Prometheus or xenosss, DELETE THIS THREAD


So, me and my Senior Design professor were talking about coming up with ways to use some sort of parabolic mirror to focus solar energy for various energy savings applications. One of the things he brought up was something about being about to take a flat, circular piece of sheet metal and cut a spiral into it and then bending/stretching it into a bowl shape so that the surface of the spirals focuses the light into the same spot.

Anyone familiar with doing/figuring out how to do stuff like this? assuming it's even possible.

Does this kind of problem even fall under Topology.
Some recommended key search terms or just a basic explanation too get me started would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

I saw an idea on some show a while back. They used a piece of mylar stretched over a drum, then sucked out some of the air so the mylar formed a bowl shape as you said.

I think they were burning stuff with it using just the reflection from the sun...

It should make it perfect aswell.

Just get a drum the size you want, piece of mylar the same size + a few cm's, a valve with a vacuum pump.

Put the valve in the side of the drum. Stretch the mylar over the top, seal the other end of course. Make sure no air can get in, then suck the air out using the vacuum.

Helpful enough?

After watching the show, i thought you could use a much, much shorter drum, and once it's had all the air sucked out you'd probably only have to adjust it when it get's cold/hot(the air expands). You could also freeze(liquid nitrogen?) the mylar then vapor-deposit some superglue on the inside of the mylar to use as a mould......just an idea.

Also, im not 100% sure it was mylar, but it was shiny and look like it.

you could use a wok :)

True, but it's a pain in the ass to get it shiny....

Forgot to add something. With the idea i suggested above, it's adjustable, so you can get the light to be perfectly directed at what you want. No more making heaps of prototypes that might not work on a given day(sounds stupid, but whatever). Also increased range :)

Thanks for the input, guys, but this thread is the one that should be should be closed.

The main thing I'm going after is just figuring out how you can cut a spiral into a sheet and then depress the center of the spiral so that it essentially forms a parabolic dish.

Idk how I ended up double posting, I must have hit enter or something when I went back and changed the title.

I've used a satellite dish before ..
an example:
http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2006/10/12/143057/35

it has to be a perfect parabola, it cant be cone like?