Practical Engineering is all about infrastructure and the human-made world around us. It is hosted, written, and produced by civil engineer, Grady Hillhouse. We have new videos posted every first and third Tuesday, so please subscribe for updates. Practical Engineering: Deciphering Our Constructed World CONTACT --------------------------------------------- Questions/Topic Suggestions: https://practical.engineering/about Sponsorship/Business Inquiries: See below
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7:49261K views · 3d ago · 7:49
Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World coming March 2, 2027 More About the Book Already Pre-Ordered? Get a free poster here (US Residents, 18+. Ends March 2, 2027. See terms at link above.)
24:291M views · 10d ago · 24:29
The invisible engineering of windows An overview of window innovations that are kind of hiding in plain sight. To me at least, they make the view through a window just a little bit sweeter. My new book, Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World is coming March 2, 2027 and available for preorder now.
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18:071.1M views · 24d ago · 18:07
External fire escapes are becoming a thing of the past Writing building regulations is a messy process, and there really is rarely a single “right” answer. There are just tradeoffs that affect every building differently and ripple through space, time, and the economy.
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16:342M views · 1mo ago · 16:34
Pressure regulators are Victorian-era mechanical computers, and I cut one in half so we can see how it works I just love that there’s stuff like this out there, pretty much anywhere you’re willing to look, doing an essential job that few people even consider, and that their basic function really hasn’t changed in centuries.
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21:331.6M views · 1mo ago · 21:33
Just like the periodic table of the elements, the NEMA connection standards are a bit messy. And that’s what I love about them. My new book, Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World is coming March 2, 2027 and available for preorder now.
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15:465.6M views · 2mo ago · 15:46
Buffer stops and bumping posts are hidden in plain sight As long as we rely on rail, the "simple" physics of stopping will always be a complex balancing act. My new book, Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World is coming March 2, 2027 and available for preorder now.
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19:151.4M views · 2mo ago · 19:15
Do the beavers have a better dam system? My new book, Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World is coming March 2, 2027 and available for preorder now. More About the Book CONNECT WITH ME Reddit
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18:281M views · 3mo ago · 18:28
Sometimes it’s not all about more massive concrete slabs or the brute strength of steel, but just a little bit of clever geometry and some dirt. CONNECT WITH ME Reddit SPECIAL THANKS Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, Pond5, and Videoblocks. Video by Grady Hillhouse
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22:32858K views · 3mo ago · 22:32
A tour of the subsurface in NYC Errata: At 8:00, winding are showing a step-up transformer and should be swapped. The underground of New York is almost a city within a city. We kind of get used to having all these utilities and services that it’s easy to forget the physical space they all take up and the work that goes into installing and maintaining them.
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24:342M views · 4mo ago · 24:34
Based on a chapter from Disasters By Design: How Engineering Failures Shaped the Modern World by Grady Hillhouse, coming March 2, 2027, and available for preorder now. More About the Book What happened in New Orleans in August 2005 wasn’t a natural disaster. A number of engineering errors made the hurricane far more deadly than it would have been otherwise. And I built a model to show you why.
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17:56590K views · 5mo ago · 17:56
The complex engineering involved in demolishing the I-74 Mississippi River Bridge. Watch The Anatomy of No shade at all to the new bridges, but honestly I think taking the old ones down was the coolest part of the entire replacement project.
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17:543.4M views · 5mo ago · 17:54
The bizarre science of washboards on unpaved roads The more we understand the physics of washboarding, the better we can engineer roads that stay safe, smooth, and reliable. CONNECT WITH ME Reddit SPECIAL THANKS Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images, Shutterstock, Pond5, and Videoblocks. Video by Grady Hillhouse
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22:23688K views · 5mo ago · 22:23
The wild story of Mosul Dam in northern Iraq Watch The Anatomy of For the past 40 years or so, the problem at Mosul Dam has been ongoing, scrutinized by some of the most preeminent engineers across the world and complicated by politics, bureaucracy, and armed conflict.
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17:431.1M views · 6mo ago · 17:43
Closed Conduit Hydraulics is a place where intuitions don’t always serve you well The garden hose is a backyard version of the same problem engineers and operators deal with every day: how much flow can you get through a real system, and what does it cost you in pressure?
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19:231.2M views · 6mo ago · 19:23
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Teton Dam Failure Watch Joe Scott - Oldest and Newest Places on Earth Teton was one of the most dramatic and catalyzing dam failures of the 20th century in the US. CONNECT WITH ME
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19:04803K views · 7mo ago · 19:04
An overview of fuse plug and fusible gate spillways Most of the largest dams in the world have gated spillways with whole teams of staff dedicated to their operation. But it’s still a challenge, especially for small owners like cities. So there is another option, kind of in between controlled and uncontrolled spillways, and its use is growing worldwide.
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22:595.2M views · 8mo ago · 22:59
A little tour of the Los Angeles Aqueduct system Watch The Colorado Problem The story of the LA aqueduct in a nutshell: The project seemed obvious from an engineering perspective. But it many ways, it was not only unscrupulous, but also short-sighted.
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18:04881K views · 8mo ago · 18:04
An overview of seismic base isolation for buildings Earthquakes are such a challenge in engineering: unpredictable both in time and intensity. But I love this solution of base isolation because it’s so intuitive. It’s something my five-year-old would come up with: just put a suspension system on a building.
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20:42882K views · 8mo ago · 20:42
Some of us just yearn for the mines. Watch A Bit Obscure Mentions in the intro @colinfurze @GhostTownLiving @saveitforparts @JerryRigEverything A little exploration into modern tunnel construction methods used in public infrastructure and how those lessons can be applied to endeavors of the more homemade variety.
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17:432.5M views · 9mo ago · 17:43
An overview of the engineering behind stormwater ponds Errata: 5 acres is about 2 hectares. Sorry for the conversion error! Part park, part plumbing, mostly hiding in plain sight, they are often carefully tuned pieces of infrastructure that help keep the city’s head above water.
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18:402M views · 9mo ago · 18:40
A few of the things I love about runways Errata Some of the construction techniques and engineering requirements for runways that you don’t really notice when you’re a passenger looking through the window CONNECT WITH ME
Topics: Wind sock is in the wrong direction!
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13:112.4M views · 10mo ago · 13:11
Designing and building a pulser pump Primal Space video A pump with no moving parts, able to lift water above its source, quietly serving a hillside fortress centuries ago. It is clever, effective, and, all these years later, mostly unknown today.
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20:311M views · 11mo ago · 20:31
A primer on alkali-silica reactions in concrete and one of the more interesting ways we manage it. Watch Beyond the Bleachers Thanks to the @TennesseeValleyAuthority for their help and footage. CONNECT WITH ME Reddit SPECIAL THANKS
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22:041.2M views · 11mo ago · 22:04
A visit to the wave lab to learn about how hurricanes affect coastal structures. Engineering is a balancing act; we need structures that are both strong and safe, but also affordable, easy to occupy, and maybe even architecturally pleasing. Using knowledge gained from tests like this helps us get a clearer definition of the edges of the problem we’re solving.
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