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How do they make stuff?

marting said:
Engineers do it for fun. An engineer that doesn't love their work probably isn't going to be happy long since it requires a lot of effort.

If you read a calculus book for fun you might enjoy being an engineer. If you only read one because a class you are taking requires it then engineering can be pure drudgery. Programming is similar. These careers, like many other technical or scientific careers are demanding. Exhilarating if you enjoy it, and overwhelming if you don't.
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Not always so much fun. Often it is just an obsession with making something new work. Or improving on something old.
 
I am an engineer. I forgot a lot of what I learned in school. You tend to remember what you use and forget the rest.

When I and most others like me have done our jobs right, you won't even know we did anything. You start your car and it runs without falling apart, then we did right. When it does not work, well, then you might think of us.

In my case, I spend a lot of time trying to make metallurgists happy. I mostly work on industrial controls. The metallurgists in turn are keeping mechanical engineers happy by producing parts that are strong but light in weight. Those mechanical engineers are trying to make a lot of people happy by turning out cars that get good fuel economy while not costing to much or falling apart.

But if all goes well, the customer will never have to think about it. That is the way it should be.
 
anglolawyer said:
Can you build a bridge? Can you build one of the piles(?) under water? How? The water is going to wash the concrete away while you pour it and the construction workers will all drown.

Please use Roman era technology in your reply :D
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_concrete

Wiki said:
Vitruvius, writing around 25 BC in his Ten Books on Architecture, distinguished types of aggregate appropriate for the preparation of lime mortars. For structural mortars, he recommended pozzolana, which are volcanic sands from the sandlike beds of Pozzuoli brownish-yellow-gray in color near Naples and reddish-brown at Rome. Vitruvius specifies a ratio of 1 part lime to 3 parts pozzolana for cements used in buildings and a 1:2 ratio of lime to pulvis Puteolanus for underwater work, essentially the same ratio mixed today for concrete used at sea.

By the middle of the 1st century, the principles of underwater construction in concrete were well known to Roman builders. The City of Caesarea was the earliest known example to have made use of underwater Roman concrete technology on such a large scale.
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anglolawyer said:
Can you build a bridge? Can you build one of the piles(?) under water? How? The water is going to wash the concrete away while you pour it and the construction workers will all drown.

Please use Roman era technology in your reply :D

ETA I have seen a workshop. My father had one. Utterly incomprehensible and I steered clear of it as much as I could.
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Coffer dam. Look it up.

Make sure you get the history of the Brooklyn Bridge. Yikes.
 
bruto said:
Coffer dam. Look it up.

Make sure you get the history of the Brooklyn Bridge. Yikes.
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It's the caissons that are the danger, not the coffer dams... working at high pressure - no thanks!

I have a masters degree in Civil Engineering, but I never became one professionally, in part because engineers never get much recognition and/or reward...
 
I'm rather a fan of Robert Maillart, a Swiss engineer famous for his sleek bridge designs in the Alps. He had the wonderful ability to strip away everything which wasn't needed, and at the same time retain a gorgeous aesthetic.

For genius structural engineering, though, I find it hard to look past Gaudi, who did all the structural engineering himself for his amazing creations, despite being an architect rather than an engineer. He did much of it by building upside models of his buildings out of string on his studio ceiling, and hanging bags of sand from them. That's innate and unique talent in my view.
 
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The basic techniques involved in large scale civil engineering tend to be fairly straightforward if highly optimised. Rubber tires are more of a challenge since as well as actually making the things you've got a bunch of materials chemistry involved with making the rubber.

The chemistry involved in modern washing powders is potentially an example.


But then whatever the area any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
 
MikeG said:
It niggles me that Stephenson gets mentioned so often, and Richard Trevithic never gets mentioned at all, despite doing everything claimed on behalf of Stephenson, only earlier. Let's not forget Watt, too..........although he must be remembered for a great business plan and a great lawyer as well as for his fantastic engineering.
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In recent years I have read (i.e. listened to talking book) several books on scientists and engineers over the past several centuries - very interesting. One of them was Joseph Bazalget* and just recentl there was a BBC Radio 4 programme on him, where it was pointed out that his name should be as well known as Brunel's.

*Do you know, I've always thought his name was Basiljet, but checking with wikipedia I see (i.e. hear, by listening to characters) I was wrong!
 
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SusanB-M1 said:
......One of them was Joseph Bazalget* and just recentl there was a BBC Radio 4 programme on him, where it was pointed out that his name should be as well known as Brunel's.........
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Yep. He saved London with one of the greatest feats of civil engineering ever. In my circle, he is as well known and respected as Brunel.
(* Bazalgette, BTW ;) )
 
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To the engineers, I am not worthy.

When I was at university the father of a friend would occasionally come up to visit. He was an engineer, a very sweet man who would regale us with funny stories and tricks. Sadly, I don't remember any except the giant smoke rings he made with a rolled up newspaper. In his garden, which I visited once, he had a weather vane which consisted of an air fix model Spitfire mounted on a pole which swivelled into the wind using its miniature aerodynamics. Simple and funny.

Engineers are awesome, unsung heroes IMO.
 
arthwollipot said:
Sure. But my point is that they are hardly household names.
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Closest I can come is Buckminster Fuller, although Edison and Westinghouse come to mind. I think I might still have an old appliance with the Westinghouse nameplate on it. I don't know if people know that he was an engineer.

Both Henry Ford and Walter Chrysler were machinists, with Chrysler getting a correspondence course degree in mechanical engineering. Tesla was an engineer, wasn't he?

I see Bill Nye and Neil Young also started out as engineers.

Then there's Porsche, Harley, and Alfred Nobel. I've heard of that last guy somewhere.
 
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I was re-building a balcony at home, using stainless steel cable as the ballustrade, with all my tools, saws, angle grinders and so on. A plasterer turned up to do some work and said "You a carpenter mate?". Best compliment I've had in my life.

I love building stuff, landscaping and so on.

Couldn't build a bridge to save myself though.:o
 
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