October 2007 Issue
WORLD WATCH
Leaning Tower of Pisa Straightens Up
BY GAIL HELGASON
Freelance Writer
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A LITTLE LESS LEAN |
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has recently gone straight — or straighter at least — reports Civil Engineering (Reston, Va.). The classic structure is now about 45 centimetres closer to vertical than it used to be.
More than 60 tonnes of earth were required to stabilize the structure. But the most difficult part of the undertaking was reportedly dealing with the heated political debate that preceded it.
Experts say that without stabilization, the tower would have collapsed by 2040.
The Everest Express
Is nothing sacred? The Chinese Government is building a paved road from the foot
of Mount Everest to a base camp, reports Civil Engineering (Reston,
Va.).
Construction began in June and was to continue for about four months. The road is being built for part of the 2008 Olympics torch relay, the longest in the history of the Games. The 137,000-kilometre, 130-day relay will end at Everest’s summit.
Longer Working Life Created for Tires
Some tires refuse to retire young, thanks to recent innovations by Michelin engineers.
That’s the news from the Engineering News-Record (New York), which
reports that the French manufacturer undertook several years of research before
finding a way to make tires last longer.
Michelin’s new XDA5 tire, for domestic truckers, uses deep treads designed to wear well without diminishing their edge. Patented panels, interlocking and rigid, result in traction without making tires wobbly.
Michelin estimates drivers will use the tires 30 per cent longer than other types, which will soon cover a price increase of up to 10 per cent.
Creativity Needs To be Nurtured
Engineering has lagged behind the overall business community in nurturing creativity
in the workplace, reports Mechanical Engineering (New York). The magazine
states that only in the last 10 to 15 years has the engineering profession “woken
up” to techniques that can foster creativity.
It’s not that engineers are less creative than other professions, says Graham Thompson, former head of the University of Manchester’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering in the United Kingdom. Rather, the problem is that engineers work in environments where creativity is not always rewarded, he says.
The good news is that while it varies widely among individuals, “the right
culture unleashes creativity.”
Common sense measures enhance team creativity. For example, employers can encourage
team members to get to know and trust one another, and share information.
London to Paris in a Wink
The United Kingdom’s high-speed link to the Chunnel carried its
inaugural train on Sept. 3, reports the Engineering News-Record (New
York.) The train travelled between Paris and London in 123 minutes, a record
accomplished at speeds of up to 320 km/h.
Named the HS1, the line is scheduled to open in November, on time and on budget. Construction took nine years and cost more than $11.5 billion.
Been There, Done That?
If you’re running out of exciting holiday destinations, read this. Aerospace
America (Reston, Va.) reports that the last two or three years have seen
a “radical change in the way space tourism is forecast to develop.”
A Paris-based aerospace company, EADS Astrium, announced in June that it’s started work on a space tourism vehicle about the size of a business jet. Designed to take four passengers 100 kilometres into space, it would take off and land using jet engines at standard airports. The first commercial flight is expected by 2012.
Several other companies in the U.K., the United States and Japan are investigating two-stage takeoff and landing vehicles.
A spokesperson for Starchaser Industries of Manchester told the publication his firm is only two years away from a launch. Its proposed launcher and spacecraft would get one pilot and two passengers more than 100 km above the Earth — and return them in a steerable parachute.
Mobile Plants a Hit in Namibia
Namibia’s diamond industry is making increasing use of modern mobile crushing
and screening equipment, according to the Engineering & Mining Journal (Jacksonville,
Fla.). The heavy-duty equipment is able to separate 40-mm material from small,
diamond-bearing particles.