Postby bbjohn » Tue Jul 08, 2014 12:43 am
I'm no engineer, but something I've learned over the years is the most important thing in engineering is to have good sense. Another equally important thing is to listen to the people you're doing the engineering for.
A good case in point. In 1999 and 2000, there was a major project in my home town to pave the streets and add curbs, gutters and sidewalks. The engineers recommended a certain grade of asphalt for a majority of the streets. The paving contractor, one of the top road construction firms in the West, told them that was the wrong grade for the level of traffic. It was too heavy, and the light traffic on the streets would cause the asphalt to crack in a few years.
The town's public works department went with the engineer's recommendations. Guess what? Those streets began to crack a lot sooner than they should have. The town had to shell out some big bucks to seal those cracks. They're still shelling out big bucks for them.
Another aspect of that street program involved raising the level of one of the major streets by a few inches. Residents in one block noted that, when it rained, the water ran through the alley behind their homes and emptied onto that street. They told the engineers and the public works people that, if the street were raised, the water would back up and flood their back yards, garages and homes.
The engineers replied, "We're engineers. We know what we're doing."
So, the street was raised. Guess what happened the first time it rained? You got it: those back yards, garages and homes were flooded. This cost the town a lot of money in damages, and well as additional work to redirect the water flow.
I wonder if it would be possible to devise a "good sense" test for engineers. Maybe then, we could avoid stuff like this or the Airbus lunacy.
To quote the sage, Homer Simpson, "D-oh!"
-Big Bad John
When I first saw this, the first thing I thought was "Airbus; why am I not surprised...''
