We’ve all heard of the numerous earthquakes and natural disasters that displaced so many civilians: there was the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake in Northern Italy, Japan’s earthquake in 2011, and Hurricane Sandy just last year. Many houses were destroyed. They did not stand much of a chance in the face of such strengths of nature. There is a strong demand for finding ways to disaster-proof a house, but before cities and engineers focus too much on that they must figure out how to house those displaced by the event. New York City, which was affected pretty severely by Sandy, was not ready to react to the repercussions. Now they have something in the works.

Garrison Architects came up with the design above to fill the special purpose of being, “used as housing after the emergency stage but before permanent housing can be constructed” (1). This design has yet to undergo testing, but the city needs a rapid-fire ability to provide the necessary housing. These units can stand alone, can be interspersed with present homes, or be placed in row as best fits the situation. They stack easily and can be craned in with very little issue. In addition to the prefabrication providing a fast response to relief, its sustainable. The unit operates mostly off the grid as it is solar-capable and ready. It must be “plugged in” utilities as a minor energy source. The design may seem costly as a temporary living space but the do not cost much to operate. The design does its job and does it well.

SIP’s, structural insulated panels, and CLT’s, cross-laminated timbers, are both newly introduced materials being used in post disaster and “disaster proof” housing. These materials have characteristics that have potential to make a house less likely to crack and crumble that could stand an earthquake. SIP’s are, “made of a lightweight fiber composite similar to the material used to make boat hulls, aircraft components, and wind turbine blades,” and are, “load-bearing technology…lightweight, waterproof, nonflammable, mold-resistant, and termite-proof” (2). Its malleable and mold-able, allowing it to take about any shape (i.e. beams, roofs, columns, etc.). The materials manufacturing company, InnoVada, is already implementing the material in a “Little Haiti” neighborhood in Miami.

CLT’s were used in Pierluigi Bonomo’s “sustainable energy box.” This unit was built inside of a badly damaged house after the ’09 Italy earthquake. In addition to this earthquake-resistant material, the one side of the “incorporates a special solar thermal hot water system with heat pump and rainwater storage” (3).  The house is equipped with a mechanical ventilation system with moving panels to maximize utilization of sunlight in the winter and deflection and protection from sunlight in the summer.

Above: Bonomo’s “sustainable energy box”

*Its interesting to note Bonomo’s sketches below. Simple drafts can have such great implications.

(1) http://inhabitat.com/nyc/nyc-to-test-out-prefabricated-post-disaster-housing-prototype-in-brooklyn/brooklyn-prefab-disaster-housing-garrison-architects-2/?extend=1

(2)http://www.builderonline.com/affordable-housing/the-disaster-proof-house.aspx

(3) http://inhabitat.com/energy-box-passive-house-is-an-earthquake-proof-sustainable-home-in-northern-italy/energy-box-pierluigi-bonomo-1/?extend=1

3 Dimensional printers have been around since 1984, but since the start of 21st century, they have become faster, more accurate, as well as more affordable and accessible. Beyond the performance, these 3D printers are now more variable in their application. The whole idea of printing with an extra dimension would allow a myriad of fields (including engineering, industrial design, medical and dental industry…) to more efficiently prototype and manufacture their products and ideas (1). In turn, the horizons of materials to print these ideas expand. In addition to printing in flexible plastics, metals and rubber, we’ve moved into using materials like chocolate and human cells to benefit business and victims of failing organs.

Chocolate seems like a more silly thing to be printing in 3D dimensions. It has long been a material that many have wanted to print in (2), and the University of Exeter in England found a way to make it possible. Dr. Liang Hao, staff member at Exeter who started Choc Edge Ltd, says that this technology will allow, “users…to design and make their own products. In the long term it could be developed to help consumers custom-design many products from different materials” (3). The candy industry will be able to utilize this technology to improve production. The added aspects of customization and personalizing to the chocolate world will create new opportunities for consumers and businesses. This means a whole new species of products and gifts!

http://students.egfi-k12.org/sweetest-printer/

Follow this link to see a great example of the Printers capability.

After Dr. Hao finishes rightfully hailing the idea of printing chocolate, he must face some minor challenges that are more than just cooling and heating the chocolate properly. Consumers of chocolate, including myself, like tasty chocolate. Absolutely the shape the chocolate takes affects how it appeals to a person, but sight is only part of the eating experience. Anywhere the word “eat” comes in, so does the FDA. Maintaining the environment in which the chocolate is printed and the tools used may pose another challenge as producers attempt to meet FDA requirements. Lastly, Patents will become an issue. This particular, “patent is not really about chocolate, but about the idea that chocolate is just another material that can be melted and later solidified into new shapes,” which is difficult to defend and will result in a sort of monopoly in the world of 3D printing (4).

Companies like Organovo are working with human cells as their medium. “Dying patients could someday receive a 3D-printed organ made from their own cells rather than wait on long lists for the short supply of organ transplants” (5). Speedily obtaining a fitting organ alone is crucial in the setting of a medical emergency. This printing technology would certainly help in that. The fact that the cells of the patient are used to produce the organ GUARANTEES the fit and function of the part–assuming the cells bond properly together as they should. Using this technology, “for human uses won’t happen anytime soon,” said Tony Atala, director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C. Researchers are still refining processes, such as creating the necessary blood supply to sustain the organ and working on such a small biological scale. When the organs can finally be maintained, these will benefit an innumerable amount of medical patients.

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_printing

(2) Dr. Richard Devon, Sep. 25th, 2013

(3) http://www.exeter.ac.uk/research/newsandevents/news/title_145191_en.html

(4) http://qz.com/77751/3d-printing-chocolate-is-a-cool-idea-and-someone-is-trying-to-patent-it/

(5) http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/24/3d-printing-aims-to-deliver-organs-on-demand/

In my dorm, I have two trash cans: A recycle can where i put papers, plastics, and the like, and another for the “un-recyclables”. I like to put my water bottles in that bucket knowing that they have a chance at reuse, and I think Penn State does a good job of giving the campus the easy option of recycling our bottles. After being collected and processed, our Aquafina’s, Dasani’s, and Nestles go to making some amazing things such as a bridge in Scotland, a three-story building in Taiwan, and new car interiors (1). While one must recognize these great purposes beyond the bottle itself, some students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) saw that our water containers do not have to be processed to be useful.

These students were aware of a problem in poor Filipino communities where the housing is mostly roofed with metal–there was a lack of light in the homes. This use is infinitely more simple than the others and is slightly ironic. “By filling a plastic bottle with water and bleach (to prevent algae from growing), students and residents can fashion a solar lamp that fills even the gloomiest shelters with light.” The “Solar Bottle Bulb” provides a light source equivalent to a 55 to 60-Watt light bulb lasting up to 5 years. It works thanks to phenomenon you may have learned in physics class – refraction. When sunlight passes through the bottle and hits the water, its rays bend and disperse in many different directions” (2).

The water bottle lights are easily installed and illuminate the houses for the people of Manila, Philippines. http://www.affirmglobal.com/our-people/water-bottle-lights/

Even thought the water bottle lights depend on the sun to function, and therefore only work during the day, they still have so many benefits and advantages. For the people of Manila, Philippines (as well as India and Indonesia), only having light during the day is no product failure. The homes are very close together so the windows that would let light inside are practically useless. These lights have a very low overhead and no operation cost, and could not fit any better into the goal of going for clean, green, and renewable energy. This is an especially important feature because of the 2-dollar-a-day living budget. “The solar bottle bulbs’ advantages include sustainability and safety; compared with candles or faulty electrical connections, they aren’t a fire hazard” (3).

In a world of complex scientific systems and nanotechnology, the design of the Solar Bottle Bulb is a good reminder that simple does not mean its undeveloped and or less useful than any other design. It doesn’t require 21st century technology; it isn’t an idea for 20 years ahead. This product drew my attention because of that. The Solar Bottle Bulb is the MIT students’ beautiful  application of a fundamental physical principal. It emphasizes how important the planning and brainstorming process is. The product had to perfectly fit the environment in which it would be used. Engineering is often building off of what already exists, and here we have an example that, I would say, is exemplary of engineers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-Fpsw_yYPg (Video)

http://earth911.com/news/2012/08/16/8-things-made-from-recycled-plastic-bottles/ (1)

http://students.egfi-k12.org/water-bottles-to-illuminate-a-million-homes/ (2)

http://phys.org/news/2011-09-bottle-brighten-millions-poor-homes.html (3)

In our world, machines of every size imaginable are ubiquitous. They’re in things we see and use everyday. Some machines we don’t see, like internal medical machines. Some we overlook because they are so small. Manitowoc Cranes and Sandvik Mining know a thing or two about the large end of machines; they lead the world in grand-scale machine production having constructed some of the largest of their kind. You wont be missing these monsters if you see them. Even just looking mere sizes of the machines is baffling, but their uses and purposes are just as great.

Purchase Image

Manitowoc Crane Model 31000, the company’s largest-ever lattice boom crawler crane has two new owners awaiting delivery later this year and in 2011. Sue Pischke/HTR / Sue Pischke/HTR

 

This immeasurable $30 million project, the Manitowoc Model 31000, is a crane fitted with a main boom reaching 360 feet with the capability of lifting up to 2,300 tons. 2,300 tons. Twenty three hundred tons is pretty baffling! Mike Wood, the company’s global project manager attempt to give us a perspective lense by saying,”It would be equivalent to 2,300 elephants each weighing 2,000 pounds.” (2) Or two of the cranes could pick the S.S. Badger car ferry out of its Lake Michigan dock. The company was even outdoing itself says Bill O’neil, lead engineer on the project. O’neil said, “The lifting capacity of the 31000 is so much more than anything we’ve done before.”

Two dealers/rental each purchased a Model 31000 to bring out into world for use mainly on nuclear power project. Both the 31000’s size and variability of weight distribution paired with it unparalleled maneuverability caught the buyers eyes. Manitowoc has the responsibility to deliver its product, which is an extremely involved process; it takes a few weeks for the assembly/disassembly and requires up 25 truck for transportation. (1,2)

mining.sandvik.com

Sandvik is on the top for supplying the worlds mining industry. The PE200-1400/2×30, pictured above, is a massive Bucket Wheel Excavator. I knew the mining field had surpassed the days of men with pick axes, but not to this extreme. It is necessary for the mining field to have the biggest and the best because of how integral it is to our society.  “Laptops, cars, medicines, and even bread all contain elements that have to be mined.  As a result, mining raw materials is essential for our society to work.” (3)

When I look at photographs of the Model 31000 and the PE200-1400/2×30, it amazes me to see their sizes. The size is dramatized when one compares the excavator to the workers in the photo and when you add consider that such machines are mobile. I’ve thought it interesting to think about the process of how engineers came to both design and build these kinds of things. They need the appropriate building material and building resources. To build a big crane you need a big crane! Manitowoc used huge rack cranes to build the even bigger 31000. Would the 31000 project have been possible to do without the aid of the other cranes? For Manitowoc and Sandvik to achieve what they have they built off what preceded and them. Both machines seem to be evolved big brothers of similar models which may even imply that bigger is to come.

http://enr.construction.com/products/equipment/2009/0930-ManitowocSupercrane.asp (Engineering News Record)(1)

http://www.htrnews.com/article/20100326/WIS14/3280309/Manitowoc-s-biggest-crane-under-construction (htrnews.com)(2)

http://students.egfi-k12.org/big-mine-machines/(Engineering, Go For It!)(3)

Hello everyone! My name is Chris Valdez and I’m glad to bring you this first short blog post about myself. I’m currently a engineering student in pre-major status in the Penn State College of Engineering. The whole world of engineering interests me because of how mostly everything in our world builds off some form of engineering. I’m from Bucks County, PA, about three and a half hours away, and am excited to be out here at PSU walking the same places my dad and two aunts did decades ago. As for my personal interests, I’ve loved drumming since i got my first drum set in 5th grade and its joy of mine to connect to other people by means of a youth ministry. It’ll be neat to see all the crazy and intriguing topics yours and my blogs will bring to the table.