Structural Engineering in Railroad Track

The assignment for this week's blog was to review another professional article about structural engineering, but I want to go above and beyond, and because of my final project's focus, I couldn't help. Because I'm able to look at a drawing and see words for each line or curve, I believe I can loosely interpret this as an "article."

Pennsylvania Railroad standard plan for ballasting railroad track

Years ago, when railroads were still laying track, they developed standard plans for their methods of doing so properly and according to conditions. These plans specifically show how railroad track is to be laid and ballasted (have supporting and draining rocks put around it) for optimum performance. In the drawing above, we see the diagram for track in a cut (where rock or earth surrounds the tracks on one or both sides), as well as the diagram for track on a fill (where the earth slopes downward away from the track).

The top drawing, the one for track in a cut, shows specific dimensions that are determined on-site. These dimensions are then plugged into the table on the bottom-left of the plan to determine the physical location of the tracks, the ditches, the ballast, and the earth around the tracks. On the top drawing, beneath the track, the different text denotes which parts of the track sections are supposed to be made of cinder sub-ballast, and ballast (the jagged, rocky part). When looking beside the word "ultimate," we can determine that 1/2" of space is between the top of the ballast and the top of the crosstie (the large, white section that keeps the track the same distance apart). By following the line from the top of the 1/2" dimension, we see that the maximum height from the top of the tie to the top of the sub-ballast is to be 2'-3".

Continuing down and right, we see specific dimensions and slopes for the railroad's ditch. "1-1/2 to 1 Angle of Repose" means that the earth's slope is to equal 1.5 proportions horizontally and 1 proportion vertically, in order to prevent major landslides and damage to the track.

By observing the bottom drawing, we can see the same information for track in a fill. Now, why are these slopes and dimensions important? Structural engineers for the Pennsylvania Railroad determined that based on the weight of a train and how that weight travels throughout what it's standing on, these minimum dimensions were necessary to prevent major damage, loss of millions of dollars, and worst of all: loss of life. By using these standards (which varied from railroad to railroad), safety was kept at the top of the list of concerns, more freight was moved successfully, and structural engineers (as well as calculus teachers) kept their jobs.

Again, I apologize for not reviewing an article, but writing an "article" about the "article" (photo) I found hopefully suffices. At worst, at least you learned how frustrating engineering can be.

Citation:
Pennsylvania Railroad. "Cross Section of Roadway, Stone & Crushed Slag Ballast." Chart.PRR Standard Plan. Central Region: Pennsylvania Railroad, n.d. 9761. PRR Standard Plan Index. Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society. Web. 7 Dec. 2012.

Technology!

For this week's blog, we are asked to discuss the technology we use at work with our mentors to try to find out where technology might be taking our respective industries. So, here's what we concluded:

1. How would you (my mentor) use technology in the day to day operations of your career field?
We use Autodesk AutoCAD every day in our work. We also use programs like MathCAD to calculate weight loads for our structures.

2. What technology do you (my mentor) use to communicate with other professionals?
E-mail, phones, and driving.

3. If/when presenting to other professionals, what do you use to do so?
We simply e-mail completed plans to other professionals.

4. What is your theory about the type of technology that will be used in the future in this profession?
More "automatic" programs with built-in structures and drawings, as well as "plug-and-chug" math programs will help to maximize the speed of the industry in the future.

5. As a student and future professional, how can you imagine technology being incorporated in this profession?
I think that technology in the profession will be the same as what my mentor said, as the current programs, though helpful, can be improved. Currently, to make a drawing of a retaining wall section, I must use paper-drawn plans to do so; however, I can see the importance of having a complete database of standard engineering drawings that can simply be opened and put into each project.

Broken Things

Seth Godin discusses in a 2006 talk at the Gel conference (link at the bottom) the things in the world that are broken. By 'broken,' he means seemingly (or actually) inefficient. Things like the sign below that seems redundant to nearly any functional individual.

In the case of the rock above, the purpose of the humorous sign isn't to actually tell the weather (though it can help), but it is to serve as a sarcastic method that actually prevents people from asking an employee of the lodge what the weather is like.


Broken Things in the Real World
In an effort to meet congressional mandates for safer train control methods, Norfolk Southern Railway is testing an automatic routing system, nicknamed "Otto" by railfans and railroad employees. This system has been frequently seen routing trains on a different track when no other train or obstruction is present. This causes two 45-mile per hour slow-downs for each crossover move, thereby decreasing efficiency.

"Otto" at his finest. See, there is no obstruction on the main track

between Junction City and South Danville.

That is broken because it's not someone's job to re-program the auto-router to work more efficiently.

Broken Things in My Life

At my mentorship, I produce Computer-Aided Drawings for construction projects (better known as blueprints). On these, special notes are written that point out particular situations with an arrow. In many cases, the symbol for "Double Angle" is written before the words "Double Angle." To me, this seems entirely pointless and extremely redundant, but to the construction worker who is specialized to know what "Double Angle" means, he can simply look at the symbol and know what to do.

That is purposely broken to ease the construction worker's job.

Broken Things at School

One of the most important parts of a school day is the announcements, where original notes are read-off over the intercom to inform everyone what's going on. In the mornings, the people who read the announcements read from individual pieces of paper and often stutter, lose track of what they've said, or read notes from already-finished events.

How hard is it to write a script with changeable sections for different announcements, read the script, and get the day going?

That is just plain broken.

View Seth Godin's Talk Here

10/22/12: Foundation Engineering

At my mentorship with Bowman Engineering, Inc., I'm learning the fundamentals and even some details of structural engineering. Bowman mostly works with foundation plans, which are CAD drawings drawn as if you were one inch above a floor looking down. This way, you can see what is supporting you, better known as your foundation.

I'm learning about rebar standards (rebar is used to help concrete structures maintain their shape and strength), standard sizes for I-beams, standards for steel railing, and much more. In my most recent project, I designed the foundation plan for a water tank at SAPA in Gainesville. The structure is made up of a foundation in the ground, a water tank, a floor above the water tank that is supported by four beams on its four corners, and a water tank on top of the floor. This requires us to look at soil conditions, the loads we expect the structure to carry (weight of the tanks when filled with water), and how we expect the structure to perform.

The same happens for all structures, and those three criteria are the most important part to anything staying up. I read an article published on A-1 Engineering's website about foundation design. Here is my synopsis:

Foundation Engineering
In order to create a building, a foundation is required. To build a foundation, important data must be acquired. A geotechnical engineer will perform soil tests on a site to determine the type of soil present. The structural engineer in charge of the project will then review International Residential Codes and International Building Codes to determine the types of footings, slabs, and beams used in the project. The Codes contain lists of available books and resources that not only tell how to build the structure, but also acceptable standards for its construction. This is done to ensure that the structure does not collapse.

Soil
Structural engineers need to know the type of soil they are building on in order to avoid catastrophes. For example, building on fertile soil such as in the Midwest requires larger foundations so that water can't get inside buildings. Engineers building on the red clay of North Georgia have to consider the thickness of the clay to avoid a heavy load resting on a layer of limestone. Acid rain causes sinkholes because it dissolves the limestone, so if limestone must be built on, a load-bearing support does not need to be there.

Loads
After determining that the soil is good for building, a structural engineer must determine to what degree something can be built. For example, a building that needs 2,500 pounds per square foot (psf) of support shouldn't be built on top of limestone or thin clay, but a building that only has to support 500 psf can be built on nearly anything. The psf requirement is calculated by adding the weight of all of the walls, the floors, the roof, and the maximum weight of potential furniture and people. That number is multiplied by 25, then divided by 2. The final number tells the requirement for how many pounds per square foot that the soil can support.

Performance
Plain and simple, if a structure is going to be frequently used (like an apartment complex), then the support structures will need to be strong overall. For something like a house, then normal-strength 2x4 boards are strong enough. And for something like a shed (where equipment sits in the same place for extended periods of time), the support below those objects will need to be stronger, and the rest of the shed doesn't have to be strong at all.

Overall
In conclusion, soil, expected loads, and building performance are the three major parts to determining how a building is created, and if International Codes are followed, the building will be a great structure for many years.

Source
A-1 Engineering. "Foundation Engineering Design." A-1engineering.com. A-1 Engineering, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. <http://www.a-1engineering.com/foundationengineering.htm>.

Inspiration to Keep Going

Our assignment for this week is to review a TED Talk and give our opinion on it. I'll preface this with a link to the talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Following are the questions:

1.  What would you pursue or study if you had unlimited time and resources?
2.  Which has more influence, Aptitude or Attitude, and Why?
3.  Do you think that our current grading system needs to be abolished? What alternative do you recommend?
4.  Some of the HMP class goals are: to help students develop time management skills, foster a sense of independence and accountability, and real life problem solving. This class requires a lot of student motivation since you are not meeting with a teacher on a daily basis. What areas of improvement or areas of personal growth has this class brought to your attention (time management, procrastination, self advocacy, computer skills, writing or communicating deficits, etc.)?

And my answers:

1. If I had unlimited time and resources, I would study and participate in railroad operations to no end.

2. Attitude has a larger influence in how we live our lives because just "getting by" doesn't cut it. Our abilities may be strong, but if we hate what we do, then why do it? Here is a particular example; I want to live beside the train tracks, and a woman in Tyrone, Pennsylvania wants to live away from the train tracks. While we are both surviving where we are, we both want to be in each other's place. So why not trade? My attitude is that I want to live by trains, where I will be happy; and hers is that she wants to live away from trains, where she will be happy. If we were to trade places, we would not just survive, but we would thrive.

3. Our grading system doesn't need to be abolished, but it does need modification. Of course, there will always be exceptions. Honors Mentorship (HMP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) students are going to naturally seek out scholarships and apply to colleges; however, students in regular-ed classes are much more likely to need prodding to go to college.
In school, those of us in HMP and IB push ourselves to succeed at a higher level than others. We are in IB Economics or are mentoring at a structural engineering firm for no pay because we want to. I want to work in a rail company's upper management, which requires college. I want to go to a college where I can make the most of my three or four years. That takes money, and I don't have money. Doing IB and extracurricular activities like HMP, Beta Club, National Honors Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, etc., will put me ahead of the rest of the applicants, so I will hopefully get the scholarships to pay for my future.
So, I want my school to be graded in a manner that doesn't matter whether I pass, but in a matter that determines whether or not I am wasting my time in the particular way I want to put myself ahead.

4. Just filling up five extra hours per week in my mentorship has crammed the amount of time I have to do my schoolwork, take care of myself (sleep), and work on my future and hobbies. At my mentorship, I work on a computer doing Computer-Aided-Drafting (CAD) to make official drawings for construction projects. The terminology between me and my mentor must be the same to make sense out of a "red arrow with a line through it" on a sketch-up I am putting into CAD.

So many struggles have come out, and I really don't like my mentorship. In fact, I dread it; however, this TED talk has reminded me that I am doing Honors Mentorship to reach the exact future I want--to make the most of my life. That is what keeps me going.

Thanks for reading!

Post-Secondary Time

Beginning October, a pretty big (but important) assignment was dropped on us. The theme is colleges, degrees, and everything else about what we want to do. So, here are the questions we've been asked to answer:

1. List 3 colleges you would apply for with the degree program you will need to enter the field you are studying in HMP. Please provide the college's name, location, and link to their website.

2. What will be your criteria for a quality program of study?

3. Which universities would have the criteria you came up with?

4. Is there additional entrance requirements for your field of study?

5. What is your criteria for a "quality" ranking and educational program (size, location, sports, diversity, funding)?

6. What is the ranking for this program nation wide and what criteria is used to determine that ranking?

7. What professional and honors associations are related to your field of study?

8. List 3-4 potential scholarships for which you are eligible and can apply for.

Here goes!

1. I would apply to Purdue University, Vanderbilt University, and Georgia Tech for Civil Engineering.

    -Purdue: West Lafayette, IN: http://www.purdue.edu/

    -Vanderbilt: Nashville, TN: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/
    -Georgia Tech: Atlanta, GA: http://www.gatech.edu/
2. As far as the quality of the program of study goes, I want to study at an accredited university with a well-proven success rate (proven by graduates and their accomplishments).
3. All three have the criteria!

4. No additional courses or activities are required to enter the Civil Engineering field of study.

5. A quality educational program is at a large, well-known school, in a well-known area, that is good at sports, has a good mix of diversity, and gets lots of charter funding.

6. I'll get back to you on that...
7. Same as above...

8. Still working through this with my parents. We need scholarships...

The Mentorship

I got it! - Being such big news, I think it's important to let you all know that I got a mentorship.

I am working with a structural engineering firm in Oakwood, GA. I know the owner, Mr. Bowman, through church. His firm, Bowman Engineering, does structural engineering. What's that mean? That means that they use Autodesk AutoCAD to create structural drawings of concrete footers, support systems, and foundations in and around new structures.

It's been a long and grueling search, and my possibilities have changed time and time again. Luckily, I can put my engineering skills to work and get some experience for my future.

Dare to Dream

Though I'm still trying to get a mentorship, now potentially with Mansfield Oil or UPS, I'm still focused on contributing and gaining as much as I can from whatever comes of my whole situation. I envision gaining the knowledge and ability to route and schedule vehicle movements and shipments safety and efficiently.

During my mentorship, I will be sure to pay attention to my mentors, to learn from them, and to always double-check my work. I will seek feedback from any employees my decisions may affect in order to gain another perspective while making a decision. In the future, I see Honors Mentorship providing me with the tools I need to be a more well-rounded, employable, knowledgeable, and contributing applicant and future employee.

Teambuilding

On Friday, August 24th, 2012, I joined the rest of the Honors Mentorship students from the county to participate in a humongous teambuilding event at Lapdog. Lapdog is a Team Leadership Development group, and they do a wonderful job.

For our teambuilding experience, we climbed 30+ feet into the air on a high ropes course with nothing but two ropes and some thin metal wire supporting us.

Here is a photo of my team on the final obstacle. Yes, we're the ones struggling at the back. We only fell twice...

On this obstacle, we had to get our nine team members to the final platform using only two metal wires and each others' weight to do so. One person was blindfolded.

Reflecting on the Directionality, Communication Style, and Lapdog Retreat, I ask these questions to myself:

• How do I apply leadership?
• How can I apply what I have learned?
• What makes it difficult to trust myself and others?
• Which role is easier- trusting or being trusted?
• How can I improve my skills in giving and receiving feedback?
• What was specifically fun about the Lapdog retreat?

Now, I pose these answers.

• I tend to "take the reins" and share/implement my ideas after critically observing a situation in order to reach the solution.
• Before I can apply what I learned, I have to know what I learned first. At the retreat, I learned that teamwork is vital to completing a large task, and communication must be utilized to make the team work best together.
• Therefore, I can apply what I've learned by using effective communication methods to lead a team to complete a large task of any sort.
• Trusting myself and others is difficult because I'm not always in a confident mindset, and I may not know others well enough to trust them with anything (or my "life" on a ropes course, for that matter).
• I believe that being trusted is easier because I observe everyone's situation before jumping to a conclusion or leading a team to their goal. Because of my approach, I know that my method will get each person or group to a goal safely.
• As far as feedback goes, I can be much more patient when giving it (a situation where Meganne was very un-confident on the first obstacle is an example). When I receive it, I can also critically observe that method of reaching the solution.
• The most fun part of Lapdog was jumping across the blocks on the first obstacle. I felt like I was playing life-size Mario!

The Mario Blocks

Our awesome team! (I'm the second on the left.)

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog for the Honors Mentorship Program 2012-2013! Here, you can see what I do and where I am going in my mentorship. This blog should be updated on a weekly basis, so check back for more information.

As of now, I don't have a mentorship set up yet, but my coordinator, Mrs. Jennifer Killingsworth, and I are working to set one up with Rochester and Associates. Having a lot of history with the company, a good interest in engineering and layout, and knowledge of how to use Autodesk programs, this will be a good fit for me.

Over this school year, I look forward to growing in my education and in life by learning how to manage time more wisely and make the most of what's given to me. Again, keep checking in each week, and enjoy your time on my blog!