassis, the impact willbe minimal. so a 10 ton difference would not have such a great impact on 100ton mech. on another side - the same 10 ton difference should have a big impact on a 40ton mech -agree.
