Cotton Rodeo Roping Chutes Asian Noodles Rotary Engines
The exact origins of the cotton plant are unknown, although archeologists have unearthed pieces of cotton cloth over 7,000 years old. Through the centuries, cotton fiber was traditionally processed by hand until the first 18th century, when the first automated processing machine was invented. Before cotton arrives at the textile mill to be spun into thread and woven into fabric, it makes the journey from field to bale. Cotton takes about five months to grow from a planted seed to a ripe plant. This harvesting machine, called a cotton picker, plucks fluffy seed cotton out of the plant's bowl, leaving a trail of burrs and sticks behind. The machine empties the plucked cotton into a tractor-drawn buggy. This machine builds the seed cotton into a humongous rectangular block called a module. A truck transports the module to the processing plant, known as a cotton gin. Once the cotton arrives to the processing plant, sticks and burrs are removed, as well as any lingering debris and seeds. A truck dumps the module into a feeder, which moves the packed seed cotton into a dispenser. The ground seed cotton falls onto a conveyor belt, which leads to the hot box. The hot box mixes the seed cotton with hot air, which allows the moisture to evaporate, making the seed cotton easier to clean. A machine called the wad buster breaks up the clumps of seed cotton by tossing it against a screen. Loose debris falls through the screen openings, down a narrow shoot. Then the seed cotton moves through a machine called the steady flow, which divides it equally between two processing lines. On each line, the seed cotton enters a burr machine, which grabs the seed cotton with a circular saw and swings it against metal bars. The centrifugal force shakes off the heavier debris. The seed cotton exits the machine through one pipe, and the debris through another. A large auger transfers the debris to a waste chute and out of the plant. The seed cotton is ready for the final stage of processing. A network of pipes feeds a row of machines called gin stands. The gin stand separates the seed from the fluffy stuff, called the lint. Inside each stand are 116 circular saws, which are arranged horizontally, each separated by a steel rib. The saw teeth grab the seed cotton and pull the lint through the narrow gap between saw and rib. The seed is too large to pass through, so it spins in front of the rib, then drops into a conveyor. The lint goes into a flue which leads to the packing area. Cotton seed is sold as livestock feed, particularly for dairy cows. It contains 23% protein, 20% fat, and 25% fiber. Cotton seed is also milled into cotton seed oil, a cooking oil that's a common ingredient in salad dressings and mayonnaise. The cotton lint is now ready to be formed into bales. Pipes feed the loose lint to the press area. When it arrives, a pusher moves the lint into a machine called the tramper, which shoves it down into a bale-shaped box. Once the box reaches 500 pounds of cotton lint, a press compacts the lint... And tie-wraps the bale. Next, a conveyor moves the bale to a bagging machine and past grippers, which pull a sample from each side. While the bale slides into a protective plastic bag, the grippers deposit the sample into a bin. Technicians label the bale with an i.d. number, then open the bin to retrieve the corresponding sample. Then the sample is bagged and labeled with the bale i.d. number. The factory submits the sample to the united states department of agriculture, where it's analyzed for fiber length, cleanliness, color, and other criteria. Once the analysis is complete, the bale is given a grade and processed accordingly. A roping chute is a temporary stall with a spring-loaded gate. During roping competitions, livestock are placed in this holding device until the gate opens, releasing the steer. The steer is given a head start while a professional rider follows on horseback while another steer enters the chute, ready for the next chase. In a roping competition at the rodeo, the chute is the starting point and holding gate for the steer. An operator opens the gate to release the animal into the arena, signaling the games to begin. To make a roping chute, technicians start with a coil of steel. The coil unwinds, moving between rollers. The rollers form the coil into tubing that will be used for the chute's framework. A constant flow of coolant prevents overheating and flushes away dirt and contaminants. Next, the tubing travels through a welding operation. Rollers close the gap, and a welder fuses the seam. Then the tubing travels through a channel with flowing coolant. Once out of the channel, a blade cuts it to size. An operator loads the tubing into a rotary bending machine. He activates the machine, which rotates to form rounded corners. The operator makes two bends in the tubing, which creates the frame for a gate. He will need to make two of these to complete the gate. An automated shear cuts steel sheets, creating panels for the walls. At the next station, a computerized laser cuts out parts on another steel sheet to make a control box. The laser cuts holes for components and perforates the steel. The perforations map out the locations for folds and make it easier to fold the steel. Next, a technician works on parts called linkages, welding rivets to each end. These linkages will connect the tailgate to the frame, allowing the gate to slide open. The technician locks the tailgate frame in a fixture. The fixture holds the frame steady as he welds one end of the linkages. The other end is riveted. The rivet has a head to allow a pivoting action as the gate slides open. He welds steel panels to the tailgate. They'll serve as shields, keeping the animal's legs protected from becoming trapped in the chute. He also welds a shield to the threshold. At the next station, another technician begins construction on the head gate. He welds steel pipes to the upper part to create grating for ventilation. He creates steel panel enclosures instead of more open grating to protect the animal's legs. On the top of the two doors, he welds more paneling, which will keep the animal's head inside the gate when it's closed. The roping chute's head gate is now complete. It operates like a saloon door, swinging open to release the animal into the arena. Next, the parts are placed in a welding jig. One of the welders installs a release mechanism for the head gate while the other welds the tailgate to the sidebars. At the front, the assembler adds a braking device that will keep the gate open when needed. They align side panels to the frame... And open the gates to gain access to the chute as they weld the panels to the frame. This completes the structural components of the rodeo roping chute. Springs are installed to support the opening and closing of the head gate. The tension is adjusted accordingly. Then the roping chute is immersed in vat of blue paint. A crane lifts the chute out of the vat, and it's set aside to dry. The operating levers are painted separately. Once try, operators bold them to the release mechanism and brakes. During a roping competition, the operator will turn the head gate levers to release the animal at specifically timed intervals. Then, it's up to competing professionals to grab the bull by the horns as fast as they can. The word noodle is derived from the german word nudel, but the food itself was invented in china as early as 4,000 years ago. Even though cooking with noodles originated in china, cultures from around the globe have used noodles in an array of unique and tasty dishes. Noodles seem simple. They're just unleavened dough formed into different shapes and sizes and then cooked, but manufacturing them isn't as simple as you'd think. Noodle recipes always start with flour. At this facility, a food-processing technician pours wheat flour and water into a large mixer. The technician makes sure the ratio equals 80.4% flour to 17% water. The remaining 2.6% is salt. The dough is flattened and rolled in a molding machine. Once the molding machine has finished flattening and winding the dough into big rolls, they're set aside to mature. Then each roll goes through this machine, called a calendar mill. A calendar mill is a series of pressure rollers designed to reduce a material to a uniform thickness. The dough is flattened and rolled six more times in the molding machine until it reaches its desired thickness. The calendar mill quickly and accurately slices the dough into slender noodles before cutting them to 47 inches. It's important for dough to mature. This helps give it strength and elasticity. The noodles fold over hangers and head to the next station. A food-processing technician transfers seven hangers of noodles to one hanger, which is the appropriate density needed for the final maturation phase of noodle production. The technician wheels the hangers into a device called a steam boiler. The noodles will spend 3 1/2 hours steaming at temperatures up to 212 degree fahrenheit. Once thoroughly steamed, the noodles are moved to a station to cool and dry for 24 hours before they're ready for packaging. The workers who package these noodles are specially trained using a scale, which helps them determine how many noodles should be bundled together. Once their training is complete, the technician can bundle the right quantity of noodles by eye. This facility relies on a traditional, manual process to manufacture their noodle. According to the facility, this allows workers an opportunity to closely inspect the quality of the noodles. This facility also manufactures a dry noodle. The process is nearly the same, except that rather than go through a maturation phase in a steam oven, these noodles dry, step by step, in a thermostatic room. The production line manufactures the noodles at 45 inches before transferring them to small bins where large, stainless steel blades chop them down to 7 inches. For these noodles, the manufacturers have added turmeric, a spice which provides both color and flavor and is also believed to have health benefits. While this facility packages certain noodle varieties by hand, it also has a fully automated packaging line for other types of noodles. Manufacturers produce different varieties of noodles based on customer demands. They sell them packaged and in bundles. This line is packaging them in 3-ounce bundles. After thousands of years, people all over the world still can't get enough of eating a variety of dishes made up of noodles. Throughout the 20th century, multiple versions of the rotary engine were manufactured. Even though they were small, light, and fast, those produced had high fuel consumption and released large amounts of emissions. Today, the rotary engine has been redesigned, revving up for a comeback. The rotary engine that powers this go-kart is one-fifth the size and weight of the piston engine it has replaced. With less to weigh it down in the engine department, this go-kart can gain some major speed. This rotary engine aims to boost fuel efficiency and cut emissions. Produced on a limited scale, this prototype is small enough to fit in a backpack. The housing is made from a solid block of aluminum. Computer models are used to generate the machining instructions. Traditional rotary engines have an oblong shaped housing and a triangular rotor that spins within the interior. This new design performs differently. Computerized tools profile the triangular housing, creating combustion chambers on the inside and cooling fins on the outside. They transform a solid hardened steel cylinder into a hollow crank shaft. The cylinder turns in a lathe as a series of cutters sculpt it together, creating a hollow crankshaft that will funnel air and fuel into the engine. Computerized tools mill a piece of steel to a precise geometry. This peanut-shaped rotor is the heart of the rotary engine. The rotor is immersed in de-ionized water as an electrified brass wire generates a spark that cuts into the steel. This step forms a ridged hole in the center that will connect to a gear. A technician inserts the pinion gear in a vessel which will engage with the ridged profile in the center of the rotor. Then the technician fills the vessel with liquid nitrogen, which freezes to negative 374 degrees fahrenheit. The liquid nitrogen causes the gear to shrink. He transfers the frozen pinion gear to the rotor. Using a press, he drives the pinion gear into the rotor to a specific depth. As the pinion gear thaws to room temperature, it expands to its original size, allowing it to fit snugly in the rotor gear. Another computerized machine carves into a piece of cast iron steel, held in the fixture by bolts. This piece will be the seal for the engine. The seal is sliver thin and tightly engineered. It's a critical part that will keep the rotary engine's working chambers air-tight. The seals will slide between the rotor and one of the engine's chrome-plated side plates. An automated grinding wheel gives the side plate a level and mirrored finish. Heating the side plate causes the center board to temporarily widen. A technician inserts a bearing into the bore and, as it cools, it shrinks to the bearing. The assembler inserts the crank shaft in the side cover. He turns the assembly over and slides a ring gear into the cover. He sets the fixture in an upright position and turns the crankshaft to confirm that it revolves smoothly. He slides the rotor, equipped with one of the seals, onto the crankshaft. Next, the technician assembles the housing to the motor... And tests the rotation of the rotor. As the rotor turns, it forms chambers where the combustion cycle will take place. He slips a bearing and a counterweight onto the shaft, followed by a bell mouth. The exhaust cover has three ports to release gasses. The port in the center is the opening for the bell mouth. The technician attaches an engine intake adaptor to the bell mouth. After the components have been secured with bolts, a dynamometer machine runs the engine and measures its performance. Capable of running on a variety of fuels, this new rotary engine is ready to start powering things.