From the top of the Falkirk Wheel with the Ochil Hills as a backdrop!
The wheel resembles a giant double-headed axe or Celtic-inspired structure and rotates like a seesaw. Here's the clever mechanism:Two large gondolas (caissons) sit opposite each other on the wheel's arms, each filled with water and capable of holding boats.
Boats enter a gondola at the bottom (Forth & Clyde level) or top (via an aqueduct leading to the Union Canal).
As the wheel rotates 180 degrees (taking about 5 minutes for a full cycle), one gondola rises while the other descends.
The system stays perfectly balanced thanks to Archimedes' principle: A boat displaces its own weight in water, so the gondolas remain equal in weight regardless of the vessels inside.
Sophisticated gears (including a fixed "sun" gear and rotating "planet" gears) keep the gondolas level at all times, preventing the water and boats from tipping out.
Power required is minimal — roughly 1.5 kWh per rotation, equivalent to boiling about 8 kettles — thanks to hydraulic motors overcoming mainly friction.
HFF and a good weekend to all, A large view for detail please!
A short time lapse video available here.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucg1O-5jsnM
71 comments
Fred Fouarge said:
Annemarie said:
David G Johnson said:
Roger (Grisly) replied to David G Johnson:
Mikus said:
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William Sutherland said:
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jyryk58 said:
David Slater (Spodde… said:
Jaap van 't Veen said:
hFF
Nicole Merdrignac said:
Diana Australis said:
Thanks for the memory, Rog. Happy weekend to you!
TOZ said:
HFF have a great day.
TOZ
Dida From Augsburg said:
HFF and a great weekend, Roger!
Stephan Fey said: