Question on Galaxy-class spaceframe

[Old Plympto]

Is the Galaxy-class spaceframe able to support its own weight in a 1G environment WITHOUT the use of its SIF? I'm wondering if the SIF also augments the frame's strunctural strength or is it only used in extreme circumstances such as high-speed turning and such.

[Gandalf]

I would think it could. The saucer seemed to be somewhat ok when it crashed in Generations.

[Sarevok]

I recall reading somewhere that the ship cant hold itself togather for long in space without the SIF. The saucer however did hold itself on the ground in generations. Maybe the field is used to hold the saucer and the stardrive section togather. Seperately the components might be stable.

[Thag]

I was under the impression that the SIF was only necessary for high-acceleration situations. Simply standing still, the hull was strong enough to hold its own weight.

[Old Plympto]

I'm sure the saucer can hold its shape on the ground, but I was thinking more along the lines of the neck section's attachment to the engineering hull. I'm sure the upwards flare design of the neck is no walk in the park for that structural connection... and taking into account the entire saucer section, which is large, with no extra support.

Additional questions:

Is there perhaps a low setting for the SIF in non combat / low maneuvering situations, and if it's turned off in a 1g environment, will the entire saucer section collapse?

If the SIF isn't required, what fictional / non-fictional material is holding up the entire shebang? (This tritanium I heard about?)

Can we, at our engineering tech level now, construct something that size, shape and mass and have it not collapse under its own weight?

[The Silence and I]

I would say the Saucer can absolutely hold up under 1 g without SIF. The saucer did not collapse after landing in Generations (I expect they had SIF during the crash, but AFAIK main power was gone afterwards). It may be noted that the hull is very thin, look out one of the windows on the Enterprise, something like 30 cm each time. When the Borg in Q Who cut up the saucer, the hull was just as thin, and there was no second, thicker, inner hull. Internal supports have yet to be seen, and essentially, it should collapse under far less than 1 g without SIF. As it does not, I am very impressed with Federation materials science.

[Barton]

I would say the Saucer can absolutely hold up under 1 g without SIF. The saucer did not collapse after landing in Generations (I expect they had SIF during the crash, but AFAIK main power was gone afterwards). It may be noted that the hull is very thin, look out one of the windows on the Enterprise, something like 30 cm each time. When the Borg in Q Who cut up the saucer, the hull was just as thin, and there was no second, thicker, inner hull. Internal supports have yet to be seen, and essentially, it should collapse under far less than 1 g without SIF. As it does not, I am very impressed with Federation materials science.

Voyager's Relativity era Galaxy Class has shown the hull plates to be as thick as Federation maintenance bees/shuttle craft’s height i.e. around 1 to 1.5m in thickness. The thickness is quite different to Q Who’s “They are carving us up like a Roast” incident.

[seanrobertson]

Voyager's Relativity era Galaxy Class has shown the hull plates to be as thick as Federation maintenance bees/shuttle craft’s height i.e. around 1 to 1.5m in thickness. The thickness is quite different to Q Who’s “They are carving us up like a Roast” incident.

"Relativity" depicted a GCS circa...2370? 2371?

I'm not familiar with the scene in question, R.V. Do you have vidcaps? And where on the hull were these thicker plates going?

[Barton]

Do you have vidcaps? And where on the hull were these thicker plates going?

They can be found in the following links;
1. http://www.uss-voyager.fsnet.co.uk/ep118a.htm
2. http://echelon.0catch.com/UFP/HullPlate ... plates.htm

Screen brightness or gamma settings may have to be increase in viewing these pictures.