Bridge#2

[turbo36]

If a guy looks at a very, very small probability of failure with fear he will never get anything accomplished.

Almost every part or system on an aircraft is proven that it will fail at some point. When that probability is below an acceptable level is it fine.

If Transit's logic of "it just takes one time" was the golden rule of aviation there is not an aircraft in existence that would be allowed to fly.

I am an engineer in the aircraft industry and I will be the first one to tell you that common sense is the best quality to have in designing anything.

Please let let me know whose planes you work on, if you are designing with "common sense" and not "engineering principal" I would like to avoid them.

I'm tired of hearing the term "common sense", it is easy to use and throw around when you want to mock someone else's thinking but can you define it? Is it something we are born with or do we get it by belonging to a particular political party or geographic area of birth? Everything we know as a human being is learned, there is no such thing as "common sense", a better term would be "poor judgment".

"Common sense" used to be that smoking wasn't harmful, learning has thought us to believe differently today.

 

[Transit]

Thanks for the reinforcement Turbo. I do not want to pick on someone with common sense. Catch you later with some photos.

 

[sld]

Please let let me know whose planes you work on, if you are designing with "common sense" and not "engineering principal" I would like to avoid them.

I'm tired of hearing the term "common sense", it is easy to use and throw around when you want to mock someone else's thinking but can you define it? Is it something we are born with or do we get it by belonging to a particular political party or geographic area of birth? Everything we know as a human being is learned, there is no such thing as "common sense", a better term would be "poor judgment".

"Common sense" used to be that smoking wasn't harmful, learning has thought us to believe differently today.

If you can't grasp the concept of "common sense" you must not have it.

Maybe you and Transit can find a support group for people that lack "common sense".

 

[turbo36]

If you can't grasp the concept of "common sense" you must not have it.

Maybe you and Transit can find a support group for people that lack "common sense".

Yep, that's me, the good ole "don't know to come out of the rain" me!
All that the college learnin' ain't as good as some home spun common sense.
Must be I was just lucky in starting and running two successful businesses, couldn't have been all those worthless engineering and business classes. Oh well, better to be lucky then "common sense" smart I guess.

 

[BlacknTan]

Seems there's a few feathers ruffled here.. or egos bruised.

Pity we can't just all tell the OP what a great job he did and be done with it..

Ahhh well. That's the internet for 'ya.. Where everyone is an engineer, and everyone knows better... Too bad!

The bridge looks great to me, and if my property had an area that needed one, I'd be proud to call that bridge my own... Even without the blessings of the "engineers"...

 

[whitedogone]

Seems there's a few feathers ruffled here.. or egos bruised.

Pity we can't just all tell the OP what a great job he did and be done with it..

Ahhh well. That's the internet for 'ya.. Where everyone is an engineer, and everyone knows better... Too bad!

The bridge looks great to me, and if my property had an area that needed one, I'd be proud to call that bridge my own... Even without the blessings of the "engineers"...

Hey, wait a minute... I gave it a blessing

 

[turbo36]

Seems there's a few feathers ruffled here.. or egos bruised.

Pity we can't just all tell the OP what a great job he did and be done with it..

Ahhh well. That's the internet for 'ya.. Where everyone is an engineer, and everyone knows better... Too bad!

The bridge looks great to me, and if my property had an area that needed one, I'd be proud to call that bridge my own... Even without the blessings of the "engineers"...

No ego's bruised here (unless your's is) I think the OP did a great job and for his use it will most likely be fine, holes and all! Can you show me where I critiqued the OP?

My comments were directed to the "aerospace engineer" that suggested "common sense" trumps science. If my engineers came to me with a design based on common sense and not scientific study I would show them the door.

 

[BlacknTan]

No ego's bruised here (unless your's is) I think the OP did a great job and for his use it will most likely be fine, holes and all! Can you show me where I critiqued the OP?

My comments were directed to the "aerospace engineer" that suggested "common sense" trumps science. If my engineers came to me with a design based on common sense and not scientific study I would show them the door.

No ego bruised here either, but I didn't trot out my qualifications..i.e. all the successful business ventures, hours spent toiling at engineering and business classes..

Nope, my ego isn't bruised! I spent an entire career actually building what the college boys dreamed up.. Where the rubber meets the road. And, I could always tell a smart engineer from one less so.. The smart ones would listen to, and heed my advice and design changes.. The less than smart ones?? Well, they were great also! I got a lot of overtime making things they designed anew, after they could finally see it wouldn't work..

Yup, I made a lot of "time and a half" because of engineers that always knew better.. LOL

 

[harpoonalt]

Common sense is something you use in Addition to education and smarts, not in place of it. I work for a company making aircraft engine blades and vanes. I inspect gages designed by engineers every day. Some really good, some laughable, if they weren't $30,000 a copy. I respect the engineering profession but like any profession, it has its stars and it's duds. The best engineers understand how things work by getting their hands dirty. We have a few of those. We also have a few that will tell you things must work and they don't. They have no common sense. I've seen some pretty complex gages that could have been done in a much simpler and cheaper fashion. They are engineering marvels,but a little common sense would have saved everyone time and money.
There are many ways to accomplish projects. If that bridge was engineer designed it would never have been built. Too expensive and too complex. The design fee would have been more than the bridge with all those calculations. It's a bridge for a tractor and I think very well done using common sense and his smarts. Would I want him to build a bridge for a 4 lane highway? Not really, But if I ever need a tractor bridge, he's the man.

 

[Transit]

In post # 147 Sld overlooks the fact that the FAR's, Federal Aviation Regulations, sets the requirements for maintenance depending on the application, Privet Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Transport Aircraft. The rule is service life in hours of use, with amendments, bulletins and Airworthiness directives, once a year inspections, 100 hour inspections, [hourly] and on-going inspections, etc., all designed for risk management [due diligence] to catch things before they go wrong.

On the second bridge, Buggyman asked for help and found it at work. Although Buggyman and I disagree on the point of welding or bolting the deck fasters in place. I prefer welding, drilling holes removes material that would otherwise support a load as opposed to welding that does not remove any material, however the HAZ, Heat Affected Zone around the weld site would be somewhat weaker than normal, but stronger than drilling holes.

No ones ever been killed on my watch, except when I was shooting at them.

The flying bug bit me in NAM with my first ride in an O-2A, AKA the Huff and Puff. 5,000+ hours later here I am.
In-between NASA launches my partner and I had an A&P Radio shop. We had to give it up in 75 when Mark had is first hart attack, I could not find anyone to replace him. We were getting ready to restore a Gypsy Moth when we packed it in.

As for Common Sense, how about a Vulcan Mind Meld? Un-Common Sense with a Sheep Skin or two.