Darwin awards, 280+ tons over my head

[ibewgypsie]

They are changing out the steam generators at Sequoah nuclear plant. They have cut a hole in the roof, built a crane inside containment on top of the missle shields, drained the fluid from one radioactive steam generator, installed 4 jlg mobile platforms on top of the existing polar crane on the roof (a osha violation), built one of the worlds largest cranes outside (monster), got a very large lebeur crane on the other side and fixing to lift with the large one.
This morning they informed me I would have to work inside the tin can (containment) while they lifted out through the hole in the roof, It has about 2 inches clearance on both sides of the hole they cut.

After careful calculations of the wall deflection distance neccessary to bring down the polar crane from the ceiling rail road track I got sick and came home. (would smash people like bugs) I am now watching the news.

Yes it is like a circus.

what does this have to do with machine shop practises? Be safe and live to cut more chips. Don't do stupid things that are a calculated risk if you don't like the odds.

[brunneng]

Sounds like a great episode for Monster Machines or Worlds Funniest Video's

-Kevin

[docsteve66]

My funniest: We had a 100 ton press, head fit on four "bolts" about 18" diameter. After very careful figuring we borrowed an aircraft retriever truck with a boom of apppropriate length, moved light fixtures, lifted the head with the rear jacks down. Front bumper rose, front wheels could be slide a lttle. THe head fit the bolts so close that we dumped five gallons of oil on each bolt (after getting the head in position). The whole thing was very shakey, but by putting the machine shop foreman (who probably stood 6' plas and weighed 125 pound) on the fron bumper and getting the head very near the right position, we pushed and bumped the truck until the bolts were in the hole, let it down, pored the iol and it slid home!!!!!. Fine riggers, fire dept man, machinst and safety man went home before he saw anything. That last item was they key to success. Next day my thighs were sore from all my work- and I never laid a hand on anything, just stayed out of the way and watched. One little bump in tin roof cause the tip of the boom was not able to pull the machine head as close as we calculated. I was new to the place, had told them that we could do the job, said "piece of cake " and all agreed, after work in parking lot, that is was "a piece of cake, alright" for the next few years the word was was, when Steve says it is a piece of cake, it probaly will work but it sure won't be a piece of cake>

[wierdscience]

Mcdermott dropped a $65,000,000 offshore platform module in 2600'of water because a $40,000 lift cable was rotten in the middle.Naval oceanagraphic estimated it hit bottom at 60mph.