Hello! I am trying to streamline some rain barrel irrigation and I was looking for what I am calling a "float valve."

Essentially I want a container to fill but need air to flow out, once water has filled it I want a valve to close the air port preventing water from leaking, and when water goes back down the float will as well, all with no real pressure needed.

I picture essentially an upside down hamster water bottle but with a floating ball instead of sinking.

Does such an item have a name? I am hoping this exists and can be had cheap, I imagine I can print some up but off the shelf will likely be less leaky and more robust.

Thanks!

I am working on something rn, and am kinda scratching my head on how to go about it. We have an aeration pond that hasn't had the solids dealt with for about 34 years. We had someone come in and survey the depths so, we can see how much the solids have built up. However, the pond is kind of an odd shape to begin with. I was wondering if anyone could point me in a direction to

1. Calculate the original volume of the pond with an odd shape

2. Calculate the volume of the pond given the depth readings that we collected from the odd shaped pond

I want make a tool to be able to more easily pull one magnet off of a stack of magnets (Neodymium magnets). Imagine a tool like the famous Lego separator tools. What material above the top magnet of a stack would have the greatest affect of helping release it from the magnet below it?

I started just thinking I would 3d Print a tool with the two magnets fastened in the end of it. I was thinking that the top magnet would then have a strong bond to the tool and make it easier to slide/peel the magnet off the stack. Then I was afraid that I would essentially be adding magnets to the stack and making the top magnet have a stronger bond to the one beneath it.

I then wondered if a tool with a piece of steel on the end would direct the magnetic field and weaken the bond with the magnet beneath and provide leverage to slide/peal it off.

What do you think? If you were making a magnet disassembly tool would you use a magnet in the end of it, steel, or something else?

I design custom equipment that requires interacting with our customers and I'm usually dealing with a manufacturing engineer or similar on the customer's end. I swear over the last 5 years or so the people I'm interacting with are just getting dumber over time. Quotes often get hung up over their inability to answer simple questions or provide usable information. For example, received a video attachment today of someone pointing to "something" just sitting on their desk that I need to accommodate for/mount on our product. No information at all about what it actually is like a manufacturer/part number, etc. And that's just today, stuff like this happens all the time, seems to be every other customer now that lacks all common sense and these people are often engineers of one sort or another. Am I the only one dealing with this nonsense?

I’m currently interning at a large engineering company. A discussion amongst the interns came up of the importance of taking the FE exam. We polled the majority of mechanical engineers here and only 2 had their PE. Our professors stress in school the importance of taking the FE but is this practical for mechanical? Is this just more of a civil thing nowadays?

Hi, I'm trying to create a water dispenser without any plastic parts. I tried creating one with cork, copper pipe, and a brass valve. The cork got too compressed over time to hold the weight of the water though. Is there a way to create a sort of natural seal that can be taken off for refilling? or some other design that would be better? Thanks

Hello all,

In ASME B36.10, most wall thicknesses in table 2-1 have a .... instead of schedule. Does this mean this thickness does not have a schedule? Or if a wall thickness, after, let's say schedule 20 has a .... line, it would still fall under schedule 20 until the next specified schedule?

I want to mount a machine to a worktable through vibration isolators, something like these, however I need them to be height adjustable so that I can level the machine. I've been looking on McMaster and it seems like the only height adjustable ones can't be attached to the table (they just sit on their rubber pad). Do they exist and if so where can I find them?

Another option is using a coupling nut with both left and right handed threads, like these, but that just seems like extra steps if I could just buy the hardware already assembled.

Thanks in advance

The wire keeps breaking on a large machine, its CNC. Would adding load sensors help?

Why do some believe that the future of engineering is becoming more multidisciplinary? If this is true, will degrees in mechatronics, biomedical engineering, industrial design, etc., become increasingly on-demand?

Good day all,

Can someone either share or point me in the dorection of a retubing procedure , itp or schedule?

For a retube job ik we do eddy current on the coating but what about that rfet to check thickness of tubes?

Any issues you had with this type of work?

Our professor was talking about how a big part of the skill as an engineer comes from knowing when certain assumptions are appropriate.

We all know the joke of pi = e = 3, g= 10 etc.

So i was wondering: for what kinds of applications does it work to assume pi=3? Or at what scale does it become appropriate Or inappropriate?

Conversely, what kinds of scales or applications require the most amount of decimals for things like pi, e, g,... And how many decimals would that be?

In regards to a thin-walled pressure vessel my textbook states: "Since hoop stress is twice as large as longitudinal stress, it follows that if the pressure in a cylinder is raised to the bursting point, the vessel will split along a longitudinal line"

I'm not following this. If the stress is twice as much for the hoop stresses, wouldn't it follow that it fails circumferentially? What am I missing here?

Thanks

Whats the correct way, i usually do from left to right, and from a single origion point rather that deminson each line separately. Not sure of the offical names.

I am an engineer - a consulting engineer, to be specific, and that might mean I have a particular angle on this question which only my fellow engineers will get. This morning, I was talking with a colleague on the other side of the world, in a company with tens of thousands of employees. Our workplace IT systems are a PITA.

I reviewed my work history and realised that cloud computing only really became a thing while I've been at my current employer. Before that, we all managed our own files on mapped network shares, and often managed our own IT equipment. It feels like it was a golden age because we were in control of our own solutions.

I'm wondering what it is like elsewhere these days. Is everyone else's IT systems outsourced, with cloud based file storage that works most of the time, and then is occasionally really mean to them?

Please share your corporate IT situation - in today's world, what is working for you, and what does not. I am particularly interested in help desk support and file storage.

No way to build a robust temporary pier in this area? NY Times today: U.S. Pier for Gaza Aid Is Failing, and Could Be Dismantled Early

The $230 million temporary pier that the U.S. military built on short notice to rush humanitarian aid to Gaza has largely failed in its mission, aid organizations say, and will probably end operations weeks earlier than originally expected.

In the month since it was attached to the shoreline, the pier has been in service only about 10 days. The rest of the time, it was being repaired after rough seas broke it apart, detached to avoid further damage or paused because of security concerns...

The Biden administration initially predicted that it would be September before surging seas would make the pier inoperable. But military officials are now warning aid organizations that the project could be dismantled as early as next month...

Hello all,

When carrying out minimum wall thickness calculations, how do we determine the flange ASTM code for the corresponding pipe. Eg- ASTM A358- what would be the corresponding flange ASTM code?

Hello,

When carrying out minimum wall thickness calculations how do we determine the mill tolerance, is this is specific to ASTM codes? B31.3 states a tolerance of 12.5%, however, ASTM A358 specifies 0.3%, would appreciate the help.

Hello all,

I was wondering what to do if the calculated minimum walla thickness I greater than the highest available schedule. Eg- let's say for DSS the highest available schedule is 80S and minimum calculated wall thickness is larger than the wall thickness corresponding to schedule 80S.

I've been tasked with creating testing procedures to certify used vacuum pumps. This is what I have so far:

1. Visual Inspection

• Check for Damage: Inspect the pump body and motor for dents, cracks, or corrosion.
• Component Check: Ensure all fittings, flanges, and connections are secure and intact.

2. Cleaning

• Exterior Cleaning: Wipe down the pump’s exterior with a soft, damp cloth to remove dust and residue.
• Oil Reservoir Management: Drain the old oil completely. If contaminated or sludgy, flush the system with a cleaning solvent designed for vacuum pumps, then refill with fresh Edwards-grade vacuum pump oil.

3. Replace Consumables

• Oil and Filters: Use fresh oil specifically recommended for the E2M30. Replace the oil mist filter and any air filters.
• Seals and Gaskets: Replace the shaft seal, valve seals, and o-rings with parts specified by Edwards.

4. Electrical Safety Test

• Connection Integrity: Test all electrical connections for tightness and signs of wear.
• Electrical Safety: Perform an insulation resistance test with a megohmmeter to ensure electrical integrity.

5. Functional Testing

• Leak Test: Use a helium leak detector to check for any leaks, which are critical for high vacuum applications.

  • (Not going to happen. Dont have $15K laying around. Other ideas?)

• Bench Test: Operate the pump to listen for any unusual sounds such as knocking or excessive vibration.

• Vacuum Performance Test: Connect to a calibrated vacuum gauge to verify that it reaches the specified ultimate pressure of close to 7.5 x 10^-4 Torr. **

6. Performance Verification

• Pumping Speed Test: Check how quickly the pump evacuates a known volume to a specific vacuum level, aiming for the 30 m³/hr nominal speed.
• Stability Test: Monitor the pump over an extended period to ensure consistent vacuum performance without fluctuations.

7. Monitoring and Documentation

• Detailed Records: Maintain documentation of all test results, settings, and parts used.
• Maintenance Log: Update the log with details of all procedures performed, including dates and findings.

8. Review and Certification

• Comprehensive Review: Compare all data against standards
• Certification: Certify the pump for use if it meets or exceeds all benchmarks; otherwise, detail necessary adjustments.

Question: Anyone else have any ideas on what I am missing? Are there any other specialized tests or considerations you guys can come up with? I don't really live in the world of high vacuum yet.

Bonus Question:

• Anyone have recommendations on what to look for in gauges that do at least 7.5 x 10^-4 Torr?

Does MIL-A-8625 Type I contain Hexavalent Chromium? I have a requirement that specified "All exterior pump components shall be chem filmed or anodized. Neither finish shall contain Hexavalent Chromium"