I Use "Marge" Only Because It Rhymes
Of course - obviously! - we are talking about the diminutive of "Margaret", not "Margarine", because - actually, looking up their origins, both have a common root in the Greek for 'Pearl', "Margaric", which is not how I imagined this first paragraph would end. Serendipity, hmmmm?
ANYWAY you might be questioning exactly what a 'Wet Charge' is, and if you assume Conrad is talking about the Light Brigade, then YOU ARE DOOMED! because you obviously - of course! - didn't read yesteryon's blog. You rump-fed ronyon*. Art!
Here is the charge, rendered in all it's glory. This is from the Crimean Unpleasantness, where the British and Ruffians were not on good speaking terms. In fact they fought each other, and the Ruffians lost, which calamitous fact has sat rent-free in their heads ever since. Tee Hee!
ANYWAY AGAIN by 'wet charge' yes I de-capitalised it because once again, whose blog is it? I refer to the accidental loading of metals into a furnace that are covered with water, ice or snow. As we described it yesteryon, the water instantly flashes into steam, expands enormously and creates a giant explosion of great destructive potential. Mills and foundries hate this happening, as it usually results in considerable property damage, stops the smelting process and generally plays Hob with the bottom line. Art!
This is how the process ought to look: hellishly hot and with a modicum of sparks and splashing. In some mills, the bucket's contents are pre-heated to evapourate off any water present, but this process is by no means universal, because it 1) costs money to carry out and 2) slows down smelting, playing Hob with the bottom line. To which Conrad responds with another statistic quoted by a blast furnace operator: 1 Cup (a South Canadian liquid measurement equivalent to 8 fluid ounces in proper units) of liquid water can 'throw' 1 ton of molten steel, which is 35, 274 ounces and a ratio of 1:4409. Art!
This bucket has been charged with metals, and is being craned into position so it can be tilted and drop it's load into the furnace. Art!
Here the tilt is underway as the second cable lifts the rear of the bucket. Art!
Explosion The First, and proof that there was water in the bucket, as if you needed any. The camera operator ducks back reflexively, an entirely understandable reaction. Art!
Bucket still intact
The second of the two smaller explosions. Yes, 'smaller'. This phenomenon was observed in the wet charge footage of yesteryon, so Conrad suspects this is a relatively shallow explosion on top of or just underneath the molten steel. Because - Art!
 |
| Bucket brutally bashed |
Your Humble Scribe suspects that the really big explosion was caused by water getting deep into the molten metal. The Youtube collection of similar disasters these still come from doesn't indicate a date or location, nor does Googling bring up any relevant images.
Also, what's missing from this picture?
People! Proving that this mill does take safety seriously, at least up to a point. Normally a warning siren will sound before the furnace accepts a charge of metal, warning everyone to keep away, because there will be sparks and splashes even during normal operations, let alone horror-shows like this one. Art!
What the well-dressed mill worker is wearing this year
Another fascinating nugget from the Reddit "Catastrophic Disasters" thread, was that staff in the mill sit behind bulletproof glass and retractable metal shields when the charging process is taking place, which is tacit endorsement of how dangerous it can be. This is not a business to be in if you're faint of heart or dislike high temperatures.
One ex-steel mill worker informed that an accident like this happened in his mill, with much more serious consequences; the 10-ton furnace lid was explosively propelled at high speed through the mill roof, creating so much noise that it was heard from 20 miles away and reported in as a terrorist attack.
Corks! As you wield your forks to eat your porks, remember where that eating iron originated.
I Feel Like Playing A Yes Song
Perusing the BBC's News website, the font of all that's fit to be writ, Conrad came across a curious little sidebar item, about the city of El Alto in Bolivia. Art!
That's the city, which name probably means "The High" in Spanish because I can't be bothered to translate it. What is a matter of local concern is the impact of weather and erosion on a settlement of shacks populated by local shamen. Or is it 'Shamans'? Art!
We've seen similar things here in the UK on the East Coast, where erosion is eating into seashore cliffs and encroaching on villages. There, it's possible to build sea-defences and at least diminish the rate of erosion. Here, there is no sea to keep at a distance, only implacable weather and friable surfaces. Art!
One storm away from a collective collapse!
I'll leave you to guess the Yes.
"The War Illustrated Edition 199 2nd February 1945"
Let us see what is what. Art!
Ah, the montage of the middle pages.
This one has a caption describing South Canadian 'tank destroyers', which these most definitely aren't. Both are Sherman tanks, so there, captioner. They are said to be covering the Bastogne area, which will have to be taken on trust, as there aren't any road-signs. The tank to port shows the kind of impedimenta that tankers always carried externally, since space inside these steel chariots was pretty limited. Note the unsullied countryside in the middle distance, undisturbed by either vehicle tracks or shell craters. Art!
That's a South Canadian M10 Tank Destroyer. Note the open turret and angled side armour, with attachment points for adding on extra plate, which I've never seen. Now compare to the photograph from TWI and admit I am right.
As I Have Just Posted -
Because I am horrid, which we knew already: "Weep me a bucket of salty vatnik tears, matey". Apropos a Ruffian whinging: "The most disgusting thing about this Western "aid" to Ukraine is that the West is "giving" Kyiv our own Russian money. The 300 billion dollars were stolen from Russia because they were kept in the West. Ukraine is at war with us and is killing our soldiers with our own money."
Careful there, pal. You can get 12 years in a gulag for not calling it the "Special Idiotic Operation".
This is actually very big news. Jake Broe mentioned it at the end of yesteryon's vlog. Art!
This must absolutely melt Putin's pan, because the Ukrainians are getting a loan that will be repaid from the interest accrued from frozen Ruffian assets, FINALLY! It has only taken two years and nine months to get this actioned, despite Modern-day Mordor complaining loudly to anyone who will listen that it's 'stealing' and being unable to stop it by legal means. Yes, Little Tsar, just think of all the toilets you could have bought for your serfs and minions if you had your talons on that money.
Tee hee!
What A Question!
Because I need a short item to get us to Count, and here it is. Art!
I certainly hope so, since I dine on it every workday morning.
What they show, incidentally, is NOT proper porridge, which does not need to be garlanded or festooned with fruit and can ONLY be made properly with SALT NOT SUGAR! Sugar is for Southron jessies.
Finally -
The fridge is calling me.
* One quote from the Barf Of Avon that I like.
No comments:
Post a Comment