Heavy Metal

Yea, I sat through sooooo many of those videos.... and taken a bunch of tests about them. Found a mistake on a test form once at a large plant in PA and that caused a whole bunch of nonsense. The person giving the test just wanted me to correct my "mistake" and I refused. It ended with a "we've done hundreds of these and you are the only one that had the balls to say anything." Seems that everyone else just went with the flow.

It was the same stuff at every place. Same rules etc. The huge exception was the GM plant in Massena, NY. They did engine block castings (fascinating lost foam casting) and the fork lifts had the right of way.... It was safer to get run over then for them to abruptly stop with a large cauldron of molten aluminum.

That place also had molten aluminum brought to them... I saw the flatbed truck with this big vat on the back. First I thought they were just bringing it from Alcoa and that was just around the traffic circle from them. Turned out they were bringing it from Seneca Falls, NY, about 200 miles away... Just trucked it right up Rt. 81. I can't even imagine what would happen if they crashed.

I have been to Messena PRE (dirty, loud, hot, kinda dangerous) lost foam and post (cleaner, quieter, safer, etc) .

I became was familiar with the technology when we started it in Spring Hill to do Saturn engine blocks/other parts. Lets just say it took a LONG time to get that right in production volume/quality etc. Then gradually GM went "large" with the process after a whole lotta headaches with it.

Yep, transporting moltem aluminum .. i knew it was happening there but forgot where it was coming from 200 miles away. I guess i dunno if it still goes on and why in the world would anybody wants those trucks rolling through their towns. Must be safe "enough" I guess?

For anyone not familiar with lost foam casting, it TOO is fascinating. 6 min vid (same process as vid in post #275 but better explained), narrated in English, graphics in Spanish will give you a sense of it. Who thinks of this stuff? :)

 
About 40 minutes of the coolest manufacturing video i have seen in while. National Georgraphic, so you know they're high quality and informative.

The Pierce plant in Appleton Wisconsin and how they build a variant of this style fire truck.

I learned about a 100 neat things watching these. If you're interested in such things and have time, you may learn something too. :)

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Sorry if its a repost.

Rezvani Tank, Would love to see how the thermal vision is integrated in the vehicle.

TANK



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this is a polarizing rig. non-scientific search shows it both as the "coolest" and the "goofiest" Pete anyone has ever seen.

I kinda like it for technical imagination. But, not dissin it, i wouldnt own it. Thoughts?

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The cab of the original truck is said to be made of fiberglass, be neat to see if it still exists. Would like to hear of your findings no matter what the outcome.
There are supposedly tin toy trucks floating around as well. Happy hunting!


Supposedly given away at the 1964 worlds fair

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One of the reasons I love airshows. Max angle, high performance takeoffs.

Even though they have limited ability (thrust to weight way to low, wrong wings/structure/ aerodynamics in general, no afterburners, etc.) its fun to watch the BIG passenger/cargo jets do it for a thousand feet or so -- lest they stall -- then level out.

 
Greece ... kinda cool; till ya get a small rock or metal fragment through your cornea. wonder if they still let ya get that close to the runway??

 
These mini versions of big engnes are sprinkled all through this forum...here's a real neat compilation including a 95,000 RPM jet engine about the size of a couple of basketballs.

 
One of the reasons I love airshows. Max angle, high performance takeoffs.

Even though they have limited ability (thrust to weight way to low, wrong wings/structure/ aerodynamics in general, no afterburners, etc.) its fun to watch the BIG passenger/cargo jets do it for a thousand feet or so -- lest they stall -- then level out.

Love watching those in person, we had 5 F-15's come in for fuel and when they took off all 5 went vertical


Greece ... kinda cool; till ya get a small rock or metal fragment through your cornea. wonder if they still let ya get that close to the runway??

I have been close like that but was a military runway we stayed off to the entrance/exit of the runway (hammerhead). They should know better being soooo close that your going to get the jet wash

These mini versions of big engnes are sprinkled all through this forum...here's a real neat compilation including a 95,000 RPM jet engine about the size of a couple of basketballs.

Too cool, love running mini engines
 
Heavy metal .. the "bad boy" kind. On the one hand, guess this is better than taking it out on people.

 
I remember this story .. 20+ years ago. BUT, i didn't KNOW the story. Wow.

this post doesnt quite go here in this thread, but didnt wanna make a new thread for it.

Terrifying, fascinating, sad, heroic, evil, technical achievement (DC-10 is a remarkable piece of engineering) .. no lives lost but i shudder to think what could have been.

Four men: three pilot heroes despite serious injuries, and one SOB who's gonna rot to death in jail.

16 minutes long, kinda like a documentary .. dont bother watching it if flying makes ya nervous or if graphic discussion (NOT depicted) of blunt force injuries bugs you..

 
I remember this story .. 20+ years ago. BUT, i didn't KNOW the story. Wow.

this post doesnt quite go here in this thread, but didnt wanna make a new thread for it.

Terrifying, fascinating, sad, heroic, evil, technical achievement (DC-10 is a remarkable piece of engineering) .. no lives lost but i shudder to think what could have been.

Four men: three pilot heroes despite serious injuries, and one SOB who's gonna rot to death in jail.

16 minutes long, kinda like a documentary .. dont bother watching it if flying makes ya nervous or if graphic discussion (NOT depicted) of blunt force injuries bugs you..

I don't remember hearing about this, shows man's will to survive.
 
Greece ... kinda cool; till ya get a small rock or metal fragment through your cornea. wonder if they still let ya get that close to the runway??


This is a regular occurrence at Maho beach in St. Maarten. I drove by that, and had no desire to get anywhere near that spot.



 
Never been to St. Maarten .. but I was such a knucklehead when i was younger i'd probably have tried it. good thing i was too strapped to have made such a trip back then.

Now? not a chance (NO offense to anyone interested in doing it .. some folks skydive, some folks dont :))
 
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