How thick should an iron wall be? This depends on: the size of the construction; the forces upon it. In the weightlessness of space, it might seem that very little is needed. And actually, we could get by with just enough iron to form an outer shell* if we use high tensile strength ribbons as structural reinforcement, especially if a rotating station is desired. Iron is better in compression that tension, and rotation, combined with internal atmospheric pressure (if any), will apply tensile forces to our structure. So, we can wrap it up with ribbons to reinforce.
The bricks do not necessarily have to be solid; I have considered box sections that might be sandwiched between an outer and inner layer. The cavity can be usefully employed; in my imaginative forays I have considered the consequences of a significant meteoroid impact, like a fist sized rock punching a hole. Balloons that expand automatically, perhaps, coupled with fast setting foams to plug the hole. Anyway, digressing.
The bricks can be magnetized in one of three possible orientations. each resulting in different tiling patterns as shown below:
There are 3 types. 1 and 3 give the same result, superficially, by providing the same thickness, but 3 wins because of the overlapping. Cold welding is a factor. Type 2 gives best surface area at the cost of thickness, which I assume to be less desirable in space. An unknown parameter is the protective effect of magnetic iron to space radiation.
*How big is an outer shell? Frankly, it could be huge. I will be positing my ideas for iron space constructs in future posts, and I think the first will be a design for an LSE counterweight.
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