Spectacular Feats of Modern Engineering

Spectacular Foats of MOIERN ENGINEERING In the latter half of the 20th century, technology has rapidly progressed, allowing mankind to build structures of unparalleled craft and engineering prowess. THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION The ISS is the greatest construction feat of all time. It brings together the design and work of over 100,000 individuals across 16 nations and 4 continents to put together a fully functioning space research facility. FEAT FACTS 924,739 Pounds, making it the heaviest object ever sent into space. 129 Meters in length. Equal to the size of a football field! 96 BILION Construction cost, in dollars, for the USA alone. This makes it the most expensive construction project of all time. Miles of wire connects the electrical power system. 115 Space flights required to fully construct the station. THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER Also known as the LHC, the most expensive science experiment ever constructed is also a fascinating feat of engineering. What is required to collide super small particles together at roughly the speed of light? It takes a lot of money, and a lot of energy. FEAT FACTS 16.77 Length in miles of the underground circular housing, which lies an average of 330 feet below ground. 4.75 BILLION Construction cost of the LHC, in dollars. 128 MILLION Watts necessary to power the LHC for one day. Roughly equivelant to the city of Berkeley, Ca! 10,080 tons of irons used to construct the magnet system. 1163.5 MILLION Miles of superconductive microfibers used in the wire cables creating the 9,300 magnets for the LHC THE MILAU VIADUCT The Viaduct is the tallest man-made object in France, and the tallest bridge in the world. But what makes it a particular engineering feat is the way the designers FEAT FACTS 1122 to make it fit manag the natural beauty of the valley. Height, in feet, of the second pillar, Making it taller than the Eiffel Tower. B85 Height, in feet, of the vehicle roadway. 524 MILLION Cost, in dollars, to construct the roadway. 2,680 Yards of structural steel roadway. 78,828 Cubic yards of concrete used in the construction of the roadway. 36,880 Tons in total wieght. THE THREE GORGES DAM It is largest hydroelectric dam in the world and the largest water conservation project in the world. Though its construction's politics have been controversial, from an engineering standpoint it is- unprecedented. FEAT FACTS 780 Mega Watts of power. This single dam accounts for 10% of China's entire energy production 28 BILLION Cost, in dollars, to construct the dam. 27.15 MILLION Cubic meters of cement poured. 28,080 Tons of metal structures. 354,888 Tons of reinforcing bars. 231,888 Square meters of leak-proof concrete walls. THE BURJ KHALIFA The tallest building in the world, it rises defiantly out of the inescapable desert heat. The Burj Khalifa is a testament to the sheer audacity of the human race, and how we will not let gravity limit what we MORE FACTS 2716.5 Height, in feet, making it over 1,000 feet taller than the second tallest building. construct. FEAT FACTS 15 BILLION Cost, in dollars, to construct. 57 330,888 1,988 Cubic meters of concrete. Elevators within the building. 28,261 Exterior glass panels. Height, in feet, that concrete was pumped vertically, a world record. 946,880 Megavolt Amperes used daily, the equivalent of 500,000 100 watt lightbulbs. Liters of water used within the air conditioning system in one day. 22MILLION Man hours to construct. Sources: http://www.pbs.org/itvs/greatwall/dam1.html http://yeinjee.com/burj-khalifa-dubai-facts-figures/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4091813.stm http://www.pbs.org/spacestation/station/issfactsheet.htm http://www.china-embassy.org/eng/zt/sxgc/t36512.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7595855.stm AMERICAN TRAINCO Real World Training..for Real World Needs http://www.techwench.com/the-4-most-incredible-feats-of-modern-engineering/ http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/onthestation/facts_and_figures.html http://science.kqed.org/quest/2009/10/19/the-large-hadron-collider-gets-ready-to-spin-again/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/07/05/how-much-does-it-cost-to-find-a-higgs-boson/ http://www.airah.org.au/imis15_prod/Content_Files/HVACRNation/2010/March2010/HVACRNation2010-03-FO