Which Power Plant Does My Electricity Come From? — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] In June of 2000, the power shut off across much of the San Francisco Bay area. There simply wasn’t enough electricity to meet demands, so more than a million customers were disconnected in California's largest load shed event si
on Tue, 3PM
The Hidden Engineering of Landfills — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is the Puente Hills Landfill outside of Los Angeles, California. The first truckload of trash was dumped here in 1957, and the trucks just kept coming. For more than five decades, if you threw something away in LA County, t
on Sep 4
Why Are Cooling Towers Shaped Like That? — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is not smoke. And this isn’t a smoke stack (at least not the kind we normally think of). It serves a totally different purpose at a power plant than smoke stacks whose job is moving combustion products high into the air, al
on Nov 5
The Wild Story of the Taum Sauk Dam Failure — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] Early in the morning of December 14, 2005, pumps were nearly finished filling the upper reservoir at the Taum Sauk power station, marking the end of the daily cycle. Water rose to the top of the rockfill embankment, reaching the
on Oct 17
Is the World Really Running Out of Sand? — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] If you have to know the answer right away, it’s no; or at least, my goal with this video is to convince you that the world is not running out of sand. But if it were that simple, I wouldn’t be here (right?) and you probably woul
on Oct 1
When Infrastructure Gets Hacked — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is a water tower, or as the pros would say, an elevated storage tank. Pretty common here in the US, especially in flatter areas where there’s no nearby hillside to build a ground-level tank. I have a whole video about how t
on Sep 17
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Entertaining, educational engineering projects and topics by Grady Hillhouse.
on Sep 7
Why Are Texas Interchanges Texas So Tall? — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] This is the Dallas High Five, one of the tallest highway interchanges in the world. It gets its name from the fact that there are five different levels of roadways crossing each other in this one spot. In some ways, it’s kind of
on Aug 23
How French Drains Work — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] In February of 2017, one of the largest spillways in the world, the one at Oroville Dam in northern California, was severely damaged during releases from heavy rain. You might remember this. I made a video about it, and then ano
on Aug 7
Why Bridges Don't Sink — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] The essence of a bridge is not just that it goes over something, but that there’s clear space underneath for a river, railway, or road. Maybe this is already obvious to you, but bridges present a unique structural challenge. In
on Jul 3
This Bridge Should Have Been Closed Years Before It Collapsed — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] On January 28, 2022, about an hour before dawn, the four-lane Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, collapsed without warning. Five vehicles, including an articulating bus, fell with the bridge, and another car drove o
on Jun 26
Which Is Easier To Pull? (Railcars vs. Road Cars) — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] Imagine the room you’re in right now was filled to the top with gravel. (I promise I’m headed somewhere with this.) I don’t know the size of the room you’re in, but if it’s anywhere near an average-sized bedroom, that’s roughly
on Nov 7, 2023
Why Are Rails Shaped Like That? — Practical Engineering
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[Note that this article is a transcript of the video embedded above.] Maybe more than any other type of infrastructure, railways have a contingent of devoted enthusiasts. “Railfans” as they call themselves; Or should say “ourselves”? Maybe it's the nostalgia of an earlier era or the simple appeal
on Oct 20, 2023