17x05 - Folding Kayaks/Piñatas/Garbage Trucks/Ceramic Composite Brake Discs

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: the folding kayak
is a seaworthy vessel

That can be disassembled
and stuffed into a duffel bag.

This boat-in-a-bag concept

Was developed in germany
a century ago.

It's a good fit for
the modern traveler's lifestyle

Because it can be stowed
in a car trunk,

Checked on to a plane,
or stashed in the condo closet.

History has shown
that when going gets rough,

The folding kayak
doesn't fall apart.

Adventurers have crossed oceans
in them,

And today its story
continues to unfold.

The kayak frame

Starts with parts cut from
solid ash and laminated birch.

For waterproofing,

They dip them in marine-grade
varnish three times,

Drying them for 24 hours
between dips.

A worker then rivets
metal fittings

To a varnished section
of the keel board.

It's these fittings
that enable the folding kayak

To move with the sea
instead of against it.

That's because they're made
of an aluminum-copper alloy,

A metal with
a certain amount of give.

He fastens more aluminum-alloy
fittings on the cross ribs.

There will be a total
of seven cross ribs

In this two-seater
folding kayak.

The center three
will carry most of the load,

So they're made of nine layers
of laminated birch.

It's super strong
because unlike solid wood,

It has few knots
or imperfections.

He applies a label with
the production's serial number

To a boomerang-shaped piece
of the frame.

This is how the kayak owner

Would actually assemble the boat
on-site.

He locks two sections
of the keel board together

With the flexible fitting
we saw installed earlier.

He snaps the bow piece
to the front

And hooks rods into fittings
installed on the bow.

He fastens a couple of ribs
to the keel board.

The gunnels, which are the top
sides of the boat, are next.

He attaches one end to the bow

And the other
to one of the ribs.

The bow and stern parts
are color-coded

With red-painted fittings
for the bow

And blue ones for the stern.

All the parts fit together
like a toy model.

With both gunnels now attached,

He's ready to install
more ribs --

The laminated birch ones
that form the c*ck.

He completes
the assembly of rods.

All these rods will give
the kayak directional stability.

He unfolds part
of the kayak deck assembly,

Known as the coaming,

And arranges it to surround
the c*ck.

He attaches it to the gunnels

Using metal clamps and fittings.

He slides the two seats
into place on the keel board.

And he attaches the back rest
to the gunnels.

The frame of this folding kayak

Is now complete and ready
for its custom-made skin.

Over in the sewing department,

The seamstress traces
the patterns for the kayak deck

Onto cotton-hemp material and
cuts along the penciled lines.

This natural fabric will allow
the deck to breathe

And yet keep it water-tight.

It's now time to piece together
all of the parts,

Including two long sleeves
for inserting inflatable tubes.

Deflated, the tubes
will create slack,

Making it easier to fit
the frame into the skin.

Inflated, they make the kayak
virtually unsinkable.

Once the thick layers
have been stitched together,

She's ready to insert
the inflatable tubes.

They were pumped full of air
to be examined for holes,

So she deflates them.

She uses a long pole
to extend her reach

And push the inflatable tube
into the sleeve.

With a synthetic rubber hull
now stitched to the deck fabric,

The skin is complete and ready
for the kayak's wooden frame.

This particular model
has been painted black.

If the fit is even slightly off,

The kayak won't perform
properly.

The skin fits like a glove.

He brushes glue onto the tips
of the bow and stern

And then presses molded rubber
bumpers onto those areas.

The bumpers will protect
the ends of the hull casing,

Which takes
a lot of hard knocks.

In total, it takes
about 50 person-hours

To make a folding kayak.

It should take the owner
about 15 minutes

To disassemble or assemble one.

For some, it will become
a traveling essential,

Part of the luggage on any trip.

Narrator: the piñata is
a colorful paper-mache object

Typically filled
with candy or small toys,

Then suspended high
from a string.

Blindfolded partiers take turns

Trying to hit the piñata
with a stick to break it open

And release a shower of goodies.

From popular cartoon characters
to colorful, glittery shapes,

Today's piñatas are a big hit
at kid's parties

Where children eagerly await
the decisive blow

That breaks open the piñata,
releasing the treats inside.

The traditional way to build one

Starts with a clay pot
suspended from a string.

The piñata-maker glues
cardboard shapes to it

And secures them by gluing
on pieces of newspaper.

Then she covers
the rest of the pot.

When the glue dries,

She decorates the surface
with colorful paper.

The modern method is to use
a balloon instead of a clay pot.

After inflating the balloon,

She pastes pieces of newspaper
all over it.

This technique is known
as paper-mache.

The trick is to completely
saturate the newspaper

With a thick paste

And make sure no part of
the balloon is left uncovered.

She continues this process

Until she's built up two or
three even layers of newspaper

All over the balloon.

Then she suspends it
from a clothespin to dry.

Hours later, the paper-mache

Is hardened into a shell
around the balloon,

Which she now breaks
and removes.

Next, she cuts an opening
at the top of the shell.

This is the hole

Through which the buyer will
fill the piñata with treats.

She'll later reattach the cut
piece to make a trap door.

But first, with the sharp tips
of her scissors,

She pierces a row of holes
along the circumference

And threads twine through them.

She leaves long ends at the top

With which to suspend
the piñata.

This piñata will be star-shaped.

To make each point,

She rolls thin cardboard
into a cone, taping it closed.

She trims it
to the required size,

Then cuts tabs at the base
and bends them back.

She makes seven
of these cardboard points,

Then tapes them onto the shell
one by one.

Once all seven are positioned,

The decorating with colorful,
glittery foil wrapping paper

Can begin.

She tapes a sheet around
each point of the star.

Then she applies glue
in between the points

And adheres pieces of wrapping
paper to those areas.

She folds other pieces
into flower shapes

And glues them on, as well.

Once the entire piñata
is covered,

She tapes matching streamers
to the end of each point.

Historians believe
spanish missionaries

Used star piñatas like this one

To convert the native peoples
in the americas to christianity.

The star symbolized satan,

Its seven points,
the seven deadly sins,

Its beautiful colors,
temptation.

Wearing a blindfold represented
blind faith in god.

Striking the piñata
with a stick meant goodness

And virtue battling evil.

Breaking the piñata, releasing
a shower of treats or trinkets,

Symbolized heavenly rewards.

Narrator: human beings
have always generated garbage.

In the battle
to keep the streets clean,

The mechanized garbage truck
is a combat vehicle.

It crushes tons of trash

En route to deliver it
to landfills,

Incinerators,
and recycling facilities.

Without it, we'd all be
knee-deep in garbage.

Garbage trucks have different
approaches to handling garbage.

Some load from the front,
other from the rear or side.

And some are entirely mechanized
like this side-loader truck.

The operator inside the cab
barely needs to lift a finger

As the hydraulic lift-arm
does all the heavy work.

The garbage truck
has come a long way

Since it hit the street
in 1952.

Production
on a modern side-loader truck

Begins with a welding robot.

The robot fuses
numerous steel supports

To the truck body floor.

These supports
will allow the truck

To hold up to the force of tons
of trash being compacted inside.

Meanwhile, down the line, other
parts like the roof and sides

Take shape
in separate assemblies.

Once they're complete,

They hoist the large steel parts
into place

And assemble them
within a metal framework.

The framework serves as a guide

To piece together
all the parts of the truck box.

Once assembled, the workers
clamp the parts together

To secure the assembly
as they weld the seams.

The garbage truck body is then
ready for the mechanized parts,

Beginning with a hopper.

It's equipped with
a powerful, hydraulic compactor

To squeeze as much trash
as possible into the truck.

They fit the hopper snugly
to the front of the truck body

And weld it to it.

Then they lift the tailgate
into position

At the rear of the truck box.

They hinge it to the truck

By sliding heavy-duty steel pins
through brackets.

Once hinged, the tailgate can
swing up and out of the way

To allow garbage
to be discharged.

The driving force for this

Is a pair of hydraulic cylinders
attached by brackets,

Welded to the tailgate
at one end

And the truck body at the other.

With that job done,
these cylinders

Can now extend
to lift the tailgate

And retract to close it.

Across the factory floor,

Another team assembles
a pair of steel lift-arms.

These lift-arms are designed
for another kind of truck,

The front-end loader.

It's mainly used to collect

Hefty commercial
garbage containers.

In action, these arms pivot
around the truck cab

And extend to the front to fork
up the trash container

And deposit the contents
in the hopper.

Hydraulic cylinders
also power these lift-arms.

When the task is complete,
the forks at the end of the arms

Fold back out of the way.

Nearby, workers test
this rear-loader garbage truck.

Its tailgate is split
into two hoppers --

One for recyclables
and the other for trash.

Hydraulic systems lift them
one at a time or simultaneously.

Collecting garbage
and disposing of it

Can be tough
on a truck's paint job,

So they apply
an extra-durable finish.

They spray sealer
on the sanded outer surface,

Followed by two coats
of epoxy paint.

After that,
they bake on the layers.

Meanwhile, the truck chassis has
arrived from another factory.

It's a standard size,

So they chop a piece off to size
it for the garbage-truck body.

They install bracket plates
at the back

And slide thick pins
through the holes

To join the truck body
to the chassis.

Using a crane, they lift the
automated side-loader truck body

Onto the modified chassis.

Once it's installed,
they test the compactor.

Dual hydraulic cylinders

Push the ejector blade
to the back of the truck.

They test the tailgate --
which has by now been equipped

With signal lights, mud flaps,
and other parts --

And verify that everything
functions properly.

Once a truck passes muster,

It's ready to handle

Whatever garbage
society throws its way.

And with these automated
garbage trucks,

There's no need for anyone
to strain their back

Or get their hands dirty,

Because these robot arms
can handle it.

Narrator:
high-performance cars

Typically have ceramic composite
brake disks

Rather than
regular cast-iron ones.

That kind of power on wheels
requires being lightweight,

And cast iron is very heavy.

It would also wear out
too quickly

Due to the intense heat
friction generates

When you brake a car
with such a powerful engine.

Ceramic is heat-resistant
up to 1,830 degrees fahrenheit.

Therefore, these ceramic
composite brake disks

Last about 60 times longer
than standard cast-iron disks.

Ceramic composite means
the ceramic material silicon

Is combined
with carbon fiber for strength.

The disk factory
prepares the carbon fiber

By mixing two ingredients --

A heat-molded resin and chopped
pieces of raw carbon fiber,

The strength of which
lies in the interweaving

Of its miniscule
carbon filaments.

Automated machines pour the
carbon fiber into aluminum molds

In the shape of the disk ring.

The first filling station fills
the mold cavity only halfway.

Workers then fit a slotted belt
around the mold

And insert aluminum cores
into the slots.

These cores will form
a ventilation channel

In the disk ring to keep
the disk from overheating.

Now the mold moves on
to the next filling station.

It fills the remainder
of the cavity with carbon fiber.

A roller levels the top.

Then workers close up the mold,

And a small press
pushes down the cover

To lightly compact the contents.

The mold enters a large press

Which applies 20 tons
of pressure

While heating to almost


This compacts the carbon fiber

And transforms the resin powder
into plastic.

Once the mold has cooled down
enough to be handled,

Workers submerge it in cold
water for five to eight minutes.

This cools the disk ring
completely,

Enabling them
to pull out the cores.

A computer-guided laser
then examines the mold

To make sure every last core
has been removed.

When they get the all-clear,

They open the top and bottom
sections of the mold

And extract the disk ring.

Computer-guided machines
then smooth out the rough areas

And drill
tiny ventilation holes.

They put the disk ring
into an oven

Which, over the course
of two days,

Gradually heats it to just over


This causes a chemical change

Which transforms the plastic
into carbon.

Next, they take a crucible --

A high-heat resistant
container --

And position five mounts inside.

They place the disk ring
on the mounts.

Then in the middle, a funnel,

Into which they pour a ceramic
material, a fine silicon powder.

Then they load the crucible
into an oven for 24 hours.

It gradually heats the disk ring

To more than 3,000 degrees
fahrenheit, melting the silicon.

Then it applies
low-level suction,

Drawing the now-liquid silicon
into the disk ring.

This creates an exceptionally
hard new material

Called silicon carbide.

After a computer-guided drill
bores mounting holes,

The disk ring
goes into a chamber

Where it receives
a coat of protective paint.

The paint shields the carbon
in this disk ring from oxygen,

Which is critical because at
high heat, oxygen burns carbon.

This anti-oxidation treatment

Significantly extends the life
of the brake disk.

The paint is cured in an oven,
leaving behind a white residue.

A robot sands it off,

Then polishes
the entire disk-ring surface.

Here's what
the finished disk ring

Looks like before it's cleaned
and polished...

...and after.

Every single brake disk ring

Undergoes
a meticulous inspection.

This sophisticated machine
takes thousands

Of high-definition photographs
of the surface,

Which a computer then analyzes
in micron-level detail.

To complete the brake disk,
they affix the bell,

A circular component
in the middle

Which connects the brake disk
to the vehicle.

The bell is made of either
aluminum or stainless steel

And bolted into the mounting
holes in the disk ring.