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Lots Of Poking But No Answers On What’s Blocking 99 Tunnel Drill
The Seattle Times ^ | December 30, 2013 | Mike Lindblom

Posted on 01/02/2014 6:59:23 PM PST by Windflier

A half-dozen probes have not hit any huge object in front of Bertha, adding to the mystery of what’s blocking the stalled Highway 99 tunnel machine.

(Excerpt) Read more at seattletimes.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mystery; tbm
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To: minnesota_bound
Time for some explosives!

There ya go. Time for a bigger hammer.

61 posted on 01/02/2014 9:11:59 PM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: cripplecreek

that’s the one!


62 posted on 01/02/2014 9:29:15 PM PST by NonValueAdded (It's not the penalty, it's the lack of coverage on 1 Jan. Think about it.)
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To: BenLurkin
Preferable to 99 Tears.

... too many tear drops to be cryin'

63 posted on 01/02/2014 9:40:39 PM PST by dr_lew
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To: Paladin2

Broken bolts or keys on the cutter faceplate...Motor/shaft turns but the cutters, not so much...


64 posted on 01/02/2014 9:52:58 PM PST by Iscool
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To: Iscool

Doesn’t something that big/expensive/complex have appropriate analytical sensors?


65 posted on 01/02/2014 9:54:55 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“An extraterrestrial monolith.”

Could be. Or maybe an alien Tommyknocker spaceship.


66 posted on 01/02/2014 9:56:06 PM PST by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: Windflier

>> Lots Of Poking But No Answers

From the headline I figured this would be a Billy Jeff Clintoon, Monica Lewinsky, “depends on the meaning of is”, cigar chewing thread.

But, no.


67 posted on 01/02/2014 10:04:33 PM PST by Nervous Tick (Without GOD, men get what they deserve.)
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To: Paladin2

not ones that can withstand being ground against stone.


68 posted on 01/02/2014 10:29:58 PM PST by RitchieAprile
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To: RitchieAprile

Diamond grinding compound?


69 posted on 01/02/2014 10:36:06 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Paladin2
Doesn’t something that big/expensive/complex have appropriate analytical sensors?

I don't know that it would right on the cutting head, right there at the work...But of course it may...It certainly would have sensors measuring the load on the motor...Never seen one up close but no doubt a very complex piece of machinery...

It's probably in pretty deep and they don't want to or can't back it up very easily to have a look see...

I work on machinery (recently retired) and am always excited to see how machinery works...

70 posted on 01/02/2014 11:38:23 PM PST by Iscool
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To: Paladin2
Diamond grinding compound?

Likely diamond embedded teeth...But then that's probably old technology now...

71 posted on 01/02/2014 11:41:16 PM PST by Iscool
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To: Liberty Valance

Waterproof dirt.


72 posted on 01/02/2014 11:43:19 PM PST by Domangart (LBGT = NAMBLA)
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To: GeronL

It does more than just dig the tunnel, it builds the tunnel as it goes, putting up panels every 6 feet or something. Not a design flaw - but yes, a very risky thing.

Several years ago just north of Seattle (but same geology) they built the Brightwater Sewer tunnel. One of the machines got stuck. They brought in another one, which was in the area working on another tunnel, to dig from the opposite direction. The one that got stuck had to be dismantled in the hole and taken out piece by piece.

With the current project, no spare 56-foot diameter TBM’s around though.


73 posted on 01/02/2014 11:50:31 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts 2013 is 1933 REBORN)
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To: Iscool
"I work on machinery (recently retired) and am always excited to see how machinery works..."

Me too, in general. I've always taken stuff apart to understand it (starting as a kid), had jobs to do same and still do my own failure analysis on stuff around the compound that breaks.

Sometimes just a laying on of the hands fixes things. ;-)

74 posted on 01/02/2014 11:50:49 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Iscool

Thirty-plus years ago a guy developed an electrical sensor that could measure the differences in soil types and used parts on the TBM bit. Basically a fancy resistance meter. It could tell if they were in soft or hard soils, and even where a boulder’s general location was on the bit. It would also be a very good method to see if they were grinding against metal I would imagine.

I would be surprised if they didn’t have something like that. But I haven’t heard anything like that in the news.


75 posted on 01/02/2014 11:56:05 PM PST by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts 2013 is 1933 REBORN)
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To: Windflier
"A half-dozen probes have not hit any huge object in front of Bertha..."

That's because it's really *small*

76 posted on 01/03/2014 12:16:34 AM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: smokingfrog

What movie? Looks familiar, but I can’t remember it.


77 posted on 01/03/2014 12:21:29 AM PST by PLMerite (Shut the Beyotch Down! Burn, baby, burn!)
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To: BenLurkin; Darksheare

?


78 posted on 01/03/2014 5:45:38 AM PST by Scoutmaster (I'd rather be at Philmont)
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79 posted on 01/03/2014 5:51:38 AM PST by tomkat
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To: PLMerite

Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is well-paced if utterly derivative, and follows newlyweds Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe, the Judas of The Day the Earth Stood Still) and secretary Carol (Joan Taylor, 20 Million Miles to Earth). Both are employed in the Air Force’s top-secret Operation Sky-hook satellite program, which has encountered an odd problem. None of the satellites are staying in orbit as they should, all having mysteriously crashed back to Earth shortly after their launch. A few strange encounters and a full-on ray gun attack later, the culprits in the odd disappearances are revealed: a civilization from a dead solar system has set its sights on the planet Earth, which they hope to conquer through the shear obviousness of their technological superiority alone. Dr. Marvin and his fellow Earthlings are understandably displeased with the invader’s imperialist intentions, and rush to perfect a new anti-saucer weapon before time runs out.


80 posted on 01/03/2014 6:02:44 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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