At Airedale Springs, we are lucky enough to be involved in some exciting engineering projects such as the creation of the Brompton Bicycle. We love being involved in interesting projects such as this and we are excited to see the development and evolution of engineering over the years, so we’ve been thinking about some of the biggest breakthroughs in engineering through time.
1969 – The Moon Landing
One of the most impressive things about the first moon landing was the fact that the first powered flight happened just 66 years previously in 1903. Within this short space of time, humans went from flying at an altitude of 10 feet to travelling 238,855 miles from earth to reach the moon.
This incredible feat was achieved through the hard work of countless engineers who worked tirelessly on everything from creating a space suit that would protect the astronauts when they walked on the surface of the moon to the small parts that were created for the door locking systems.
1994 – The Channel Tunnel
Taking five years to complete, the Channel Tunnel presented a huge challenge to engineers working on the project in both England and France. The tunnel was dug simultaneously from France and from England, requiring a huge amount of collaboration among the 13,000 workers involved to ensure that the two tunnels met in the middle.
The tunnel stretched 31.4 miles with 23.5 miles of the tunnel being beneath the sea. The project was deemed so impressive, it has been named one of the seven wonders of the modern world.
2000 – The International Space Station
31 years on from the first moon landing, the International Space Station (ISS) was launched with the input from fifteen countries. This huge research facility orbits at 400km above the earth, allowing for astronauts to stay for months at a time, conducting research and experiments in a variety of fields such as biology, physics, astronomy, botany, medicine, and meteorology.
The engineering that has gone into this project is incredible, and the astronauts themselves are regularly expected to carry out engineering tasks, making repairs to the modular structure and ensuring its integrity. The ISS has been in orbit for nearly 19 years and has been continuously occupied for nearly 17 years, making the project a fantastic success.
These incredible engineering projects have helped to develop and evolve the engineering industry, constantly pushing technology forward with the help of countless parties. As spring manufacturers, we are often involved in exciting projects that require the expertise of established manufacturing companies such as ourselves, so we are particularly interested to see the ways in which these huge engineering projects have come together through collaboration.
If you have an upcoming project that may require our wire form and spring design or manufacturing services, we would be more than happy to speak to you about your requirements. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with a member of our team by calling 01535 643456 or by emailing sales@airedalesprings.co.uk and we will advise you further.