Sandstorm

Sand is an example of a class of materials called granular matter. Sand is a naturally occurring, finely divided rock, comprising particles or granules ranging in size from 1⁄16 to 2 millimeters. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain. The next smaller size class in geology is silt: particles below 1⁄16 mm down to 1⁄256 mm (0.004 mm) in size. The next larger size class above sand is gravel, with particles ranging up to 6 ...

Including:

• Sand - Uses of sand
• Sand - Hazards of sand

Read more here: » Sand: Encyclopedia - Sand

Sand is often a principal component of the aggregate used in the preparation of concrete. Sand manufactured at rock crusher plants for use as an aggregate is called mansand. Graded sand is used as an abrasive in sandblasting and is also used in media filters for filtering water. Brick manufacturing plants use Sand as an additive with a mixture of clay and other materials for manufacturing bricks. Sandy soils are ideal for certain crops such as watermelons, peaches, and peanuts and are often preferred for intensive dairy farming because of thei ...

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Sand, Sand - Uses of sand, Sand - Hazards of sand

Read more here: » Sand: Encyclopedia II - Sand - Uses of sand

Bags of sand now typically carry labels warning the user to wear respiratory protection and avoid breathing the fine silica dust. There have been a number of lawsuits in recent years where workers have sought damages after they developed silicosis, a lung disease caused by inhalation of fine silica particles. People have been severely injured and even killed after digging sand "caves" in large dunes, sandhills, or even on beaches when ...

See also:

Sand, Sand - Uses of sand, Sand - Hazards of sand

Read more here: » Sand: Encyclopedia II - Sand - Hazards of sand

The first BotCon was held in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1994. Organized by brothers Jon and Karl Hartman, the convention had 180 attendees, a meager start. The next two conventions were organized by volunteers under the Hartmans' guidance. In 1997, the Hartmans brought Glen Hallit, a fellow fan, into the fold, forming 3H Enterprises (based upon the first letter of all three organizers' last names). At BotCon 2002, Hallit announced that 3H had secured the official Transformers convention license, as well as licenses to produce comic books ...

See also:

BotCon, BotCon - BotCon History, BotCon - BotCon/OTFCC Locations, BotCon - Exclusive toys

Read more here: » BotCon: Encyclopedia II - BotCon - BotCon History

Each robot started at a different time and was "paused" for different amounts of time during the race; DARPA compensated for the staggered start times and subtracted the pause time from each robot's total to derive its final official time. The $2 million prize was awarded on Sunday October 9th, 2005. The 2005 competitors were much more successful than those of 2004; only one failed to pass the 7.36-mile mark set by the best-performing 2004 entry, Sandstorm. By the end, 18 robots had been disabled and five robots finished the course. O ...

See also:

2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Qualification, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Race, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Race Participants

Read more here: » 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge: Encyclopedia II - 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Race

Unfortunately, the failures of the vehicles during the preliminary tests were indicative of how the vehicles would perform on the actual course. Only three hours into the event, a mere four vehicles remained operational. The vehicles that failed suffered from a variety of mechanical problems: "stuck brakes, broken axles, rollovers and malfunctioning satellite navigation equipment." Within a few hours, all of the vehicles in the challenge had suffered critical vehicle failures, had been disqualified or had withdrawn. The furthest any o ...

See also:

2004 DARPA Grand Challenge, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Preliminary tests, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The event, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The results, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - External link, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Official Sites, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Articles Photo Sites

Read more here: » 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge: Encyclopedia II - 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The event

Although the initial race was deemed a failure due to no vehicles even achieving anything close to the goal, DARPA has committed to running the challenge again for as long as Congressional authority allows (which currently runs to 2007, but can be extended). The first Grand Challenge is considered by some to be a success in any event, merely on the basis that it has spurred interest and innovation. The requisite logic dictates that, as long as overall ...

See also:

2004 DARPA Grand Challenge, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Preliminary tests, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The event, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The results, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - External link, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Official Sites, 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - Articles Photo Sites

Read more here: » 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge: Encyclopedia II - 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge - The results

Of the original 195 applicants, initially 40 teams were selected to participate in the National Qualification Event (NQE). Three teams were added on Aug. 23, 2005 to the semi-finalist 40 teams who were selected from site visits, sending 43 teams to the NQE. The National Qualification Event was held at California Speedway in Fontana from September 27 through October 5. The results of the NQE were us ...

See also:

2005 DARPA Grand Challenge, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Qualification, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Race, 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Race Participants

Read more here: » 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge: Encyclopedia II - 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge - Qualification