Diamond-Core Mechanical Linkages

A mechanical linkage can be represented by a rod of metal. If a mechanical force is applied to one end of the rod, that force will cause the rod to move, but only AS a wave-form of mechanical energy conducts through the rod at the speed of sound to the other end. The far end of the rod absolutely cannot begin to move until that mechanical waveform of force reaches it.

Well, when using mechanical linkages in high-speed systems, this can pose a problem. A reasonably well-known example was the "valve rods" in old-fashioned auto engines. At high-enough RPMs, the rods could not conduct mechanical forces to the valves fast enough to open them at the right timing-points in the combustion cycle. This problem was solved by replacing the rods with a cam system (shortening the distance that the mechanical forces needed to move, which thereby decreased the time needed for those mechanical forces to traverse the linkages and do their jobs).

Keep in mind that while the valve-rod problem was reasonably well known, the general problem involving the transmission of mechanical forces at high speeds remains a limiting factor in all mechanical systems.

Okay, a general solution to the problem is what I'm getting at here. See, different materials have different speed-of-sound in those materials. Thus an alternate solution to the valve-rod problem could have been to pick a "faster" material for the rods. This leads to something of a conundrum, in that "faster" materials are also generally harder AND MORE BRITTLE materials. The best/worst of the lot is diamond.

Thus this Idea. Companies are now beginning to manufacture large nearly-flawless chunks of diamond (genuine crystalline carbon, MORE flawless than found in Nature) for industrial purposes. See link. So imagine a "connecting rod" which has a diamond core, and an outer metal covering. We would want the coefficient of thermal expansion of the two substances to match, of course. When a mechanical force is applied to one end of this rod, the "metal softens the blow" and protects the diamond core from shattering. In turn the diamond core, having the highest speed-of-sound of all ordinary materials, conducts the mechanical force throughout the rod at a tremendous rate, allowing the force to reach the next part of the mechanical system in minimum time.