Collapse of the Willow Island Cooling Tower
In the 1970s, power companies began building many new coal-fired electrical power plants in the Ohio Valley to feed the growing industry in that region. These power plants were close to coal mines, so the electricity they generated was less expensive than nuclear or hydroelectric ...
The May Ethical Dilemma: Soliciting Work
Scott currently works for ABC Engineering Company. Scott has a very good working relationship with a major client, Clover City, which is a neighboring city...
May Pop Quiz for Engineers
MAY you do well on this month's pop quiz. Here's the May 2021 Pop Quiz for Engineers. Are you smarter than an undergraduate?
Riddle Me This: Fence Building
How would you build the most efficient fence for this farmer?
Digitally Signing and Sealing Your Plans
Digital Signatures are added with the aid of a third-party authentication program, which both ensures that the Professional Engineer is the one signing the document and prevents future repudiation. The authentication programs can vary, but they function by assigning an individual “certificate” that verifies identity ...
Airplane Propeller-Induced Flutter
One night in September 1959, a Lockheed Electra L-188A turboprop aircraft with 28 passengers and 6 crew apparently disintegrated mid-flight over Buffalo, Texas. The Electra was new at the time, the first large turboprop airliner built by a United States aircraft company ...