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National Safe Digging Month

Regardless of any lingering chill in the air, spring has officially sprung and most homeowners are happy to trade in their snow blowers for lawn mowers. This is the time of year when people start to make landscaping and gardening plans. Not only is April the first full month of spring, it is also National Safe Digging Month. While many homeowners may be thinking about planting gardens, starting home improvement projects, and sprucing up their properties, it is always important to remember to call 811 before ANY dig. 811 is a national hotline that allows property owners, landscapers, and others to determine where they can safely dig. Whether you’re getting ready to excavate your backyard in order to add an in-ground pool, or want to plant some flowers, no digging project – no matter how small – should be started without first calling 811. Why? Because utility lines can be buried just a few inches underground, and without ensuring that the spot you’re digging in is free of utility lines, you could unintentionally damage them. In doing so, you could wind up damaging property, inadvertently cause power outages, and incurring costly fines and fees.

So how does calling 811 work?

First, make the call at least a few days before you dig. Let the representative know exactly where you plan to dig. They will then notify your local utilities operators. The utilities workers will come to your property and mark out where any utility lines are buried. Once any utility line locations have been marked, you can plan to avoid these areas and safely proceed with your project. Once your project is complete, you can enjoy the results of your hard work!

For more information about safe digging, visit http://call811.com/.

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It’s Our Anniversary!

This month we are celebrating the 38th anniversary of KC Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (KC).

KC is a diversified, multi-disciplined consulting engineering firm. KC was founded on April 13, 1983 with a mission to provide our public and private sector clients with a comprehensive range of professional services using only the latest technical equipment. KC is an ever-growing company, with over 100 enthusiastic and proven professionals who possess the knowledge necessary to complete each task correctly. KC’s team of professionals are dedicated to the firm, possessing the needed commitment to complete a wide variety of projects. We pride ourselves in always striving for excellence, with projects completed on time and within budget.

Rajashekar “Raj” Ravilla, P.E. is the President and CEO of KC and serves as the Principal-In-Charge on all KC projects. Raj has a master’s degree in structural engineering and possesses over 35 years of regionally diverse experience planning, administrating, managing, and designing transportation projects such as highways, railways, and transit.

A recent major event for KC was the consolidation of our former offices in Poughkeepsie and Circleville, NY into a larger, better-equipped Hudson Valley office in Newburgh, NY. This consolidation gives KC the opportunity to better support and fulfill the needs of our clients and provides us with more project opportunities as the company continues to grow. All KC employees provide knowledge, commitment, and excellence on KC projects every day.

Happy anniversary KC!

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Tips for the Non-Surveyor

Have you ever been curious about what surveying markouts, including flags and spray paint, actually mean?

These color codes follow a guideline suggested by the American Public Works Association (APWA). Markouts have 6 main colors, and can be referred to as color systems, survey flag colors, or survey color codes. Even though there are multiple names for utility markouts, the meanings behind the color codes and what they are used for always remain the same.

The 6 main survey color codes are as follows:

  • Red is used for electric power lines;
  • Orange is used for telecommunications;
  • Green is used for sewer and drain lines;
  • Yellow is used for natural gas, oil, steam, and petroleum;
  • Purple is used for unknown utilities; and
  • Blue is used for potable water.

 

 

 

 

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African-American Pioneers in Engineering You Should Know About

Elijah Mccoy / Credit: Ypsilanti Historical Society (Wikipedia.org)

 

February is African-American History Month. As such, it is the perfect opportunity to highlight the engineering achievements of African-Americans who, while contending with racism, societal inequality, and discrimination, worked hard to overcome obstacles and accomplished great things in the field of engineering.

Walter Brathwaite, an American engineer who was born in Jamaica, was hired by Boeing in 1966. As Senior Engineer, he led the team that invented computer-aided design (CAD) systems for designing commercial Boeing aircraft. Over the years, Brathwaite rose through the ranks, eventually becoming President of Boeing Africa. When he retired in 2003, he was the highest ranking African-American executive of the company.

Howard P. Grant graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1948, making him the first African-American to graduate from the Berkeley College of Engineering. That same year, Grant also became the first known black member of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He subsequently became the first African-American civil engineer for the City and County of San Francisco and the second African-American civil engineer to be licensed by California. He worked in the San Francisco water department until 1984, and also held the position of president and treasurer of the California Society of Professional Engineers.

George Biddle Kelley graduated from Cornell University's College of Civil Engineering in 1908. He went on to become the first African-American engineer registered in the state of New York. He was hired by the New York Engineering Department, where he worked on the Barge Canal, a collection of state waterways, during the 1920s.

Elijah McCoy was born in Canada in 1844 to runaway slaves who had escaped Kentucky thought the Underground Railroad. At the age of 15, he moved to Edinburgh, Scotland for an apprenticeship. There he became certified in mechanical engineering. Upon leaving Scotland, he moved to Michigan, where his family was now living. After being unable to find engineering work in Michigan because of his race, he found work as a fireman with the Michigan Central Railroad. Part of his duties included oiling the steam engine parts. Soon McCoy had invented an automatic engine lubricator, allowing trains the ability to stop less frequently for lubrication as the lubrication could now occur while the train was moving. As news of the invention spread, many inventors attempted to create their own version of the automatic lubricator. However, it was soon discovered that McCoy’s invention was superior. It is said that railway engineers began requested “the real McCoy” lubricator. McCoy filed a total of almost 60 patents, including designs for an ironing board, a lawn sprinkler, and other useful inventions.

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The History of Mechanical Engineering

   

Did you know that mechanical engineering is one of the oldest branches of engineering?

There are many different branches of engineering and mechanical engineering is one of the most diverse and versatile of them. Mechanical engineering integrates the principles of physics, mathematics, engineering, design, and much more. According to Merriam-Webster, “Mechanical engineering is defined as a branch of engineering concerned primarily with the industrial application of mechanics and with the production of tools, machinery, and their products.”

The history of mechanical engineering can be traced back to the Industrial Revolution, when innovators were brainstorming ideas of more economic modes of transportation. Going back further, the screw wheel and axle originated in Ancient Greece and China and were used together in water wells as a mechanism for water retrieval. Mechanical engineering is everywhere in today’s society. When developers are introducing new types of equipment to be used in our daily lives, mechanical engineering is the backbone of their functions. For example, smartphones, trains, planes, and automobiles are developed with mechanical engineering.

Fun facts about mechanical engineering:

  • Ralph Teetor was a blind Mechanical Engineer who invented cruise control;
  • Aurel Boleslav Stodola was a professor of Albert Einstein and is known for setting in motion the study of thermodynamics;
  • Gottlieb Richard Traub is known for creating the Traub motorcycle, which is the rarest motorcycle today; and
  • Lillian Gilbreth is known as the first woman to become a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was also named the “Mother of Modern Management.”

For more information about the history of mechanical engineering, visit https://www.britannica.com/technology/mechanical-engineering.