How Different Spillway Gates Work

🪒 Shave with a precision tool instead of a plastic cartridge with Henson and get 100 blades free: bit.ly/3CWiWJP 📖 Happy new year! What topics are you wanting to see us cover in 202

I'm not sure if the fact that most of the infrastructure failures mentioned on this channel being in Texas is a bias due to you being located in Texas or Texas being Texas and neglecting it's infrastructure.

4:09 I love the implication there's one if not more interns with the physical strength to manually operate hydroelectric systems.

Clearly what we need is to engineer stronger interns to do it at full scale.

There's just something about the power and strength of water that just does it for me. Incredible.

Am I the only person who loves Dams, but is also similtaniously a little scared of them when I'm near them? like the amound of water and pressure there is a bit intimidating

“You might notice I’m using an intern with a metal hook to open and close the model crest gate, but most interns aren’t actually strong enough to hold up a crest gate at a real dam” made me laugh a lot more then it should’ve.

Adding the glitter to the water was a phenomenal idea! Visualizing flow is always difficult, being able to see it so clearly is a big upgrade to what were already superb demonstrations.

As a Hydroelectric Operator/Mechanic/Dam Tender I have to say this is spot on. As far as the leaks go, we tend to stop them by dumping cinders. The draw of the leak pulls the cinders into the seal and creates a clog.

You're right, both undergrad and graduate interns lack the strength, that's why many engineers recommend using post docs to hold up spillway gates.

The original dam on the Pawtucket Falls in Lowell, MA used wooden flashboards that were set up to break if the water level got too high. This system remained in use until a few years ago when they were replaced with crest gates operated by air bags.

I am a park ranger and dam operator for the Army Corps of Engineers currently stationed in Massachusetts on the Blackstone River. My background is actually art history and business administration. I just wanted to let you know I really appreciate how engaging your videos are. It can be a challenge working with stereotypical engineers. Your voice, pacing, and creativity really makes mechanical and civil engineering so much more interesting. I’ve worked at five different locations across the US, from the mega dams in the North Cascades National Park and on the Columbia River and then baby dams in northern Minnesota and here in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I can say from personal experience that we take our jobs very seriously as well as the security and safety of the public. I can’t speak for my agency (obviously) but from our active duty commanders to the mix of civilian engineers and park rangers and natural resource managers really care about our various missions serving the public. Thanks again for this dynamic and informative video! It’s a great refresher and reminder.

Bear Trap Gates are one of those fine examples where engineers sometimes outsmart themselves. They prove that there is often a high correlation between simplicity in design and simplicity in operation and maintenance. Happy New Year, Grady! I hope your channel subscriptions are off the charts this year! Great work, and keep it up!

I worked at the Oroville Spillway during the emergency in 2017-2018. It was really interesting to watch it be rebuilt over time. Also don’t realize how big the spillway is until you’re standing near the radial gates.

The funny thing about Tempe Town Lake is that the gates currently in use weren't the original gates. Originally, the lake was constructed with rubber bladders to hold the water back, which only lasted ten years (July 21st, 2010) before blowing out on the western end of the Salt River. I used to live near the area and watched construction crews turning that dry riverbed (the river being dammed further upstream for decades) into the lake, but moved out of the area before it was filled. It's a considerable piece of engineering, all things considered.

The most awesome thing is not the engineering being explained so well, it’s the effort you put into creating custom models for almost every video. Thanks for that.

It would be interesting to hear how the gates used at the Thames Barrier compare with the spillway gates you've described here.

As an ex civil engineer I love, love, love your videos! It's so cool to see on small scale things I learned about in university. One minute in, you already have my like, I can't wait to watch the rest of the video!

"Let's do some quick recreational math." Sorry, I did not stretch today. You do it, I will watch.

Great video. Anyone else notice the horrific disaster that occurred at 6:08 ? I don't know how many souls were lost at sea that day. R.I.P. crew and passengers of H.M.S. Tiny.