22x13 - Dragster Tires; Icing; Floating Docks; Spiral Pipes

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: a dragster's tires
take quite a beating

During the brief,
but fast run down the racetrack.

The tires have to face
full-on acceleration

Right out of the starting gate,

Then heavy-duty braking
after the finish line,

With the car
deploying a rear parachute

And slowing to an eventual stop.

A drag race is
the ultimate automotive sprint,

With rapid acceleration

To speeds
topping 310 miles per hour.

Optimal tire traction
can give a car the winning edge.

Dragster tires, like most tires,
are made from rubber,

Which hasn't been cured
to a firm and permanent state.

For most parts of the tire,

They reinforce the rubber
with nylon fabric.

The machine heats and kneads
rubber slabs until they melt,

Then coats both sides of the
material with a molten rubber.

When the fabric-reinforced
sheet of rubber cools,

The machine slices it into
pieces of a specific length,

Making the cuts at a diagonal,
called a bias angle.

A skilled tire builder then
joins the edges of the piece

To form a band,

Sticks it to an identical band

Made of
an opposite bias piece --

Layering increases strength --

Then stretches this two-ply band
over a tire-building machine.

Next, he applies the belts,

Two opposing bias pieces
of fabric-reinforced rubber,

Which he lays diagonally onto
the tread area of the tire.

A laser guide marks the edges

So that he can match the belts
to each other.

These belts help give the tire
stiffness, strength,

And stability.

He uses a roller
to press out any trapped air

Between the plies and belts.

This helps ensure
a thorough bond.

After a stitcher wheel
folds down the plies,

He folds the ends of
the material into the machine.

Then, he applies
a contact cement-type material

To enhance the natural adhesion
of uncured rubber.

Meanwhile, an automated machine
makes the tires' beads,

The rigid hoops around both
sides of the opening,

Which holds the tire
firmly to the wheel.

Each bead is made
from a thick, steel wire.

The machine
first encapsulates it in rubber.

Then, it winds the bead around
a mandrill up to 50 times,

Forming a hoop.

The machine forms four beads
at a time.

The next machine wraps the hoop

In a piece
of fabric-reinforced rubber.

This additional layer
will stiffen the sidewall,

The non-treaded area
of the tire.

The builder uses a tool
called a bead server

To mount the finished bead.

While the tire is spinning,

He applies the contact
cement-type material

To help
the rubber-to-rubber adhesion

When he wraps the plies around
the bead to secure it further.

The stitcher wheel
smoothes the plies flat

And pushes out trapped air.

Then, the tire builder

Applies a strip of
fabric-reinforced rubber on top

And rolls it flat.

This strip will make
the bead area more durable

When the tire
is mounted on a wheel.

He applies a layer
of non-reinforced rubber

On the sidewall.

This covers
the edges of the plies

And will help the tire
retain air once it's inflated.

This machine makes the tread by
extruding molten rubber

Through a dye
into a continuous strip,

Then applying it
onto the spinning tire.

The fully constructed tire
now goes into a press to cure.

Inside, a hot mold closes
around the perimeter,

While a bag inflates
in the middle,

Pushing the tire outward
against the walls of the mold.

When the tire comes out,
about half an hour later,

The rubber is no longer
soft and pliable,

And its chemical structure
is stabilized,

Locking in the final dimensions.

Workers seal the wheel opening
and inflate the tire

To hold the shape
until the rubber cools.

Once the rubber has cooled
to room temperature,

Which takes about an hour,

The tire undergoes a series
of quality-control checks.

Here, a worker performs
a visual inspection

While trimming off excess rubber
from the bead area.

Before the decals go on,
they also x-ray the tire,

Looking for any internal flaws.

Life in the fast lane,
while exciting, is short.

Dragster tires
need to be replaced

Every four to six trips
down the drag strip.

Narrator: icing dates back
to 17th-century england.

Early versions
were poured directly onto cake.

The cake was then
put back in the oven

Until the topping
cooked into an icelike glaze,

Hence the term icing.

Hundreds of years later,
success never tasted sweeter.

Today, icing comes ready-made
in cans and tubes.

No need to make a sticky mess
in the kitchen.

Just press the nozzle
to transform a plain cupcake

Into an elaborate dessert.

It takes a dozen different
ingredients to make icing,

Beginning with
vegetable-oil shortening.

They encapsulate food coloring
in the block of shortening.

This keeps the food coloring
from becoming airborne,

As a mixture creams
the shortening with sugar,

Which they pipe
directly into the mixer basin.

Sugar is the main ingredient
in icing.

Corn syrup
is the next ingredient.

It adds more sweetness
and liquidity to the mix.

The mixer arm spirals around
the basin for a few minutes

To blend everything.

Then, they add cornstarch, which
will act as a thickening agent.

They pour warm water into the
mixture and beat until smooth.

If the icing consistency
is too thin,

They thicken it with more sugar.

This 1,000-pound batch of icing
is done,

And there's enough to fill


A conveyor
delivers the cans to fillers

That inject half a pound
of icing into each can.

The system fills


And no one has to get
their fingers sticky.

Plastic nozzles now funnel
toward the containers,

And with perfect timing,

A press seals one to each
of the icing-filled cans.

At the same time,

A pump shoots air into a small
hole in the bottom of the can.

This pressurizes the icing so it
can be pumped out when needed.

The burst of air carries
a tiny, rubber cap with it,

And it plugs the hole
to maintain the pressure.

The cans move forward and meet
up with the applicator tips.

There are four tips per can,

Held together
by little, plastic connectors.

The four applicator clusters
fall out of the feeder

And land on the can nozzles.

Clear caps then fall into place
on the cans.

A blade cuts a labeled plastic
sleeve to the correct length.

The sleeve drops onto the cans,

Draping them loosely
for the moment.

They ride by
a spinning plastic disk

That tucks the sleeves
all the way down.

Then, it's into a drier,

Where the heat shrinks the wrap
to the cans, sealing the icing.

It's a perfect fit.

Next, they make icing
for packaging in squeeze tubes.

They blend together
the same ingredients,

But in different amounts
and in a different order.

This achieves
a thicker consistency.

Thicker icing can be more
easily squeezed out of tubes.

For ready-made icing, it really
is all in the packaging.

A mechanized arm
picks up the squeeze tube

And delivers it
to the filling machine.

A vacuum pump sucks out air
and any contaminants.

Another mechanism
orients the tube for filling.

Nozzles now inject thick,
yellow icing into the tubes,

But stop short
at a complete fill-up,

Leaving space
for the open ends to be closed

And sealed by hot jaws.

Once closed,
the machine ejects the tubes.

Each one contains
four ounces of icing.

It's about half as much
as the can.

To decorate with icing
from a tube,

The consumer squeezes it
out of the bottom tip.

To apply icing from a can,
you pump it out of the top.

No matter how you ice it,
the result will be sweet.

The egyptians
built the earliest known docks

On the shores of the red sea
around 2500 bc.

More than 4,000 years later,

Our lakes and rivers are dotted
with floating structures

Where boaters can dock
their crafts, go for a dip,

Or just lounge in the sun.

Floating docks can be much more

Than just walkways
where you tie up your boat.

They can be waterborne buildings
with slips, jet-ski ports,

And even a rooftop deck.

This facility has created

Its own computer-aided
design software.

With it, they can quickly design
each component of a dock in 3-d.

The program will even calculate
how many floats are needed

And where they should be placed

To keep the dock level
in the water.

Thanks to its lightweight,
rustproof strength,

Aluminum is the ideal material
for building docks.

All the aluminum here has been
extruded in unique shapes

According
to the design requirements.

The plans are printed,
and workers consult them closely

As they cut
and form the material.

The blades they use
are specially designed

For cutting aluminum.

They use a variety of methods
to form the shapes,

Including drill presses
equipped with components

Called hole saws.

Workers lay the material out
on the factory floor

In preparation
for assembling the structure.

The final assembly
of the floating docks

Will happen on the water
at the site.

They tack-weld the parts
to each other,

Then make sure
everything is perfectly square

Before doing the final weld.

Unlike steel, aluminum loses
strength when it's welded.

For this reason,
the designers of these docks

Have created special aluminum
sleeves for every major joint.

That means there's extra metal
supporting the weld

And strengthening the structure.

To make sure
everything fits properly,

The workers join the sections
to each other

With stainless-steel bolts
and lock nuts.

There is minimal reaction
between the different metals,

Because there is
so little stainless steel

Relative to the quantity
of aluminum being used.

Once the bottom section
of the dock is assembled,

Workers build up from there.

For this test phase,
they use shortened,

Temporary roof poles
to make the process easier.

The blue material on the poles
is polyethylene bushing,

Which prevents creaking

When the dock is stressed
in turbulent water.

Because aluminum
is so lightweight,

There's no need for cranes
in an aluminum dock facility.

Manpower is enough.

Workers attach a series
of narrow, aluminum tubes,

Called purlins,
to the roof and deck.

Workers install the roofing
by screwing it into the purlins.

In most cases,
the roof won't be installed

Until the dock is assembled
on-site.

Satisfied that everything
assembles correctly,

The workers take it all apart.

They flip the lower sections
over and attach the floats.

These floats consist of
roto-molded polyethylene shells.

Styrofoam has been
expanded in place

To fit inside the shell
perfectly.

Even if the outer shell breaks,
the dock will still float.

This facility offers
a range of decking options

From aluminum to concrete
to plastic composite

To specialty woods like
this one, which is called ipe.

Like teak, ipe is incredibly
durable and extremely stable.

In other words, it won't rot,
swell, or contract,

Despite extended exposure
to a high-humidity environment.

If the dock has an upper deck,
it needs a railing.

It's important to have something
to lean against

When you're sipping c*ck
and watching the sunset

After a long boat ride.

Of course, it's also
a crucial safety feature.

There are 12 different
components to assemble

For just this one section,

And there might be as many
as 15 different sections

Of varying lengths
for an entire dock.

Customers can choose to add
a range of accessories

To floating docks
made at this facility.

To make things like safety
railings and ladders,

Workers use
a hydraulic bending machine

To shape aluminum tubing
to the required contours.

All the aluminum these
manufacturers use

In their floating docks
is a marine-grade alloy

Especially resistant
to degradation

When exposed to water.

Finally, it's time to build
the docks in place.

Thanks to careful planning on
the part of the manufacturers,

Assembly is a breeze.

The crew doesn't need
much more than a ratchet set

To pull it all together.

It's smooth sailing
from here on out.

In the modern world, steel pipes
form an underground network

To deliver necessities
like drinking water or fuel.

These pipes are often
spirally welded

And can be made in any size.

In fact, longer pipe
means fewer joints

And less work
to install them underground.

Spirally welded pipes can be
short, or they can go on and on.

The potential length
is limitless,

Because,
unlike other kinds of pipes,

Spiral pipes
don't have to conform

To the size of a forming roll or
the dimensions of a steel plate.

They can spiral-weld these coils
of steel sheets endlessly.

But first they have to take the
kink out of the coiled steel.

A machine unwinds it

And pushes it between rollers
to completely flatten it.

A fixed arm then presses
the steel against rollers

To round it
to a precise diameter,

And an automated system welds
the formed pipe from the inside.

A barely visible mantel
of powdered flux

Protects the welding process.

Copper-coated steel wire

Acts as both an electrode
for the welding process

And as filler material.

With the inside weld complete,

A second welder device
works on the outside of the pipe

To give it a double-welded seam.

A plasma torch cuts the pipe
to length cleanly by melting it.

In this case,
they're making a water pipe

That's 6 feet in diameter
and 50 feet in length.

The pipe then rolls over
to the next station.

Here, a worker grinds
both ends of the pipe

To improve the profile.

Then it's over to a die.

It stretches one end of the pipe

To create a slight flare,
or bell.

This will allow it to
be connected to the narrower end

Of another pipe, forming
what's known as a lap joint.

Next, they cap
the ends of the pipe

And pump in water
to a highly pressurized state.

They look for leaks in the weld

And confirm
that it's watertight.

Another worker installs rubber
dams at both ends of the pipe.

A cement fixture then flows into
a long applicator with a nozzle.

The nozzle applies the cement
to the pipe's inner wall

As the pipe spins and generates
a centrifugal effect

That's 70 times
the force of gravity.

This causes the cement
to be distributed uniformly.

The rubber dams contain
the cement during this process.

The spinning displaces water
in the cement,

And a blower forces that water
out of the pipe.

Next, a worker drapes plastic
onto both ends of the pipe.

He tacks it with magnets

And then secures it tightly
with an elastic cord.

He pumps hot steam
into the pipe.

Over a period of 18 hours,
the steam cures the cement.

It's a slow cure
for better structural integrity.

For our camera,
they open one end of the pipe

For an inside look
at the steaming action.


They remove the rubber dams.

The spiral-welded pipe now has
a tough, protective inner liner.

Next, the pipe moves into
a blast chamber,

Where fine, steel shot
bombards the outside of the pipe

To clean it thoroughly.

This prepares it
for the next step.

A sprayer applies
a liquid adhesive.

Over the adhesive, they wrap
a polyethylene-backed tape.

They apply
a total of three layers of tape.

The first one
provides corrosion protection

To the spirally welded steel.

The other two layers
protect the first.

They give the spirally welded
pipe a tough outer skin.

The three tapes are color-coded.

This will allow
the depth of any damage

To be quickly assessed on-site.

They produce approximately


Per eight-hour shift
at this factory.

They should last for a century
underground.