I wish I hadn't read this thread. I have not been able to sleep thinking of a solution. Anyway, try this: Purchase 63,000 sewing pins. The ones in my wifes sewing tin are 0.5mm dia. EDM drill the holes in the aluminium cylinder.
Insert the pins into the holes until the parallel portion protrudes...
If you examine the broken faces you can usually tell if a crack already existed. The "old" crack usually appears darker than the area that has finally broken. If the shaft was long and picked up with the original crack at the bottom it may have broken under its own weight.
I have a piston inside a cylinder. The cylinder has no end on it and the piston is level with the top of it. The area of the piston is 1 square inch. If I put my hand over the top of the cylinder and draw the piston down I will immeadiately be creating a total vacuum. Am I right in thinking that...