House of strange design

Many strange houses have been built in the world over the ages. Today in 'Strange and varied' episode we will know about some of the houses built in the world.

Piano House

In terms of technology, we have to talk about China separately. They are not behind in the construction of various structures. The Piano House is one of the many oddly shaped houses built in China. Among the strange houses in China, the most visitors rush to see the 'Piano House'. It is called the Piano House because the exterior of the house looks exactly like a piano. Among the craftsmen behind the construction of this famous house is a group of students from the Faculty of Architectural Design of Hefei University of Technology in China. Due to the unique design, the house has also entered the list of interesting houses. After the students finished designing, an engineering construction company was responsible for the construction. The designer company is called 'Huai-Nan Fankai Decoration Project'. This piano house is located in Hunan, China. It is also known as the best house in the city. Inside the house, everything is arranged to delight the music lovers. And from that point of view, it can be said that the house designers are completely successful. For piano listeners, the inner hall provides state-of-the-art piano listening arrangements. Originally the building was built for the students of the nearby music college. It became known as Piano House to students due to its initial accommodation. Two musical instruments, a transparent violin, have been incorporated into the exterior of this oddly shaped house. From inside which could be seen the house and another piano. The main structure of the piano is erected with transparent glass. Due to the wooden pattern of violins, one can suddenly get confused, whether they really sound or not. In fact they are considered part of the establishment itself. It is not their job to compose music. In the beginning, the visitors of Piano House were only music students, but now the number of interested visitors is increasing. It is now the most visited musical house in China.

 

Upside Down House

The first appearance will surprise anyone. Did the house overturn in the earthquake? Or the house is made upside down! Although it may appear confusing to the eye, the house is actually made with an inverted shape. Not only that, its internal condition is also reversed. This oddly shaped house is located in the village of Turfens, Austria. Due to its inverted shape, tourists flock here. The ground floor foundation of this upside down house is also built upside down. The interior is also decorated in the same way. Everything is hanging upside down. Sitting chairs or T-tables can be seen coming down from the roof. From the bed to the kitchen stove was not left out. Everything is attached to the ceiling so when you walk on the floor you will feel like you are walking upside down. This unique design of Polish architecture has therefore been recognized worldwide. When it comes to upside-down houses, there are more houses with such designs; But there is no second house with so much confusion.

 

Tree Trunk House 

From a distance, it seems like a huge tall tree trunk! It may seem that a tree must have been cut down and left in the forest. However, you will stumble a little while looking at the door. As soon as you enter, your eyes will rise. Because everything of a whole house is arranged here. Two amateur architects built a house inside a tree trunk. Basically, this tree trunk house is actually a trunk of a redwood tree that is about 2,000 years old. Perfectly suitable for building a house, this powder is made into a livable house with various necessary accessories. This strange house is located in Gerberville, California. The owner of the house is Dan Ballem. This whole house has a drawing room, a bedroom and a dining room. Apart from this, there is also furniture inside the house. The funniest thing is - without a door on one side of the trunk, no one would suddenly realize that it is actually a habitable house.

 

Shoe House 

The house is built in the style of a large shoe. When people enter inside it, it seems that small people are entering inside a shoe. The house has earned the title of the world's strangest shape in the eyes of many. This oddly shaped house is located in Hellam, Pennsylvania. Mahlon N. Hynes designed this house in 1948 for his shoe advertisement. This shoe house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen and drawing room. Today Carlene Farabaugh and her husband use it as their summer home.

 

Kettle House

The strange house in the shape of a kettle is located in Wisconsin. The exterior of the house is like the kettle, so is the interior furniture. The furniture like the teacups also surprise anyone. It is not that there will be no tea inside the kettle house. Tourists rush to see this oddly shaped house to keep the invitation to drink tea inside. This oddly shaped house was designed by architect Jack Ainsworth. Since its creation in 1922, it has been moved several times. Due to the frequent movement of the kettle-shaped house, there are many opportunities for tourists to visit the house.

Stone House

Stone is used in many houses. Many houses are built using only stone. However, a house in Portugal overshadows all the houses due to its strange design. The stone house at Naas Montanhas de Fafe in Portugal is quite different in design and shape. On both sides of the house, there are two huge stones that are stuck in such a way that anyone would be confused. Because it seems that a house built at some time may have been buried between two big stones. The age of the house is not less. It was built in 1974. But still there is no electricity or water connection in the house.

 

 

Topic- expansion gap mean, joint expansion gap, weight of the rail, rail buckling, advantages of flat footed Rail, rail sleeper, wooden sleeper, steel sleeper, life span of the wooden sleeper, face plate, rail connectivity, ballast, basalt sieve, points and crossings.

Question: What does expansion gap mean? 

Answer: As the sun heats up, the rail heats up and expands. Gaps are kept at rail junctions to avoid any inconvenience for this expansion, this gap is called expansion gap.

Question: Why is the rail joint expansion gap kept? Why is "corning of wheel" given?

Answer: If the expansion gap is not kept or the gap is not given enough, then when the temperature is high, the two ends of the rail stick together tightly and full expansion is difficult. This causes excessive stress on the entire road. As a result, the line may bend to one side. Due to such a turn there is a possibility of train derailment. 

Coning of wheels is provided to keep the train in the central position of the rail truck. It basically protects the rail from getting damaged.

Question: What does the weight of the rail mean? What is 90 pounds rail and 45 kg rail?

Answer: The weight of a piece of rail one meter long is the weight of the rail in kg. That is, if the weight of a piece of rail 1 meter long is 30 kg, then it is called a 30 kg rail.  

If a piece of rail one yard long weighs 90 pounds, it is called a 90-pound rail. And if a piece of rail of one meter length weighs 45 kg, it is called a 45 kg rail.

Question: What is the weight of the rail dependent on?  

Answer: The weight of the rail depends on the following factors-  

1. The speed of the car is the speed at which the car moves over the truck at the maximum speed.  

2. Gauge size  

3. Vehicle technology quantity  

4. Axle load

5. Surface density  

6. Depth of ballast  

7. Storage costs  

Question: What is rail buckling?  

Answer: The movement of the rail of a railway line from its original position is called buckling of the rail. 

Question: Write the advantages of Flat footed Rail.  

Answer: The advantages of Flat footed Rail are given below-  

1. It does not require a rail chair.  

2. It is cheaper than bull headed rail.  

3. It spreads the load over more areas.  

4. It reduces the fascinating.   

5. It is durable and has low maintenance cost. 

Question: What is a sleeper? What is its function and how many types of sleepers and what are they? 

Answer: The cross supports used for strengthening the railway tracks are called sleepers.  

Function of sleeper:  

1. It provides strong support to the rail.  

2. It stores the gauge size of the rail.  

3. It maintains the alignment of the truck. 

 4. It spreads the load on the rail.  

5. It provides stability to the permanent path. 

Types of Sleepers: There are two types of sleepers based on location. namely-  

1. Cross sleeper 2. Long sleeper 

Again according to the material the sleeper is divided into the following categories.  

1. Wooden slippers  

2. Steels sleeper  

3. Cast iron slippers  

4. Concrete sleeper 

Question: Write the requirement of sleeper in railways. 

Answer: Requirement of slipper-  

1. Providing permanent path stability. 

2. To preserve the gauge of railways.  

3. Protecting the surroundings of railway trucks.  

4. Protecting elements of railway trucks.  

5. Spreading the load on the rail over the ballast.  

6. Providing strong support to railways. 

Question: Write the advantages and disadvantages of wooden sleeper. 

Answer:  

Advantages of wooden sleeper-  

1. It is cheap in price.  

2. It takes very little time on fittings.  

3. It is suitable for all types of ballast.  

4. It can be made in any size.  

5. It does not rust.  

6. It is easy to open and install. 

Disadvantages of wooden sleepers-  

1. Its lifespan is very short.  

2. It is damaged by insect attack.  

3. It does not measure the gauge properly.  

4. Expensive wood is hard to come by.  

5. Its maintenance cost is high. 

Question: Write the advantages and disadvantages of steel sleeper. 

Answer: Advantages of steel sleeper:  

1. It keeps gauges accurate.  

2. Its lifespan is relatively long.  

3. It is easily earned.  

4. Its construction method is simple.  

5. Its maintenance cost is low.  

6. It is not attacked by insects.  

Disadvantages of steel sleepers:  

1. It is rusted.  

2. It has high initial cost.  

3. It is not easy to open and install. 

 4. It is not available in any size. 

Question: What is the life span of the wooden sleeper of the railway? 

Answer: The life span of wooden sleeper depends on the following factors-  

1. weather conditions 

 2. Intensity and nature of traffic  

3. Wood quality etc. 

Question: Why are wooden slippers useless?  

Answer: A wooden slipper can be useless for the following reasons- 

 1. In normal decomposition.  

2. The edge of the slipper is torn.  

3. Stress cracks on the rail.  

4. Due to repeated nailing hitting.  

Question: What is the reason for using wooden sleepers at points and crossings? 

Answer: Wooden sleepers are used at points and crossings for the following reasons-  

1. It can be made to any length.  

2. It can be made by nailing anywhere. 

3. Wooden sleepers are suitable for any type of ballast. 

Question: What is face plate? 

Answer: Face plates are used to connect two rails. Its cross-section shall correspond to the cross-section of the rail. Each rail requires two face plates on both sides to connect. The size of the face plate depends on the size and weight of the rail. 

Question: What does rail connectivity mean?  

Answer: It is not possible to increase the length of the rail due to various reasons. For that, during the construction of the railway, the road is constructed in a certain length by connecting the rails piece by piece. In this way, the work of joining rails piece by piece is called rail splicing. That is, the act of joining two rails together by means of different connecting materials is called rail splicing.  

Question: What is ballast? What is basalt sieve?  

Answer: Sleepers are placed under the rails during construction of permanent railways. The pieces of stone or brick used under and around the sleepers are called ballast.

During train movement, some parts of the ballast turn into powder and with it, ash and dust from the locomotives mix and close the gaps between the ballast and make the water impermeable. The sieve used to remove the mixed powder, ash etc. of ballast in such condition is known as ballast sieve.

Question: What is the function of ballast? What is the need or function of using ballast in railways?  

Answer: The functions of ballast are:  

1. Protecting road sub grade  

2. Holding the sleeper between the sleepers  

3. Position the sleeper correctly  

Requirements for use of ballast are as follows:-  

1. Retention of sleeper in train movement  

2. Provision of Resilient Surface for Railways  

3. Protecting sub grade  

4. To prevent weeds from growing on railway tracks  

5. Spreading the load on the sleeper over the structure. 

Question: What are points and crossings? Write its purpose.

Answer: The parts of the railway where the train moves from one line to another are called points and crossings.   

Objectives of Points and Crossings: 

Points and crossings can be connected to straight and curved lines in various ways to take a train from one line to another or to run or cross a line to another line. Points and crossings are commonly used at exits. With the help of this, a branch line or side line can be crossed from the main line. 

Important topic- bridges and culverts, runway, determining the length of the runway, effective length of the runway, taxiway, sidewalk, difference between bridge and culvert, free board, bridge and flyover, tar and asphalt, rail gauge, train movement.

 

Question: What do bridges and culverts mean? 

 

Answer:  

Bridge: When a road or railway is obstructed by a body of water, another road or railway, the structure constructed to cross the said obstruction is called a bridge. Generally, structures built to cross deep water bodies are called bridges.  

 

Question: What is the runway? What does runway length mean? What to consider in determining the length of the runway? 

 

Answer: The rectangular space which is generally paved and used for landing of aircraft at an airport is called runway. Given the local conditions, the length required for the take-off and landing of the largest aircraft using the runway at an airport is called the runway length. 

 

Factors to consider in determining runway length:-  

 

1. Airport elevation  

2. temperature  

3. Area information and runway slope  

4. For aircraft during flight  

5. Length required for landing

 

Question: What is the basic length of the runway under ideal conditions? What is the effective length of the runway?

 

Answer: Ideal locations for determining the basic length of a runway are 15°C or 59°F at sea level and zero slope. The length of the runway along the landing edge up to 60 meters or 200 feet is called the effective length of the runway.  

 

Question: What do you mean by taxiway? What is the sidewalk called?  

 

Answer: The connecting path from runway to apron is called taxiway. This path is used to access the apron after the aircraft lands on the runway. 

 

Sidewalks are pedestrian walkways built along curbs on both sides of city streets. The sides of these roads are built high. As a result, pedestrians are less likely to have accidents. The minimum width of footpath should be 1.5 m. However, if the number of pedestrians is high on a road, its width may be greater. The surface of the sidewalk should be equal to or better than the road surface, so that pedestrians are not inclined to leave the sidewalk and walk on the vehicular road.

 

Question: How many types and what are culverts?  

 

Answer: Culverts are mainly of four types-  

1. Pipe culverts  

2. Box culvert  

3. Slab culverts 

4. Arch Calvert

 

Question: Write the main difference between bridge and culvert:  

 

Answer: 

 

The difference between bridge and culvert is as follows-  

 

A structure built over a deep body of water such as a river or a large canal, over which heavy vehicles can safely travel is called a bridge. A culvert is a structure built over surface water drainage or small shallow canals across the road, over which light vehicles can move. Sub structure and super structure are constructed separately. Usually sub structure and super structure are built simultaneously. There is no concrete floor under the seed. Under culverts there is usually paved floor.

 

Question: What is free board? Why is the bridge given free board? 

 

Answer: The vertical distance between the highest water table of a river and the bottom of the girder or springing floor of the bridge is called free-board.  

 

Free board is given on the bridge for the following reasons-  

 

1. For crossing flooded vegetation and other debris.  

2. For displacement of waves under bridges. 

3. For accommodation of increased water height intercepted by bridge structures. 

 

Question: What is meant by over bridge and flyover?  

 

Answer: 

 

Over Bridge: When two highways or a highway and a railway cross each other at different angles, a bridge is used to cross vehicles. As a result, the lower level road passes under the bridge and the upper level road passes over the bridge, in which case the bridge or structure is called an over bridge. Again the bridge which is made for pedestrian crossing on the highway is called foot over bridge.  

 

Flyover: When two highways carrying 3000 or more vehicles cross each other at the same time, the crossing often faces traffic jams, delays, accidents etc. To remove all these difficulties, the vehicles are arranged to cross separately by constructing bridges. As a result, one road is placed over the bridge and the other under the bridge, such a structure is called a flyover. 

 

Question: What is tar and asphalt?  

 

Answer:  Destructive distillation of organic materials (coal, oil, wood) in the absence of air produces tar as a by-product.  

 

Asphalt: Mineral bitumen mixed with inert materials is called asphalt. 

 

Question: Write the difference between asphalt and tar. 

 

Answer: The difference between asphalt and tar is as follows:- 

 

Asphalt:  

1. Asphalt is obtained as a byproduct of the partial distillation of crude petroleum.   

2. Asphalt is not easily coated on aggregate surfaces and does not stick to wet surfaces in the presence of water.   

3. Asphalt water resistance is very good.   

4. Asphalt is less sensitive to heat, so there is little change in viscosity with temperature variations.  

5. Asphalt is soluble in carbon di sulfide (CS₂) and contains less free carbon than tar.   

6. Asphalt has no toxicity. 

7. Asphalt sets faster than tar.   

8. Suitable for asphalt road works.   

9. Cost is higher than asphalt tar.   

10. Asphalt is solid or semi-liquid at normal temperature.    

11. Cracks are not usually seen on coated surfaces.  

 

Tar:  

1. Tar is produced through the destructive distillation of coal and wood.

2. The tar is easily coated on aggregate surfaces and adheres fairly well to wet surfaces.

3. Its water resistance properties are poor. 

4. Tar is very sensitive to heat. As a result, variations in temperature cause large variations in viscosity. 

5. Tar carbon di sulfide (CS₂) has a higher soluble and free carbon content.  

6. Tar is toxic due to the presence of phenol 

7. Tar sets more slowly than asphalt. 

9. Tar is cheaper than asphalt.

10. Tar is liquid at normal temperature.

11. Cracks appear on the tar coated surface.

8. Useful for tar pits and canopies. 

 

Question: What is rail gauge? Write the sizes of different types of rail gauges.  

 

Answer: The distance between the inner edge of one rail and the inner edge of the other is called rail gauge. 

 

Gauge Sizes:  

 

1. Broad gauge..... 1676 mm to 1524 mm  

2. Meter gauge..... 1067 mm to 1000 mm and 915 mm  

3. Narrow gauge.....762 mm and 610 mm  

4. Standard gauge.....1435mm and 1451mm  

 

Question: Where should which type of gauge be used?  

 

Answer: Usage of Gauge:  

1. Broad gauge and standard gauge should be used for long and high speed lines. 

2. A meter gauge should be used on the medium line.  

3. Narrow gauge should be used in hilly and industrial areas.  

 

Question: What do you mean by train movement? Explain what causes the train to move.  

 

Answer: Movement along the length of the rail due to train movement is called movement or creep.  

 

Reason for moving:  

1. Pressing the brake causes movement.  

2. The wheel moves for wave motion.  

3. Changes in temperature cause the rail to move. 

4. If the connection of the rail with the side is not good, movement occurs.  

5. If you don't use a good quality filter, it moves. 

6. Movement occurs if proper super elevation is not given. 

7. If the side spacing is not correct.  

8. If packing and boxing of ballast is not adequate.