Comments on: Drilling a square hole http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408 A LIST OF WEBSITES OF INTEREST Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:30:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: soubriquet http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44311 soubriquet Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:42:25 +0000 http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44311 Ah, the old Reuleaux triangle... I was delighted to see Platypus' link. here's a better square hole drilling explanation.: tetrahedronhttp://www.integerspin.co.uk/polygon.htm A couple of months ago, driving, half asleep, to work, I pulled up alongside a shiny new truck, and as we waited for the lights to change, I was admiring all the lightweight aluminium parts, the fuel tanks, tool lockers, wheel rims when.... Suddenly I noticed the wheel nuts were not hex headed as usual. Instead, they were a rather nice radiused triangle- same shape as a Wankel engine's rotor (http://www.answers.com/topic/wankel-engine). And about ten per wheel. Why?, I wondered. Of course, no normal spanner, socket or wrench would shift them, thus frustrating would be wheel thieves. The driver would have to carry a tool or he'd be stuck if ever he got a flat tyre... The truck, by the way, was registered in Spain. I'll be looking out for others, but so far no sightings. I've never seen them anywhere else. I tried the internet and the only reference to nuts of this form was their use on fireplugs in Redwing Minnesota... Now I'm getting to be a bit of an expert on Reuleaux and his cunning use of eccentrically orbiting wheels. The british 50 pence and twenty pence coins are Reuleaux polygons, by the way. http://www.answers.com/topic/wankel-engine, Ah, the old Reuleaux triangle…
I was delighted to see Platypus’ link.
here’s a better square hole drilling explanation.:
tetrahedronhttp://www.integerspin.co.uk/polygon.htm
A couple of months ago, driving, half asleep, to work, I pulled up alongside a shiny new truck, and as we waited for the lights to change, I was admiring all the lightweight aluminium parts, the fuel tanks, tool lockers, wheel rims when…. Suddenly I noticed the wheel nuts were not hex headed as usual. Instead, they were a rather nice radiused triangle- same shape as a Wankel engine’s rotor (http://www.answers.com/topic/wankel-engine). And about ten per wheel. Why?, I wondered. Of course, no normal spanner, socket or wrench would shift them, thus frustrating would be wheel thieves. The driver would have to carry a tool or he’d be stuck if ever he got a flat tyre…
The truck, by the way, was registered in Spain. I’ll be looking out for others, but so far no sightings.
I’ve never seen them anywhere else. I tried the internet and the only reference to nuts of this form was their use on fireplugs in Redwing Minnesota…
Now I’m getting to be a bit of an expert on Reuleaux and his cunning use of eccentrically orbiting wheels.

The british 50 pence and twenty pence coins are Reuleaux polygons, by the way.

http://www.answers.com/topic/wankel-engine,

]]> By: MILITANTPLATYPUS http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44306 MILITANTPLATYPUS Fri, 01 Dec 2006 17:00:50 +0000 http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44306 It is pretty amazing what people come up with It is pretty amazing what people come up with

]]> By: JohnM http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44302 JohnM Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:44:50 +0000 http://www.militantplatypus.com/blog/archives/3408#comment-44302 I really do think I should be studying more engineering... that is great I really do think I should be studying more engineering… that is great

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