Joint announcement from Beldin N.A. and the University of Wanecta:
April 1, 2017 Wanecta, WY - For immediate release
Today, we at Beldin and UVW are pleased to announce the first successful production run of category 5 rated twisted pair cable using a hybrid construction of conventional polymers and Glycyrrhiza glabr as a dielectric substance. Glycyrrhiza glabr is the root from which the popular confectionary known as liquorice is synthesized from.
Plant, root, common form and chemical structure: Glycyrrhiza glabr
Useful Characteristics of Drawn Liquorice
Apparently liquorice has many attractive properties for cable manufacturing including:
- Dieletric constant of 1.077
- Naturally UV resistant
- High Ductile strength
- Extreme Hydrophobicity (Water resistance)
- Exhibits strong Shape-Memory
- Can provide emergency sustenance of up to 2.3 kcal/meter (black)
Method of Discovery
UVW Lead Scientist Dr. Reese Caldron recalls:
I was sitting around the lab one Sunday morning when I became fixated on a package of Rainbow Liquorice. I noticed how the twist rate was nearly identical to those in standard category cable. From there, it was only a matter of a few months before we had a test spool ready. Unfortunately it soon degraded into a cubic foot mass of formless toxic goo during a hot spell! We changed the formulation considerably using commercial binders and stiffeners from there, though this ruled out discretionary on-the-job consumption.
Method of Production
Unlike traditional cable construction, LiQ based category cable is extruded, not totally unlike (in principle) the common toy shown here:
PlayDoh Extruder with TwistTool (sold seperately) selected.
Impact on Legacy Cabling Industry
Possibly large, since this development was done in full-stealth-mode.
Impact on Liquorice Industry
