Trump's wall

[RHTPE]

[link]http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/17/politics/donald-trump-mexico-wall/index.html?Sr=twtsr0217trumpwall[/url]

Typical news person - doesn't know the difference between cinder blocks & CMU or between cement & concrete. I wonder who the "experts" were that CNN talked to.

If we were to actually construct this wall, it really should go deeper than 5' as stated so we can frustrate the cartels' tunneling wizards.

Perhaps a 25' deep slurry wall with H piles at regular intervals. Precast panels could then be slipped into H piles to create the above ground portion.

Could be interesting ...

Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[JAE]

The writers: what maroons! They even refer to a "civil engineer" whom they consulted but still ended up so ignorant of basic terminology.



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[hokie66]

JAE, that statement is an insult to maroons.

 

[msquared48]

I like coconut macaroons.

Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)

 

[cvg]

so, I get about 1,600 miles, not 2,000. I wonder what the 10 billion dollars pays for if not for the construction? At 12" thick and $500/cy I get closer to 4 billion for the concrete (including construction...). Even including massive overruns on this government project, I think it could be done for less than Trumps 8 billion estimate.

 

[JAE]

hokie66, I apologize to any and all maroons. They are much smarter than that I'm sure.



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[RHTPE]

Ah cvg, is that Trump's estimate or CNN's? I doubt that CNN would have researched how much is already fenced or walled.

I just chased the border using Google Earth and get about 1,620 miles, more or less as the crow flies. I suppose if you wanted to exactly trace the border along the path of the Rio Grande it would total much more.

It's amusing how much media attention Trump can draw simply by opening his mouth.


Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[JAE]

Well the media, as discussed above, are lower on the evolutionary scale than simple maroons.....somewhere just below lunchmeat.


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[concretemasonry]

JAE - I lunch meat" a notch above Spam (the Hawaiian favorite meat). I thought it was quite inane and comical.

I the use of "liquid cement" was to be expected based on the expensive research for facts. At least they did not confuse CMUs with "brick", which is very common.

Dick

Engineer and international traveler interested in construction techniques, problems and proper design.

 

[bridgebuster]

Cinder blocks would make the strongest wall?? I guess CNN's engineer is a few PDH's short. As far as the labor cost involved in laying blocks they could hire [insert the politically correct adjective of choice] workers. That's how a lot of the brick work is done in NYC.

liquid cement; must be a new product we haven't heard about.

You got to admit, Donald Trump is certainly making the political season entertaining.

 

[RHTPE]

Not intending to turn this into a philosophical/political discussion, but I would say this about Trump: At first, I was mildly amused by his foray into presidential politics. Not that I was taking him seriously (at first). As this whole show has evolved, I have to admit that I admire the fact that, in his outspoken manner, he has put a number of things on the table that the other candidates would not dare to broach. Yet those topics are prominent in the thinking/musings for a large proportion of the voters. Every time I felt he went just a bit too far (not that I disagreed) in the following days it didn't seem to hurt his standing.

Between him and Sanders, this presidential campaign season has shaken up the Party hacks. Which, in my opinion, is a good thing.

In the end, I think the wall issue will get refined. My prediction is that Trump's position will evolve to one of the "Wall" as a conceptual thing and not a necessarily a physical thing. While a wall may be built along some portions of the border, it will not be 1600-2000 miles of new wall.

The SC & NV primary outcomes will be telling.


Ralph
Structures Consulting
Northeast USA

 

[bridgebuster]

I agree with you Ralph. At least Trump isn't afraid to say "The Emperor Has No Clothes" . I'm not sure if he's cut out for the job but on the other hand perhaps his ego won't allow him to fail.

 

[darthsoilsguy2]

just exactly where is that border anyway? land surveyor nightmare.

the relatively cheap cost of that wall isn't and shouldn't be a part of the discussion. there are more than enough people that want a wall to justify spending the sub-ten.... or to be super-conservative in cost estimates... sub-twenty billion quantity of money. i'm measuring cheap in relative terms to the years of time and political effort spent debating this when compared to the discussion and debate generated from other equivalent govt expenditures. personally, I don't support building the wall, but if cost was really the sticking point on this issue..... we would have 4 lines of walls built already to shut people up.

 

[BigH]

I am suggesting that perhaps the "civil engineer" who was contacted for background information might have been so misunderstood by CNN that they ended up using their own vernacular word take instead. I have seen under Concrete SmartBriefs where the editors' headlines say "placing 1000 m3 of cement" rather than "placing 1000 m3 of concrete" - which I have found sad for a newsletter supposedly written by and for professionals. Miscommunication is a very important word over here in Asia!!

 

[Debaser]

"liquid cement; must be a new product we haven't heard about."
Isn't liquid cement the stuff used to stick plastic models together. Start pouring that in the heat of the southwest and never mind about lack of strength - the thing won't get finished for all the workers getting high.