Engines & Equipment

Engines and construction equipment are all complex machines. How do some of these engines work, and how do they help us construct buildings and structures?

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Not so long ago, the world's naval forces worked entirely above water. But all that changed with the addition of the submarine to the standard naval arsenal.

By Marshall Brain & Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

We may fantasize about soaring through the sky, but humans aren't aerodynamic creatures. Could human flight be possible with personal jet packs?

By Ed Grabianowski

Since a torpedo cannot have an air-breathing engine like a boat, how is it propelled through the water?

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Ever gaze in wonder at the huge cranes, bulldozers, backhoes, loaders, shovels and fork lifts on a construction site? Find out all about hydraulic machines, from backyard log splitters to big construction equipment.

By Marshall Brain

A fascinating article that describes how a block and tackle (as well as levers and gears) works!

By Marshall Brain

Ready for a fifth mode of transportation? Elon Musk is. He's sketched out a proposal for a nearly supersonic transportation system that could shoot you from San Francisco to Los Angeles faster than you can watch an episode of "Game of Thrones."

By John Perritano

Imagine whipping through the sky at thousands of miles per hour. This special type of jet engine can do exactly that.

By Nicholas Gerbis

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Few are unfamiliar with the mixer trucks that transport concrete from the factory to the construction site. How do they keep that stuff from hardening while they move?

By Eric Baxter

One of the key pieces of infrastructure that we could really use in the U.S. is a high speed, efficient, and effective train system.

By Derek Markham, Planet Green

In January 2004, the citizens of Milan, Italy, were preparing for a strike that would shut down all public transportation. Since an estimated 28 percent of greater Milan’s 3 million populace relied heavily on public transit, the strike meant gridlock for most of the city.

By Jonathan Atteberry

Oil tankers carry massive amounts of oil, gasoline and other petroleum products between ports. However, crewmembers must guard against explosions, pirates and more.

By Akweli Parker

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We humans are mobile. Long before flight, FusionMan or even your average automobile arrived on the scene, trains were transporting us all over civilization. How did we get from horse-drawn carts to high-speed trains?

By Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

Forklifts are a necessary tool in most warehouses, shipping depots and manufacturing facilities. In fact, without forklifts, we wouldn't be able to move manufactured goods nearly as efficiently as we do today.

By Christopher Neiger

Antique steam shovels can still be found rusting away at old mining sites or painstakingly restored and on display in museums the world over. How much do you know about these mammoth-sized digging tools?

By Akweli Parker

Train crashes are in the news lately, but are our fears justified?

By Stell Simonton

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In 2015, the U.S. population numbered 320 million, but less than 10 percent of those people rode the rails. So who does?

By Julia Layton

Electric-propelled boats, which are much quieter and more environmentally friendly than gas-powered motorboats, are finally beginning to hit the waves and find their market.

By Patrick J. Kiger