Engineering

Is there any commercial device used in industry, equivalent to mechanical hysteresis ? A device that snaps mechanically or hydraulically, to two states like a toy clicker, or a 'klixon' thermal switch ? -A mechanically bistable device like a wall switch, unstable at its center position-

Ok, I want to build a small boat which will consist basically of a floating platform supported by 2 pontoons which are 8 feet in length. What diameter do the pontoons have to be to support a total weight (platform plus load) of 700 lbs.? Any help would be appreciated, especially if someone could provide an easily understood formula or explain in simple terms how they arrived at the answer. I'm really not THAT dumb but it's been a long time since high school...

Hi. Did not pay enough attention when a 10,000 sq.ft. freezer was added at a facility I worked at many years ago. ...Remember a reinforced concrete slab poured on the ground, then a ~8" layer of styrofoam, and another reinforced concrete slab on top. Forklifts danced all over that floor with no problem. Am I missing details?; what is the building technique to avoid cracking/collapse with such styrofoam sandwich ? How is it done properly int the civil engineering world ?

what is the difference between civil engineer, architect, and contractor?

I live in a fairly old house in Brisbane, Australia; or old by suburban Brisbane standards, at least. I'm unsure of exactly when it was built, though my guess would be the 60's or 70's. It's seen maybe a handful of updates since. In this house there is a room built within the downstairs area / my bedroom whose purpose has puzzled me since I moved in a few years ago. I've not been able to find anyone here who could tell me what it was for, so I thought I'd branch out and ask here in the hopes someone has seen something like it. The room itself about 2m in each direction and looks kind of like a giant wooden box sitting in the corner of part of my room (its walls and ce…

It's been about 20 years since they do not manufacture automobiles any more; they make computers with wheels since then. The on-board engine control unit measures intake air mass by its flow and its temperature, and sets the fuel amount for combustion. Being cold winter air more massive, does it feed correspondingly more fuel then, than in hot summer thinner air ? If yes, preheating intake air would decrease the fuel ratio, If not, is it because the oxygen content exhaust sensors action ? Hey ! but if there is more air mass intaken, then the 14:1 ratio could not be sustained ! What am I missing ? Is the throttle position working less open in winter for the …

Can you name some?

Hi I've been studying camera coil guns for a few weeks now and decided to give it ago I bought 6 disposable cameras, the only problem is every camera hack I have seen online their cameras don't have a wire behind the flash tube like mine... It's not connected to the tube it just sits behind it and it doesn't work with out it some one please help

Hi guys, I'm looking for extreme materials, and now I'm looking for virtually indestructible materials, such as stuff that can withstand being hit with a train travelling at Mach 3.

From the engineering consideration that regular tiles and bricks are far from optimal in terms of adding strength to structures, I've been considering that better would be the very particular shape of tiles and bricks illustrated in this image which is a version (representing steel) of a pattern I first posted here in a topic in The Lounge forum, Tessellated I - my simple technical drawing, coloured artfully View larger version of Tessellated I in Steel 1800 x 800 Representing a surface of "I"-shaped (rotated by 90 degrees, "H"-shaped) steel tiles. The shape is of square proportions, the column of the I being one third of the width of the square and the top a…

I'm trying to do research for my own extra-dimensional manifold physics for engineering purposes, but I don't know exactly how to accomplish certain tasks. Have we even made a real life Klein bottle yet? And if so how? Or how close are we? Is there anything that can help with constructing objects in real life that have apparent dimensions higher than 3? I was looking into using high-energy laser beams to bend the fabric of space into different 4-dimensional shapes, possibly into mobius strips, does anyone know of any research that's already been done like that that they can direct me to? I know DeGrasses Tyson wanted to build some kind of accelerator that bent space enou…

Hello, I am new to this forum. I got tired of waiting for Engineering Forum.Org to come back on line. I used to ask questions there. In my mind, I equate a stirling cycle engine to a tripple expansion steam piston engine, as compared with a steam turbine. I think that there must be a way to have rotor(s) and stator(s) replace the multitude of parts used in a stirling piston engine. I have thought about this for several years now. I have reached the limits of my mental ability, and need help. Since no one that I know personaly is familar with the stirling cycle, I have come here. My ideas so far; 1. I am considering an open as oposed to a closed system. This grea…

When water turns to ice it expands by approx 9%. This expansion does exert a very large force...don't know how much? Can an engine be made to use this force? The motor needs to amplify the small/slow "travel", at the expense of the large force. I know we have to spend energy to cool the water, (but we then dump the ice, not reheat it) Any ideas please? Thanks brainzlol (on twitter)

This is my first time to communicate with others in English.I want ask a question that how to connect the experimental equipment with the gas detection equipment.I need to detect the gas concentration during the experiment,so I need to put the gas which generated in the experiment into the gas detection equipment.But the diameter of the gas inlet connector is so small.It is one millimeter and the diameter of the experimental equipment is about one centimeter.Please give me some help about the problem how to connect the smaller diameter with the bigger diameter,and give me some detail steps to solve the problem.Thank you very much!

I made this little 3-4 minute montage of all 28 missions by the shuttle Columbia, ahead of this year's anniversary of her destruction and the loss of her crew. Please feel free to enjoy and share via social media. The song in the video is Shine Ya Light by Rita Ora.

I was reading a story on msn Canada that claims automatic transmissions are much faster than manual transmissions So I am wondering why do race car drivers prefer manual? In my time at the track (drag strip) it seems all the pro mods had manual transmissions I think Indy cars also do. So is the claim wrong that automatic transmissions are faster? Is it hard to modify automatic transmissions for custom gear ratios or somthing?

Good evening! Could anybody inform me in which circumstances the reynolds number takes low or negative values? Thank you!

How to solve following five questions in the picture?

Hi all, this is how my lecturer derive exergy: 1st law efficiency=W/Q Carnot efficiency=(T1-T2)/T1 W/Q=(T1-T2)/T1 W=(Q*(T1-T2))/T1 The W above refers to useful work. My question is, when we formulate the 1st law efficiency, do we have in mind that it is a reversible device (that we can equalize it with the Carnot efficiency)?

Graphene is a wonder material with exotic properties. But, zero band gap in graphene hinders its application in logic devices. what are the factors responsible for bandgap opening in graphene? How band gap is opened by hetero atom doping and chemical modification in graphene

I want to find the equation for momentum of gases in thermodynamics. Please help me . I need it urgently. Thanks

Hi, I'm now facing problem on how to calculate the force, frequency and cycle needed for fatigue testing of a test sample. The force is refer to compression and tensile stress. Please kindly advice an solution regarding the above problem. thanks

Hello, Apologies for banging in a question on my first post, but I am at a loss with my research. I am a designer, and am looking at using a ceramic tube as a pressure vessel. This vessel will be pressurised to 5000psi (~340bar). I need to place this ceramic within another material that will contain it in the chance that the ceramic fails catastrophically. I cannot use metals as they are conductive. Originally I have looked at another ceramic tube lined with ptfe (teflon). This worked 2 in 3 times, I need something more fail safe however. Hoping someone can help, Ginge

I want to be able to calculate the force required by a hydraulic cylinder to lift a 3500kg load vertically to a height of 1.2 meters in a time of approximately 3-4 seconds. Can someone help. All comments will be hugely appreciated.

1. Why both L of left hand and right hand figures are different? 2. Why mg is put on the right end, not middle of the bar, in the right hand figure?