Star Wars Building Material

Well, I think most of it is pretty self-explanatory, but a few things seem off. In most of the books, it's said that the windows on the Coruscant sky scrapers are made of transparisteel. Now I'm guessing that means that it's strong as steel, but you're able to see through it. So why then was Obi-Wan able to plow through it on Coruscant in AOTC? In the Thrawn Trilogy, Leia had to cut through it to get to the Millenium Falcon (which she never did), which suggests it's very strong again. And then there's also duracrete and ferrocrete. I'm assuming these are the equivalent to our cement, but why the different names? What's the difference? I realize this isn't a pressing matter, but it had me curious while I was reading. Any thoughts, or does anyone actually know?

 

Transparisteel is a very tough, clear material. It is usually used on starships and the like. However, it is very expensive and I doubt that it is used a lot in windows that are pretty small. There is also a structural problem. The larger the pane, the weaker it is. The droid also cut a hole in it, which would have weakened the entire frame enough for a person to break it with their entire body weight.

 

Not really got anything to contribute other than that I heard ''plasteel'' mentioned once or twice.

 

Transparisteel: maybe not all building windows are made out of it, though you'd think those of a senatorial residence would be; or Obi-Wan was able to break weakened transparisteel with the aid of the Force. Usual movies/EU mismatch. Durasteel: like steel but with whatever non-steellike properties the plot needs. Duracrete (artificial stone), ferrocrete (artifical stone with iron content?), and permacrete haven't been distinguished in detail that I know of. Plasteel (Courtship of Princess Leia, some mentions elsewhere) is probably a particular plastoid substance that's very hard.

In the Episode II novelization, that windows is glass, and tranparisteel is also mentioned elsewhere in the book...

 

If I'm not mistaken Stormtroopers and clone troopers use plasteel armor.

 

It's all explained in the Star Wars Essential Guide to Materials Science.

Ok, there is no Essential Guide to Materials Science but there should be for all of us engineers to debunk.

It could be that transparisteel was invented after AOTC or that it wasn't commonly used in residences until during or after the Palpatine era whether it be because of expense or not neccessary.

 

I have always invisioned ferrocrete, permacrete and duracrete as different types of concrete. Plasteel is used in the stormies armor, along with some type of engery absorbing mesh.

 

Go to The Unofficial Encyclopaedia (theforce.net, hyperlink on the side abiut halfway down the page or something). Then click, at the side, Technology, and then Materials (I think, I can't remember). Your explainations on Duracrete and a few others are there, but there's no transparisteel.