![]() The webbings and underlying layers form a tough barrier that is strong and resilient to damage. The plug's designers say relying on commercially available materials for the plug’s construction helped keep development costs down and make them more affordable for mass transit operators.ĭave Cadogan, Director of Engineering at ILC Dover, which is the longtime maker of NASA space suits, said, “"We used the same design and manufacturing techniques we use in space suits and inflatable space habitats. A second layer of non-webbed Vectran and final layer of polyurethane seal the inflation medium – be it water or air – inside. Unlike many other sexual toys, such as dildos, a butt plug is meant to remain in place during sexual play. The outer layer that gives the plug its shape and strength is made up of a thick webbing of a liquid-crystal polymer called Vectran. Butt plugs also have a wide base to prevent the toy from going in too far. An initial full scale prototype with a single-layer design failed during pressurized testing, with the team ultimately settling on a plug with three separate layers. The material used to make the plug needed to be pliable enough to conform to the irregular shape of a tunnel, while still being strong enough to hold back a full tunnel’s worth of water. The plug’s circumference is sufficiently larger than that of the tunnel to ensure a tight seal even when dealing with the various pipes, vents, lights, and subway tracks that line transit tunnels. The giant plug in tests using a specially-built test tunnel (Photo: E.M.Sosa, WVU) When deflated, the plug is designed to pack into a small storage space in the tunnel where it can be remotely triggered for immediate inflation by the tunnel’s command center. ![]() Measuring roughly 32 feet (9.7 m) long and with a diameter of 16 feet (4.9 m), the giant plug is an enormous inflatable cylinder that can be filled with air or water in minutes to quickly seal off a section of tunnel in the event of an accident, natural disaster or terrorist attack.ĭeveloped through S&T’s Resilient Tunnel Project in partnership with Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, West Virginia University (WVU) and ILC Dover, the plug is tunnel-shaped with rounded capsule-like ends and holds 35,000 gallons (132,489 liters). Perfect Fit Large Tunnel Plug, Clear 224 5 offers from 17.43 Doc Johnson Platinum Premium Silicone - The Stretch - Hollow Butt Plug - Medium - Black 226 4 offers from 28.11 Doc Johnson Titanmen - The Hollow - 4.5 Inch Hollow Tunnel Plug with 8.15 Inch Girth - Flared Safety Base - Dual-Textured Finish - Butt Plug - Clear 216 2 offers from 16. That’s the thinking of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), which has created just such a giant plug to contain flooding or dangerous gases in mass transit tunnels. What’s the best way to plug a giant hole? Why with a giant plug, of course.
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