Impossible Engineering

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Mad Dilys
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Impossible Engineering

Post by Mad Dilys »

The title caught my eye so I am recording the TV series. Thoroughly recommend it. Amazing! :up


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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

There is a show I get called "Mega Superstructures." Have watched a few episodes about various huge items built throughout the world. More than fascinating.

Few years back when I went to NASA in Texas and saw some of the space ships I was impressed with their size. Not too sure what size I anticipated but they were huge! Never anticipated the size (from watching on TV) what they were actually launching into space.
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Grandad »

On a recent TV program it was mentioned that the Empire State Building was constructed in a year. That is amazing taking account of building methods almost a century ago.
This afternoon I was waiting for the start of the England v Ireland six nations match in Dublin. I channel hopped and on BBC2 I caught the last few minutes of a program about air travel. The reporter was invited to spend time on the flight deck of an Airbus A360. It's take off speed is just 145 knots and take off weight 500 tons.
Surely that is Impossible Engineering.
:gg:
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Grandad »

Forgot to say, Well Done Wales for beating that incredibly heavy French pack. :up
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Mad Dilys »

And well done England for trouncing Ireland in Dublin! I watched that with mixed feelings as I'm about 50% Irish. :oops:
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I've watched huge cargo planes C5 and C17 take off - they're flying warehouses. It is amazing the weight they can carry and FLY too!

Don't think I knew it took 1 year to built the Empire State Building. A long time but not really when you think about what was built.

I'd love to know how long it took to build the pyramids, sphynx and HOW too.
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Hurghadapat »

Grandad wrote:On a recent TV program it was mentioned that the Empire State Building was constructed in a year. That is amazing taking account of building methods almost a century ago.
This afternoon I was waiting for the start of the England v Ireland six nations match in Dublin. I channel hopped and on BBC2 I caught the last few minutes of a program about air travel. The reporter was invited to spend time on the flight deck of an Airbus A360. It's take off speed is just 145 knots and take off weight 500 tons.
Surely that is Impossible Engineering.

You been watching the 100K drop Grandad :?: ;)

The building was started with a very rushed deadline and Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, the Architects were very mindful of the time constraints. The building was going up so fast at one point that the architects were completing detail drawings and sending them to the steel mills just days before the parts were completed. The whole project took about 18 months with one period accounting for 20 floors in about 20 days.

The building featured fabricated metal framing exterior pieces so the exterior stone didn’t require finishing on 2 of the 4 sides . The window framing was a special design as well allowing for the windows to be installed faster than on any previous building.

The building also used indoor railed tracks on several floors for delivering materials to their final locations. It was the first building to ever do that. The building site also featured temporary plumbing facilities so workers didn’t have to descend to get a drink and temporary cafeterias so builders could get lunch without going down to ground level.

The general contractors were Starrett Brothers and Eken, and they orchestrated the delivery of materials such that steel components were arriving at the site still hot to the touch from the mills. The delivery schedules were so tight that a truck late by 15 minutes had to come back the next day (and the schedule had to be reworked accordingly)

Given that the Depression was just getting bad, the best people in all of the building trades were available as well.
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Grandad »

@Hurghadapat
Oh dear Pat you have now revealed my sad TV preferences, daytime quizzes. ;)
I am an antique program addict and was waiting for Antiques Road Trip if memory serves me right. :lol:
Thanks for the detail about the Empire State Building. Many facts I didn't know. :up
One of the other options, on the program, was the time to construct the channel tunnel which was in fact 6 years. I have used the tunnel many times, not least because both my #2 son and his wife work for Eurotunnel. He was one of the original drivers from 1994 and I have traveled through in the cab at 80+mph through that black hole.
I still think it is one of the most significant feats of civil engineering and I remember that our huge boring machine was turned and buried itself in the chalk marl and there it remains. I also remember the breakthrough from the French and English sides. Almost spot on accuracy. How did they do that 50 metres below the bed of the English channel?
:gg:
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Hurghadapat »

Grandad wrote:@Hurghadapat
Oh dear Pat you have now revealed my sad TV preferences, daytime quizzes. ;)
I am an antique program addict and was waiting for Antiques Road Trip if memory serves me right. :lol:
Thanks for the detail about the Empire State Building. Many facts I didn't know. :up
One of the other options, on the program, was the time to construct the channel tunnel which was in fact 6 years. I have used the tunnel many times, not least because both my #2 son and his wife work for Eurotunnel. He was one of the original drivers from 1994 and I have traveled through in the cab at 80+mph through that black hole.
I still think it is one of the most significant feats of civil engineering and I remember that our huge boring machine was turned and buried itself in the chalk marl and there it remains. I also remember the breakthrough from the French and English sides. Almost spot on accuracy. How did they do that 50 metres below the bed of the English channel?
It's all very clever stuff Grandad.I've never used the channel tunnel and not sure if want to as i'm a bit claustrophobic,although one of my sons assures me that you are not in it for very long :sd

I also like to watch the 100K Drop and The Chase.
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Ruby Slippers »

HurghadaPat, I felt the same as you over using the tunnels but a few years ago I had to go by ferry and got horribly seasick! The next time, I went by tunnel and I can honestly say I wouldn't even think of going any other way now! From Folkestone to Calais in just over 30 minutes! Compared to a few hours on a choppy English Channel with maybe delayed departures due to rough weather - well, no comparison in my mind. :)
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Mad Dilys »

I used to go over to France and Belgium frequently when my best friend was alive. I just went as a passenger and they had my duty free allowance. It gave us time together that wasn't normally available and we had a decent meal on board.
I love the sea trip, the rougher the better! We were caught out a couple of times by very rough seas and couldn't leave port until the next day. :lol:
I enjoyed it so much that when another friend asked if I would go with her for a treat, I readily agreed. Didn't occur to me that we would use the tunnel as we were going by bus. I was quite shocked when the bus was loaded on the train, as I prefer not to be in tunnels, caves and confined dark places. :a82:
It was over very quickly though and because it was very brightly lit not too overwhelming.
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by Grandad »

I am sure we all agree that such historical achievements as building the pyramids and temples in Egypt, The Parthenon in Greece, and the Colosseum in Rome; are examples of extreme construction particularly having regard for the methods used at the time.

But I have an example very close to my home that also amazes me. I am referring to our magnificent Cathedral here in Canterbury and the thousands of tons of stone brought from France for its construction in the 12th century. We don't have any suitable stone quarries in South East England so all the stone was brought from Caen.

The stone was landed at Fordwich just three miles downstream on the river stour and transported by horse drawn cart to the city centre . This is the most probable landing point on the river at Fordwich today.
10016

And I have to wounder how many small boatloads of stone were required to construct this massive Cathedral.
10017
:gg:
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Re: Impossible Engineering

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Grandad - those questions (i.e. how many boatloads did it take) are what really get to me. Can you even imagine? And how everything got loaded and unloaded and carted here and there. What was built way back when was absolutely phenomenal but the WORK as in manual labour that went into it must of been totally completely sweat hard dirty manual work. Result is gorgeously lovely and look how long it has lasted over time. Big engineering always amazes & fascinates me.
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