Recapitulation

"Structure" at the microscopic level

The basic idea behind my last few posts is that a permanent force generator could be built to exploit either the zero-point fluctuations responsible for Casimir Effect, or the thermal motion of air molecules at normal temperature and pressure.

Even though there is no preferred direction for either the zero-point fluctuations or the air molecule movements (i.e. they are both isotropic), the idea is that energy can still be extracted from them provided that the devices designed to do that have correctly designed and manufactured structures at the microscopic level.

Are there any precedents?

I know of one already existing technology whose performance depends on having the correct structure at the microscopic level. The modern term for these items is "gauge blocks," which we older engineers used to call "Johansson slip gauges."

A metric set of gauge blocks

Gauge blocks "wrung" together into a stack

The above two open-source images (from Wikipedia) show gauge blocks, which have been "wrung" together to create a single stack, in the second image. Obviously, some force keeps the gauges together.

The discussion at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk%3AGauge_block shows I'm not the only person to suggest gauge blocks stick together at least partly from Casimir Effect, although the suggestion wasn't well received.

Whether they stick together because of Casimir Effect, or air pressure (or, as I believe, a combination of both), gauge blocks have "structure" sufficient for their purpose at the microscopic level, i.e. in their case they have microscopically flat adjoining surfaces. This enables them to perform in a way that is not seen with metal blocks finished to a "normal" standard of flatness.

An "Air plus Casimir Force" motor

Note that Alt 2 in the specification drawing I've posted previously could be made conducting, i.e. from metal. Then it could work from both air molecule interactions and Casimir effect. (Experimentally, assuming it does become possible to make foils according to that drawing, it would be worth contrasting the performance of two Alt 2 prototypes with the same physical dimensions; but with one made of conducting material, and the other of insulating material.)

Further computer analysis

Whether or not foils as specified in the drawing could be made now, or in the near future, realistic computer modelling of such foils could almost certainly be done now — but not by me. These days, I don't have access to the necessary hardware or software. As already mentioned, modelling that would give really credible results will very likely require supercomputers.

See http://www.isgtw.org/feature/glueing-together-multi-scale-world

In my personal opinion, realistic modelling of such foils would be very worthwhile.


This concludes my series of posts on devices with structure at the microscopic level.