Could you imagine the world without
engineers? How do we survive our life today
without their greatest contributions? Try to think if we don’t have amazing computers
and internet which connects our life to the different people and it can be used
for variety of research and we can gain more knowledge, a wonderful televisions
that enables us to see a different world and through this we can learn about
other people and events in different places, cars and other vehicles that makes
possible to fast commute from one place to another, a simple light bulb that
provides light in our every dark nights, great buildings that serves a shelter
and business locations, longest roads and bridges that provides passage for
easy transportation.
Let us learn and discover some of the great and amazing works and principles of engineers.
DANYANG- KUNSHAN GRAND BRIDGE (CHINA)
The bridge is located on the rail line between Shanghai and Nanjing in East China’s Jiangsu province. It is in the Yangtze River Delta where the geography is characterized by lowland rice paddies, canals, rivers and lakes. The bridge runs roughly parallel to the Yangtze River, about 5 to 50 miles south of the river. It passes through the northern edges of population centers (from west to east) beginning in Danyang, Changzhou, Wuxi, Suzhou and ending in Kunshan.
Lake in Suzhou.It was completed in 2010 and opened in 2011. Employing 10,000 people, construction took four years and cost
about $8.5 billion. Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge currently holds the Guinness World Record for the longest bridge in the world in any category as of June 2011.
source: wikipedia
BIG DIG (USA)
The Central Artery/Tunnel Project (CA/T), known unofficially as the Big Dig, was a megaproject in Boston that rerouted the Central Artery (Interstate 93), the chief highway through the heart of the city, into a 3.5-mile (5.6-km) tunnel. The project also included the construction of the Ted Williams Tunnel (extending Interstate 90 to Logan International Airport), the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge over the Charles River, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway in the space vacated by the previous I-93 elevated roadway. Initially, the plan was also to include a rail connection between Boston's two major train terminals.
However, the project was completedonly in December 2007, at a
cost of over $14.6 billion ($8.08 billion in 1982 dollars, meaning a cost
overrun of about 190%) as of
2006. The Boston Globe estimated that the project will ultimately cost $22 billion,
including interest, and that it will not be paid off until 2038. As a result of the deaths, leaks, and
other design flaws, the consortium that oversaw the project agreed to pay $407
million in restitution, and several smaller companies agreed to pay a combined
sum of approximately $51 million. The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Greenway is a
roughly 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) series of parks and public
spaces, which are the final part of the Big Dig after Interstate 93, was put underground. The Greenway was named in honor of Kennedy family matriarch Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and was
officially dedicated on July 26, 2004.
source: wikipedia
source: wikipedia
SUEZ CANAL (EGYPT)
The Suez Canal (Arabic: قناة السويس Qanāt al-Sūwais) is an artificial sea-levelwaterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows ship transportbetween Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. The northern terminus is Port Said and the southern terminus is Port Tawfiq at the city of Suez. Ismailialies on its west bank, 3 km (1.9 mi) from the half-way point. When first built, the canal was 164 km (102 mi) long and 8 m (26 ft) deep. After multiple enlargements, the canal is 193.30 km (120.11 mi) long, 24 m (79 ft) deep and 205 metres (673 ft) wide as of 2010. It consists of the northern accesschannel of 22 km (14 mi), the canal itself of 162.25 km (100.82 mi) and the southern access channel of 9 km (5.6 mi).
source: wikipedia
KASHIWAZAKI-KARIWA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT (JAPAN)
The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power
Plant (柏崎刈羽原子力発電所 Kashiwazaki-Kariwa genshiryoku-hatsudensho?,
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP) is a
large, modern (housing the world's first ABWR) nuclear
power plant on a
4.2-square-kilometer (1,038 acres) site[1] including land in the towns of Kashiwazaki and Kariwa in Niigata Prefecture, Japanon
the coast of the Sea of
Japan, from where it gets cooling water. The plant is owned and
operated by The Tokyo Electric Power
Company (TEPCO). It was the largest nuclear generating station in the world by net electrical
power rating.
2007 : It was approximately
15 miles from the epicenter of the second strongest earthquake to ever occur at
a nuclear plant, the Mw 6.6 July 2007 Chūetsu offshore
earthquake. This shook the plant beyond design basis and initiated an
extended shutdown for inspection, which indicated that greater
earthquake-proofing was needed before operation could be resumed. The plant was
completely shut down for 21 months following the earthquake.
2009: Unit 7 was restarted after
seismic upgrades on May 9, 2009, followed later by units 1, 5, and 6. (Units 2,
3, 4 were not restarted). However all units have since been
stopped for regular inspection. After the April 2011 earthquake
safety improvements are being carried out 2011-2013 but no units are expected
to restart until mid-2013.
source: wikipedia
FALKIRK WHEEL (SCOTLAND)
The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Scotland. It connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. Named after the nearby town of Falkirk in central Scotland, the lift opened in 2002. The two canals it serves were previously connected by a series of 11 locks, but by the 1930s these had fallen into disuse. The locks were filled in and the land built upon.
The plan to regenerate central Scotland's canals and reconnect Glasgow withEdinburgh was led by British Waterways with support and funding from seven local authorities, the Scottish Enterprise Network, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Millennium Commission. Planners decided early on to create a dramatic 21st-century landmark structure to reconnect the canals, instead of simply recreating the historic lock flight. Designs were submitted for a boat lift to link the canals; the Falkirk Wheel design won. As with many Millennium Commission projects the site includes a visitors' centre containing a shop, café, and exhibition centre.
The difference in height at the wheel is 24 metres (79 ft), roughly equivalent to the height of an eight-storey building. The Union Canal is still 11 m higher than the aqueduct which meets the wheel, and boats must pass through a pair of locks to descend from this canal onto the aqueduct at the top of the wheel.
The structure is near the Rough Castle Fort; the closest village is Tamfourhill. On 24 May 2002, Queen Elizabeth II opened the Falkirk Wheel as part of her Golden Jubileecelebrations. The opening was delayed a month due to flooding caused by vandals who forced open the wheel's gates.
Design
The main project architect was Tony Kettle who was, at the time, Design Principal of Edinburgh based RMJM. Kettle worked out the concept of keeping two arms upright while rotating, by building a model using his daughter’s Lego toy construction set. This model was displayed in the V&A British Design Exhibition in 2012. Initial designs by Nicoll Russell Studios and engineers Binnie Black & Veatch.
Bachy/Soletanche and Morrison Construction Joint Venture won the contract to design the wheel and receiving basin, a new section of canal, a tunnel beneath the Antonine wall and a section of aqueduct. In turn the Joint Venture appointed Butterley Engineering to design and construct the wheel. Butterley undertook all construction work for the wheel and set up its own team to carry out the design work. This team comprised Tony Gee and Partners, to undertake the structural design responsibilities and M G Bennett & Associates to design the mechanical and electrical equipment for the wheel.
The wheel has an overall diameter of 35 metres (115 ft) and consists of two opposing arms which extend 15 metres beyond the central axle and take the shape of a Celtic-inspired, double-headed axe. Two sets of these axe-shaped arms are attached about 35 metres (115 ft) apart to a 3.5 metres (11 ft) diameter axle. Two diametrically opposed water-filled caissons, each with a capacity of 80,000 imperial gallons (360,000 l; 96,000 US gal), are fitted between the ends of the arms.
These caissons (also known as gondolas) always weigh the same whether they are just full of water or are carrying their combined capacity of 600 tonnes (590 long tons; 660 short tons) of floating canal barges as, according to Archimedes' principle, floating objects displace their own weight in water, so when the boat enters, the amount of water leaving the caisson weighs exactly the same as the boat. This keeps the wheel balanced. Despite its enormous mass, it rotates through 180° in five-and-a-half minutes using very little power. It takes just 22.5 kilowatts (30.2 hp) to power the electric motors, which consume just 1.5 kilowatt-hours (5.4 MJ) of energy in four minutes, roughly the same as boiling eight kettles of water.
The wheel is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world. The United Kingdom has one other boat lift: the Anderton boat lift inCheshire. The Falkirk Wheel is an improvement on the Anderton boat lift and makes use of the same original principle: two balanced tanks, one going up and the other going down.
Since 2007 the Falkirk Wheel has featured on the obverse of the new series of £50 notes issued by the Bank of Scotland. The series of notes commemorates Scottish engineering achievements with illustrations of bridges in Scotland such as the Glenfinnan Viaduct and the Forth Rail Bridge.
source: wikipedia
FALKIRK WHEEL IN MOTION
source: youtube.com
MILLAU VIADUCT (FRANCE)
Designed by the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architectNorman Foster, it is the tallest bridge in the world with one mast's summit at 343.0 metres (1,125 ft) above the base of the structure. It is the 12th highest bridge deck in the world, being 270 metres (890 ft) between the road deck and the ground below.Millau Viaduct is part of the A75-A71 autoroute axis from Paris to Montpellier. Construction cost was approximately €400 million. It was formally inaugurated on 14 December 2004, and opened to traffic on 16 December. The bridge has been consistently ranked as one of the great engineering achievements of all time.
source: wikipedia
THE MOSE PROJECT (LARGEST FLOOD PREVENTION PROJECT)
Venice is under serious threat due to the rise in sea level and sinking of land at an alarming rate. The MOSE project will protect the Venetian Lagoon from being submerged by the Adriatic Sea and protect the famous city of Venice and the neighbouring areas from flooding. It is expected to be operational by 2014. The project will prevent flooding through the installation of 78 mobile gates at three inlets, namely Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia, which will separate the Venetian Lagoon from the Adriatic Sea.MOSE, the Italian word for Moses, is an acronym for Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, which means Experimental Electromechanical Module. The name aptly alludes to the story of Moses parting the Red Sea. Consorzio Venezia Nuova has been entrusted to carry out the project by the Venice Water Authority, with Astaldi holding a share in the project. It is a consortium of Italian construction companies, co-operatives and firms which are experienced in operating the lagoon.
The construction work on the project began in 2003 after much delay. As of June 2012, 75% of the work at the site has been completed. The project is expected to be fully completed by 2014. When completed, it will safeguard Venice and the villages located within the Venetian Lagoon from flooding, and prevent the further rise of the sea level.
Background to the Modulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico (MOSE) project
The Great Flood of 1966, which caused massive loss of life and property, and the sinking of the city by 11 inches during the course of the last century, provided the momentum and necessity to protect Venice. The reasons for the sinking of the city of Venice are principally attributed to the rise in the sea level and extraction of ground water and methane gas within the vicinity of the Venetian Lagoon. The feasibility study for the proposals were completed in 1981 under a project named Progettone, which proposed the setting up of fixed barriers at the inlets, including mobile defence structures.MOSE took shape after being loomed over by a number of consultations and controversies. The proposal to provide a safe measure from flooding dates back to the 1970s. In 1973 a Special Law was enacted, under which six project proposals were accepted after invitations from Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and later taken up by the Ministry of Public Works in 1980. The second Special Law of Venice to provide criteria and strategies took shape under a committee known as the Comitatone, which enabled the Ministry of Public Works to grant a single concession for the companies agreed upon by private negotiation.
In 1982 Consorzio Venezia Nuova was entrusted by the Water Authority to design and implement the measures to safeguard the city, which was presented in 1989 under a project named Riequilibrio E Ambiente (REA), which translates as Rebalancing and the Environment. It provided an abstract design of the mobile barriers at the lagoon inlets and was finally approved in 1994 by the Higher Council of Public Works.
The first environmental impact study was accepted in 1998 and was improved in 2002. Construction work of MOSE finally started in 2003.
Floodgates and components of the Venetian Lagoon project
A total of 78 mobile gates are being laid at the bottom of the seabed as part of the MOSE project. They are 92ft long, 65ft wide and will weigh 300t. The mobile gates being laid at the bottom of the inlet channel are supported by 125ft long steel and concrete pilings, measuring 500mm in diameter and 20m in length, driven into the lagoon bed.
The floodgates consist of a metal box structure. Compressed air is pumped into the structure when a tide of more than 110m height is expected. The air will rise up the barriers to the surface of the water to block the flow of the tide and prevent water from flowing into the lagoon.
Floodgates are hollowed at the bottom, to allow the blowing of compressed air. They will be filled with water and lowered into the seabed when there is no harm of flooding. The floodgates at each inlet will function independently depending on the force of the tide expected.
The MOSE project also includes strengthening of the coastal areas, raising the quaysides and paving of the city.
Contractors involved with Venice's MOSE scheme
In.Te.Se costruzioni d'acciaio designed and constructed two hydraulically self-propelled loading carriages for the project. The loading carriages are being used in moving and positioning the reinforcing piles vertically.
The batching plants used for construction in the MOSE Project are supplied by SIMEN.
source: water technology
source: youtube.com
THE MOSE PROJECT
source: youtube.com
THE MAERSK TRIPPLE E ( THE LARGEST VESSEL)
The Maersk Triple E class is a family of large, fuel-efficient container ships, designed as a successor to the Mærsk E-class. In February and June 2011, Maersk awarded Daewoo Shipbuilding two US$1.9 billion contracts ($3.8bn total) to build twenty of the ships.
The name "Triple E" is derived from the class's three design principles: "Economy of scale, Energy efficient and Environmentally improved". These ships are expected to be not only the world's largest ships in service, but also the most efficient containerships per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) of cargo.
The ships will be 400 metres (1,312 ft) long and 59 metres (194 ft) wide. While only 3 metres (9.8 ft) longer and 4 metres (13 ft) wider than E-class ships, the Triple E ships will be able to carry 2,500 more containers. With a draft of 14.5 metres (48 ft), they will be too deep to use any port in the Americas or cross the Panama Canal, but will be able to transit the Suez Canal when sailing between Europe and Asia. At 400 m, the vessels are only 2 m short of a quarter-mile in length.
One of the class's main design features are the dual 32 megawatts (43,000 hp) ultra-long stroke two-stroke diesel engines, driving two propellers at a design speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Slower than its predecessors, this class uses a strategy known as slow steaming, which is expected to lower fuel consumption by 37% and carbon dioxide emissions per container by 50%. The Triple E design helped Maersk win a "Sustainable Ship Operator of the Year" award in July 2011.
Maersk plans to use the ships to service routes between Europe and Asia, projecting that Chinese exports will continue to grow. The Europe-Asia trade represents the company's largest market; it already has 100 ships serving this route. Maersk hopes to consolidate its share of the Europe-Asia trade with the addition of the Triple-E class ships.
Design
Unlike conventional single-engined container ships, the new class of ships is expected to be a twin-skeg design: It has twin diesel engines, each driving a separate propeller. Usually a single engine is more efficient, but using two propellers allows a better distribution of pressure, increasing propeller efficiency more than the disadvantage of using two engines.
The engines have waste heat recovery (WHR) systems; these are also used in 20 other Mærsk vessels including the eight E-class ships. The name "Triple E class" highlights three design principles: "Economy of scale, energy efficient and environmentally improved".
The twin-skeg principle also means that the engines can be lower and further back, allowing more room for cargo. Maersk requires ultra-long stroke two-stroke enginesrunning at 80 rpm (versus 90 rpm in the E class); but this requires more propeller area for the same effect, and such a combination is only possible with two propellers due to the shallow water depth of the desired route.
A slower speed of 19 knots is targeted as the optimum, compared to the 23–26 knots of similar ships. The top speed would be 25 knots, but steaming at 20 knots would reduce fuel consumption by 37%, and at 17.5 knots fuel consumption would be halved.[20] These slower speeds would add 2–6 days to journey times.
The various environmental features are expected to cost $30 million per ship, of which the WHR is to cost $10 million. Carbon dioxideemissions, per container, are expected to be 50% lower than emissions by typical ships on the Asia-Europe route and 20% lower than Emma Maersk. These will be the most efficient containerships in the world, per TEU.
source: wikipedia
FLOATING FOR THE FIRST TIME
source: youtube.com
FREDERICK TAYLOR- TIME AND MOTION STUDY PRINCIPLE
A time and motion study (or time-motion
study) is a business efficiency technique combining the Time Study work of Frederick Winslow
Taylor with the Motion Study work of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth (the same couple as is best known
through the biographical 1950 film and book Cheaper by the
Dozen). It is a major part of scientific
management (Taylorism).
After its first introduction, time study developed in the direction of
establishing standard times, while motion study evolved into a technique for
improving work methods. The two techniques became integrated and refined into a
widely accepted method applicable to the improvement and upgrading of work
systems. This integrated approach to work system improvement is known as methods
engineering and it is applied today to industrial as well as
service organizations, including banks, schools and hospitals.
Time study is a direct and continuous observation of a task, using
a timekeeping device (e.g., decimal minute stopwatch, computer-assisted
electronic stopwatch, and videotape camera) to record the time taken to
accomplish a task and it is often used when:
·
there are repetitive
work cycles of short to long duration,
·
wide variety of
dissimilar work is performed, or
·
process control elements
constitute a part of the cycle.
The Industrial Engineering Terminology Standard defines time study
as "a work measurement technique consisting of careful time measurement of
the task with a time measuring instrument, adjusted for any observed variance
from normal effort or pace and to allow adequate time for such items as foreign
elements, unavoidable or machine delays, rest to overcome fatigue, and personal
needs."
The systems of time and motion studies are frequently assumed to be interchangeable
terms, descriptive of equivalent theories. However, the underlying principles
and the rationale for the establishment of each respective method are
dissimilar, despite originating within the same school of thought.
The application of science to business problems, and the use of time-study methods in standard setting and the planning of work,
was pioneered by Frederick Winslow Taylor.Taylor liaised with factory managers and from
the success of these discussions wrote several papers proposing the use of
wage-contingent performance standards based on scientific time study. At its most basic level time studies involved
breaking down each job into component parts, timing each part and rearranging
the parts into the most efficient method of working. By counting and calculating, Taylor wanted to
transform management, which was essentially an oral tradition, into a set of
calculated and written techniques.
Taylor and his colleagues placed emphasis on the content of a fair day’s work, and sought to maximize productivity
irrespective of the physiological cost to the worker. For example, Taylor thought unproductive time
usage (soldiering) to be the deliberate attempt of workers to promote their
best interests and to keep employers ignorant of how fast work could be carried
out.[12] This instrumental view of human behavior by
Taylor prepared the path for human relations to supersede scientific management
in terms of literary success and managerial application.
source: wikipedia
source: wikipedia
HENRY FORD- ASSEMBLY LINE TECHNIQUE
For the first time, Henry Ford's entire Highland Park, Michigan automobile
factory is run on a continuously moving assembly line when the chassis--the
automobile's frame--is assembled using the revolutionary industrial technique.
A motor and rope pulled the chassis past workers and parts on the factory
floor, cutting the man-hours required to complete one "Model T" from 12-1/2 hours to six. Within a year, further assembly
line improvements reduced the time required to 93 man-minutes. The staggering
increase in productivity effected by Ford's use of the moving assembly line
allowed him to drastically reduce the cost of the Model T, thereby
accomplishing his dream of making the car affordable to ordinary consumers.
In
introducing the Model T in October 1908, Henry Ford proclaimed, "I will
build a motor car for the great multitude." Before then, the decade-old
automobile industry generally marketed its vehicles to only the richest
Americans, because of the high cost of producing the machines. Ford's Model T
was the first automobile designed to serve the needs of middle-class citizens:
It was durable, economical, and easy to operate and maintain. Still, with a
debut price of $850, the Model T was out of the reach of most Americans. The
Ford Motor Company understood that to lower unit cost it had to increase
productivity. The method by which this was accomplished transformed industry
forever.
Prototypes of the assembly line can be traced back to ancient
times, but the immediate precursor of Ford's industrial technique was
19th-century meat-packing plants inChicago and
Cincinnati, where cows and hogs were slaughtered, dressed, and packed using
overhead trolleys that took the meat from worker to worker. Inspired by the meat
packers, the Ford Motor Company innovated new assembly line techniques and in
early 1913 installed its first moving assembly line at Highland Park for the
manufacture of flywheel magnetos. Instead of each worker assembling his own
magneto, the assembly was divided into 29 operations performed by 29 men spaced
along a moving belt. Average assembly time dropped from 20 minutes to 13
minutes and soon was down to five minutes.
With the success of the magneto experiment, Ford engineers put
the Model T motor and then the transmission on moving assembly lines. On
October 7, 1913, the chassis also went on the moving assembly line, so that all
the major components of the Model T were being assembled using this technique.
Ford rapidly improved its assembly lines, and by 1916 the price of the Model T
had fallen to $360 and sales were more than triple their 1912 level.
Eventually, the company produced one Model T every 24 seconds, and the price
fell below $300. More than 15 million Model T's were built before it was discontinued
in 1927, accounting for nearly half of all automobiles sold
in the world to that date. The affordable Model T changed the landscape of
America, hastening the move from rural to city life, and the moving assembly
line spurred a new industrial revolution in factories around the world.
source: history.com
JUST IN TIME PRINCIPLE
Just in time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs. To meet JIT objectives, the process relies on signals or Kanban (看板 Kanban) between different points, which are involved in the process, which tell production when to make the next part. Kanban are usually 'tickets' but can be simple visual signals, such as the presence or absence of a part on a shelf. Implemented correctly, JIT focuses on continuous improvement and can improve a manufacturing organization'sreturn on investment, quality, and efficiency. To achieve continuous improvement key areas of focus could be flow, employee involvement and quality.
JIT relies on other elements in the inventory chain as well. For instance, its effective application cannot be independent of other key components of a lean manufacturing system or it can "end up with the opposite of the desired result." In recent years manufacturers have continued to try to hone forecasting methods such as applying a trailing 13-week average as a better predictor for JIT planning; however, some research demonstrates that basing JIT on the presumption of stability is inherently flawed.
The philosophy of JIT is simple: the storage of unused inventory is a waste of resources. JIT inventory systems expose hidden cost of keeping inventory, and are therefore not a simple solution for a company to adopt it. The company must follow an array of new methods to manage the consequences of the change. The ideas in this way of working come from many different disciplines including statistics, industrial engineering, production management, and behavioral science. The JIT inventory philosophy defines how inventory is viewed and how it relates to management.
Inventory is seen as incurring costs, or waste, instead of adding and storing value, contrary to traditional accounting. This does not mean to say JIT is implemented without an awareness that removing inventory exposes pre-existing manufacturing issues. This way of working encourages businesses to eliminate inventory that does not compensate for manufacturing process issues, and to constantly improve those processes to require less inventory. Secondly, allowing any stock habituates management to stock keeping. Management may be tempted to keep stock to hide production problems. These problems include backups at work centers, machine reliability, process variability, lack of flexibility of employees and equipment, and inadequate capacity.
In short, the Just-in-Time inventory system focus is having “the right material, at the right time, at the right place, and in the exact amount”, without the safety net of inventory. The JIT system has broad implications for implementers.
source: wikipedia
These are only some of their amazing works but we can still learn and discover more about their contributions and how they made are world a better place by just visiting our blog.
Picture Sources:
Kunshan Grand Bridge 1, Kunshan Grand Bridge 2
Big Dig 1, Big Dig 2
Suez Canal 1, Suez Canal 2
Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
Falkirk Wheel
Millau Viaduct
Picture Sources:
Kunshan Grand Bridge 1, Kunshan Grand Bridge 2
Big Dig 1, Big Dig 2
Suez Canal 1, Suez Canal 2
Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
Falkirk Wheel
Millau Viaduct
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