Ballast Material
 

Tom & other racers:

Does PCA allow depleted uranium as ballast? I saw this in a NASA email.
Note to self - don't stand next to a NASA car, esp if it glows.


15.20 Ballast
All ballast shall be solid metal such as steel, lead, or depleted uranium, and consist of a minimum of five (5) pounds per piece. Each piece shall be bolted in place with through-bolts, fender washers, and a locking-nut / system (e.g. jam-nuts, Nylock, etc.). All ballast shall be secured sufficiently, and all bolts shall be of grade five (5). Nylock nuts or metal crimping lock nuts should not be reused.

Where would you get depleted uranium? The army-navy surplus store?

Was that someone with a sense of humor? Or do you suppose that's a thing?

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10 grams = $395

You can do the math. ;)

https://luciteria.com/elements-for-sale/buy-uranium

50 lbs of lead fits in the large USPS box, "if it fits, it ships" ($17.60). Of course your mailman will hate you.

Order a quantity of depleted uranium online, and you can expect a visit from guys in cheap suits but with good shoes...……………..

To meet the 5lb min, that's roughly $90K :eek:

Energy Solutions is just dumping it into the west desert here in Utah.

If you are a true baller you can get what they use in F1

https://www.tungsten.com/products/tungsten-alloy-race-car-weight/

Haha!

PCA does not specify the exact materials allowed as ballast.

When I was younger, I worked in the missile industry designing guidance systems, and we always used tungsten to balance the missile airframe.

Other more dense materials all have major drawbacks: Platinum is much more expensive, Iridium is fairly rare, and Osmium is poisonous when exposed to air.

A 4" cube of tungsten weighs 41lbs!