Engineering

I recently came across machineering and their simulation platform iPhysics at a trade fair, and it caught my attention, so I wanted to learn a bit more about it from people who have actually used it in real projects. I’d be really interested to hear how your overall experience with iPhysics has been in everyday use, what you mainly use it for, and how easy it is to work with in practice. I’m also curious about how quickly teams can get familiar with it, whether it fits well into existing workflows, and if there are any drawbacks or challenges that became noticeable over time. If anyone has also worked with similar platforms, I’d love to hear how iPhysics compares and what…

Here's the link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/13/utah-approves-datacenter-backlash A plan to create one of the world’s largest datacenters, a gargantuan project spanning an area more than twice the size of Manhattan, has provoked a furious public backlash in Utah amid concerns over its vast energy use and impact upon the state’s stressed water supplies. The Stratos artificial intelligence datacenter footprint will cover more than 40,000 acres (62 sq miles) over three sites in Box Elder county in north-western Utah. The facility will require about 9GW of power, which is more than the entire state of Utah currently consumes, and suck up a significant amount …

Hello all. A large 'drinking water' bottle ~20 litres with air; plugged with a hose trough it and two 3mm opposed valves (one intaking / one exhausting) The intention is to pull water from a lower rain cistern during the nights temperature that creates suction; and expelling water during the daytime heat of sun expansion. For drip irrigation purpose. The bottle hung on a wall, covered with black plastic until soon painted black. The inlet and the outlet valves seen at each side of the 'T' Weather has not collaborated lately with wide daily fluctuations. 2 metres lift is the goal without using solar-electric pump. Another similar using a half-filled 2 litre bottle…

It is sometimes forgotton that the first industrial revolution was hydro powered. I have long advocated rethinking and returning to the many smaller schemes that prexisted the steam age. So I was glad to read this article below. For those who are from further away about 1/3 of Somerset, the county is famous for 'The Levels' - a low lying area similar to the dutch polderland, that once protected King Alfred from the Vikings. Hence the newspaper title.

Interesting article from 'Interesting Engineering' https://interestingengineering.com/science/scientists-discover-liquids-can-fracture So a simple question on this, what makes a liquid, a liquid in terms of viscosity, given that water is free flowing (if put on a tray and the tray is moved around the water will move around freely). However, if I put cooking oil on the tray and move the surrounding tray requires more tilt to move the oil, (it also depends on friction from the tray I guess (smooth vs rough surface). So do we think about solids and liquids differently ? By fracturing are they suggesting that the bonds in the molecules break or are they referring …

Greetings. How would you build a lightly ballasted hollow vented ball, cylinder, any shaped contraption... that when tossed to a -say pool- it begins filling with the water and the air bubbles escaping at somewhere, somehow provide horizontal propulsion while sinking ? Any brilliant occurrence comes to your mind ? 🤔

Skyhook Equator (Not allowed to link to my own webpage). Skyhook space megastructures for launching from equatorial skies to Earth orbits. Orbiting Rotating Launcher Animator-Calculator. Skyhook (structure) – Wikipedia I was inspired to author my “Skyhook Equator” animator-calculator webpage by NASA’s Artemis II mission around the moon – “for all humanity“. Beta-testing began this week so bug reporting welcome - browser incompatibility issues, etc. Also if you want to challenge my physics - good luck with that too. :) The web host only offers for free "http" not "https" so Chrome says "Not secure" but it's really not a problem since there is no confidential information as…

Following a mobile phone charging issue I came across this intriguing discussion thread on reviving dead batteries and or devices. It starts off with a phone but goes not to rechargeable tools (drill, chainsaws etc) https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/how-i-charged-an-old-removable-mobile-phone-battery.146855/ I'm sure we could all learn something from this, for example DeWalt device battery terminal

Greetings. Does lidar surveying works to map sea bottom ? NOT from flying above water surface, but hovering under the surface ? ( as towed side scan sonar, as long as light propagation allows on reasonable transparency )

Good day all. I would like your opinion. If deserves moving to engineering, thank you. This vertical shaft air compressor oil pan has a level sight, and a fill plug. Shows full level of the new and proper lubricant oil. Starting the compressor, the sight shows no oil presence. No oil shown at the sight while running. Stopping the compressor, the oil takes like 30 minutes! to show at the sight. But if when stops, the fill plug is removed; oil immediately fills the pan and shows at the sight. Asking 'experts', say "never noticed/check the sight when running" and... "if shows full oil when stopped, run it and forget it" But how to know if the oil pump suction tu…

Hi all. This is supposed to be a quantum-something animal I see pipes, tubes, conduits, wires, connectors and more goldish mysteries to me. What is in those elements ? electrons flowing in wires, chemicals, radiofrequencies, semiconductors, light beams, radioactivity, precious rare minerals ? Merging these things and virtual intelligence can turn the diarrhea of humanity to a bloody diarrhea of humanity. Will it take deities to harness its future use ?. Did not discern an off-switch.🤢 --> https://search.brave.com/images?q=quantum+computer&source=web

Hello all. 240VAC motors being "overhead" rated : A 20 HP capable motor or a 10 HP capable motor or a 5 HP capable motor driving a machine that demands just 2 HP to perform well (elevator, pump, compressor, whatever...) will any motor fitted consume nearly the same power/energy 'X' ? If the electrical supply is reduced to 120VAC instead for those 240VAC motors and the driven machine demand is still met performing equally fine, will any motor fitted consume nearly the same power/energy 'X' ?

I thought this was interesting: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l7ry7zp5po The run was a bit artificial, in that they ran the train at ~40mph rather than its top speed of 60mph, but I think it has to be seen as a proof-of-concept demonstration for the public (and doubtless for the politicians who may need to come up with funds to build battery trains and install charging equipment.) The idea is for GWR eventually to replace its ageing diesel multiple units, used for local start-stop services on non-electrified branch lines, with battery trains. This train is very familiar to Londoners like me, as it is converted from a withdrawn District Line Underground train. It n…

I'm getting that feeling myself, having just tried to explain to a guy at Richer Sounds that I want to find a way of getting a wireless connection between my amp and a pair of remote speakers that I want to put in my kitchen. I don't think he has grasped that these speakers are the Wharfedale Denton 2s that I bought just before going up to uni in 1972, and so I want not just a wi-fi signal, but something with enough power to drive a pair of passive speakers. I actually don't think it's possible - I'll just have to run some thick wires. Cooking with Floyd, or Emerson, Lake and Palmer, with the garden door open should annoy the neighbours!

The Air India flight 171 crash on 12 June which killed 241 passengers and crew 32 seconds after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in India was related to the fuel cut-off switches according to the Air Current website. https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/ai171-investigation-fuel-control-switches/ The WSJ and Reuters are reporting the same sources and findings from a preliminary report as well. According to these reports, both fuel cut-off switches were found in the CUT position, which should be an impossible scenario if the crew had been following SOP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD64uYK926o Even if one engine had failed on rotation as the plane took off, SOP dicta…

How can higher bypass-ratio turbofans be fitted to conventional planforms of low-wing design ? This question has gained great importance within the air-travel industry in recent years , primarily because of the financial impact greater fuel-efficiency can have upon an airline's profit margin . Prior to now , the standard answer was to install wider engines , this in spite of the significant modifications necessary to fit such to aircraft originally designed for much narrower ones . The drawbacks of this approach are numerous , and involve components such as landing-gear , fuselages , wing-structures , engine-mounts , and even avionics and cockpit layouts . The B.737-Max d…

Just seen an interesting bit of 3D printing on the TV programme about the current Chelsea Flower Show. They were using fine concrete as the print material, and the print machine was 2 - 3 times the size of a human. The result was a hollow cellular wall.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jun/26/global-shipping-emissions-invention-clean-up-cargo-fleets-net-zero The idea here is to use quicklime (Calcium oxide, CaO) to absorb CO2 from the exhaust of ship engines, generating calcium carbonate (CaCO3, limestone, chalk etc). And they speak of using renewable energy to power the kilns that generate the quicklime. But, er, the kilns generate CaO by driving off CO2 from calcium carbonate. So all you've done with this proposed technology is move your CO2 from the ship to the shore; you still now need to dispose of it, somehow. I don't see in the article where this issue is addressed. Does anyone know more about this? I…

Good day. A lot of information available on the net; but seems the surfaces where it can be applied is missing details. What have you experienced or can comment/supply guidance ? Read the surfaces to apply can range from bare concrete block walls; bare brick; old deteriorated paint of several types as latex, colors that may bleed out, oil based, limewash... After nail holes are filled, preparing white Portland cement plus water and nothing else to the consistency of 'toothpaste' and applying with paint roller, brush, scraper?, to a smooth finish that will even and cover irregular lines. My specific case is 80 year old plaster walls with the corresponding scars a…

Hello all. chalk, gypsum, hydrated lime, magnesium carbonate, sodium carbonate, calcium sulfate, clay Seems there is a fine line differences in these minerals and their uses. Can anyone shine some simple light on their uses, properties ?

I am having trouble understanding how a parallel circuit actually works, on paper. Below is a cluster of solar cells on a panel with strategically placed diodes so that each cell can work independently to its maximum if part of the panel were shaded: First of all I need to know if that concept works (I just assume that it does because others sell such panels), over a serial design where a portion of the panel being shaded would simply reduce the entire panel's output, thus making it less efficient, but cheaper to produce. Presently there is a single diode inside the junction box (not illustrated with a circle, at the left of the illustration i.e. top of the panel), whic…

Maybe I found a infinite motor powered by hydrogen? This is a very first prototype that I idealized, before I explain how it works, I want to establish some points: I'm not a professional engineer, i'm just a enthusiast of aviation that was lost in rambling trying to find a sustentable engine. Probably it is subject to some flaws, and I need help from internauts to show problems to solve them, probably in some future it can be sufficient to power a entire Boeing 787. And lastly, it maybe also be completely flawed and be subject to redesign completely, and even being archived or abandoned. So, how it works? Well, it works in a cycle, that is depicted on the attached file b…

Any guidance to produce rubber parts with a tridimensional printer ? If gets too complex, perhaps some hard silicone instead ? Or room temperature vulcanizing RTV ? Would ultraviolet curing be ineludible ? What rubberish materials cure with UV ? Can 3D printers carve material out instead of pouring ? As to create a mold ? Is it just matter of putting a 'negative' image file to 'print' a mold ? Any capable hobby machine that you know of in the market ? As to start from a rubber block ? Yes, too many questions... tackle as many as you want.

Hello all, I am developing robotic workstation with holding electromagnet as gripper tool. Electromagnet has holding force 45 N, Rated input power 1.4 W, 24 VDC, diameter 18mm. It was supposed to attach game pieces (application of playing checkers with a small robot). Game pieces are small cylindrical 3d printed parts, weight about 3grams, they have 2 washers inside the piece on top of each other (there are 2 washers (2mm) and then 1mm layer of print material). The problem is that electromagnet is too weak for that piece. Im thinking about boosting pieces with neodyme or ferrite magnet instead of washers (140HV). What do you think about this? That holding electromagnet is…

I am wondering if we can gather enough data showing objects interact with each other is it possible to train AI to learn laws of physics. For example if we record behaviour of an siolated system involving few objects and use that data to build model such that it predicts motion for next few frames. Is it already in work somewhere? I am an amatuer so I would love to learn from you.