den | Today's Work Problem

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Today's Work Problem

Task: Design a fully automated portable, dismantleable steel galvanized truck underbody wash that uses no pumps or electrical systems at all. This is going into a mine so they will be supplying the high-pressure water, and explains why they don't want a spark-risk due to electical system (even micro-voltage systems are not acceptable). Wash must support heavy mining equipment as well as light transports.

The Problem: "$65,000?! That's far too expensive! We budgeted on $5,000. Okay, can you supply one for less than $10,000?"

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"The Problem: "$65,000?! That's far too expensive! We budgeted on $5,000. Okay, can you supply one for less than $10,000?""

I think that's called "a dude with a hose."

Dudes with hoses cost more than $10 grand in salary, not to mention two-fours of beer. I think it's called a lawn waterer nailed to a plank.

The usual comment is "It's just some pipes and jets." Just the frame weighs 4000kg, and that's BEFORE the zinc coating. sheesh.

Well, first, metal isn't cheap. Hydrolic 'relays' might not custom-made, but they're a rare enough part that they're gonna cost a pretty penny each, likely. "Fully automated" probably means that you're going to need a number of them -- analog computers aren't cheap if they aren't off-the-shelf. (I'm still looking for a good, cheap slide rule, with the manual and all....) There're also ancillary parts like pressure regulators and such. Then there's labor, delivery, set-up, educating the goons to use it, etc, etc, assuming Den's company does the latter...

The wash had to do the undersides of the vehicles but we couldn't bold the pipes to the roadway. It can't be a permanent structure, and it has to be moved and set up on other locations. plus, it had to carry weights up to 60 tons. And it will be 6km underground.

It had to be fully automated, and the water is full of brown coal so small pilot holes are out of the question. Mechanical linkages, hydraulic actuators and spring timers are pretty easy. We can buy those off the shelf, but just that would eat up $4000 of their budget.

The biggest single expense is the cost of the civil engineer to certify that it has been designed to mine standards.

The dirty water has to be used because that's all there is. It's the same water they use to wet the coal face during drilling.

The fully automated system is: truck hits trigger1, wash starts, truck drives through and gets blasted with high pressure water from 80 nozzles, truck hits trigger2, wash stops. Due to coal dust, methane and being 6km underground, there can be NO electrical system. It all has to be mechanical to reduce the fire risk.

Guh; I didn't know mines went anywhere near 6km down yet. I heard about a 3500m one in South Africa...

500m vertical, 6000m horizontal.

Well, I was mostly considering the hose. Either way, you'll still probably have a guy paid to work the thing, whether it's just pressing a button or, well, hosing down the vehicle.

I was budgeting only for the hose, myself. After all, make the water pressure high enough and it's going to flail around on its own.

The water pressure in mines would flail the operator around too. Which would be bad.

I've always wondered what would happen if someone answered "No" to a question like that. As it is, I bet the answer was "We'll look into it and see what we can do" or, worse yet, "Sure, we'll get back to you.".

I told him we couldn't do it for $10,000. Even is he took out all the gal steel and used concrete, he'd still be looking at $20,000 for just the concrete.

A pump up garden sprayer with som cleaning solution in it. That's about all they're gonna get.

So, basically they want a tub they can drive it through?

"No wheel baths" was a requirement. We do build them on request, but we tell the customer that they don't work and they will be disapponted. But this site was strictly no wheel baths.

Sounds like my job.

'We want a web site/application that sings, dances and makes a cup of tea and we want it next week.'

Part of my job is to say 'Get real' without pointing my finger and going 'bwaahahahahahaaaaa! You idiots!'

when ya done, can ya come build me an aviary? ;)

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Today's Work Problem

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Getting hosed

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