All language subtitles for How Its Made S23E06 Ceramic Fireplaces; Synthetic Corks; Parking Garage Floor Slabs.en

Captions by VITAC
www.vitac.com

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DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Sync & Corrected by Iscol@HDVietNam.com

Narrator: The first fireplaces
were strictly functional

for heating the home,
cooking meals,

and warming water for bathing.

Over time, fireplaces appeared
in other rooms of the house

and acquired ascetic features
such as wood,

stone, or tile work.

This ceramic fireplace
is a heritage model

inspired by fireplaces
of the late 19th

and early 20th century.

Certain tiles
are exact replicas of originals.

At the ceramic factory
they mix water with Clay,

feldspar, and silica
in a pugmill.

Together,
these formulate a Clay blend.

Once the mix
is the right consistency,

the operator presses a button,

and the mill
switches to extrusion mode.

This forces the Clay blend
through a mantel shaped die

and produces a 10- to 15-inch
long extruded mantel piece.

They trim the piece
with a cutting wire

to the precise length required.

They use this extrusion method
for making longer pieces.

If they need shorter ones

they often cast them
individually in a mold.

When casting they add
significantly more water

to the Clay blend to produce
a liquid Clay called slip.

They pour the slip
into a plaster mold.

The porous plaster gradually
absorbs most of the water,

leaving a layer of Clay
about 6 millimeters thick

on the walls
of the mantel-shaped cavity.

After a few hours,
they pour out the excess slip

and open the mold to extract
the cast mantel piece.

Once the Clay becomes
firm enough to handle

they carefully trim off
the excess

around the opening in the mold.

Then they gently smooth down
the seam

along the junction between
the two halves of the mold.

On the opposite side
of the pour hole,

they cut out a matching hole.

This will help the Clay
dry faster

by enabling air to flow through
the inside of the piece.

To compensate for shrinkage,

the molds and extrusion dies
are designed 11% larger

than the size
of the finished piece.

Clay shrinks as it dries.

To make the fireplace's
ceramic tiles,

they produce a rubber mold
of two adjoining tiles

and place it
inside a metal casing.

They also include a release
system to help with extraction.

They fill the casing

with an exceptionally strong
type of plaster.

It sets in about half an hour,

taking on the shape
of the rubber mold.

This plaster casting

is the die they'll now use
to produce the tiles.

They mount the die
on what's known as a ram press

because it literally rams
a block of Clay in the die

and compresses it
with 30 tons of pressure.

The tile die is also 11% larger
than the final size

to compensate for shrinkage
during drying and firing.

They remove excess Clay

and send it back to the pugmill
to be recycled.

Then they position a board
under the die

and activate the release system,

which extracts the Clay
with a blast of compressed air.

They trim off the excess Clay.

Once dry,

the tiles and mantel pieces
are ready to be glazed.

Glaze is a chemical formula

containing finely ground silica

combined
with different combinations

of metallic elements
to produce specific colors.

They use a spray gun

to apply glaze to the mantels
and a tube tip applicator

to glaze the tiles.

The tiles design has raised
borders between its components.

These are called cuenca lines.

They prevent the different
colored glazes

from flowing into each other.

The glazed mantel piece
and tiles

now go into a gas-fired kiln
for 12 to 14 hours.

The high temperature,
2,100 degrees fahrenheit,

triggers chemical reactions

which harden and strengthen
the pieces.

The Clay's mineral composition
transforms

into a completely new
configuration

of crystals and glass.

As for the glaze, its precise
formulation of metallic elements

produces a specific color,

and the silica melts
into a glass surface.

The ceramics
are now smooth and shiny

and ready to transform
an otherwise ordinary fireplace

into a work of art.

Narrator: Many winemakers
choose to seal their bottles

with synthetic closures instead
of natural cork from tree bark.

This prevents cork taint,

which happens when natural cork

gets contaminated
by the tca molecule.

Cork taint is completely
harmless to humans,

but spoils the taste
of the wine.

This engineered cork
is entirely synthetic

and therefore resistant
to tca contamination.

It's made of a food-grade
polyethylene foam core

encased
in elasticized polymer skin.

Both materials contract
to squeeze inside the bottleneck

but then regain
their original shape

to seal the opening.

To make the foam core,

they mix talc with pellets
of low density polyethylene,

a pliable type of plastic.

Then they add pellets
of dark brown and beige colorant

to mimic the wood grain look
of natural cork.

For each customer's
order of corks,

a computerized system
automatically releases

the right amount
of each ingredient

into an industrial blender.

The blender feeds a specially
designed dual extrusion machine.

The machine melts the foam mix
to a liquid state

then injects carbon dioxide.

This produces bubbles,

which create the cellular
structure of the foam.

The liquid foam enters the
machine's horizontal extruder,

while elasticized polymer enters
the machine's angled extruder.

Both extruders

squeeze their materials
through the same shaping die,

which outputs a continuous rod
of skin-encased foam.

The foam core
immediately expands.

The elastic skin
stretches with it.

A water bath cools the rod,

halting this expansion
at a specific diameter.

Then, an underwater
ultrasonic gauge

measures the thickness
of the outer skin

to make sure
it meets specifications.

The rod exits the water bath

and continues cooling
and shrinking as it drip dries.

A laser gauge then verifies
that the rod is perfectly round

and measures a specific diameter
by this point.

When any of the measuring gauges

detects an area that doesn't
meet specifications,

that part of the rod
is flagged in the system

and is discarded at the end
of the production line.

The rod now enters
the final cooling phase.

It travels in several loops past
nozzles spraying cold water.

As the rod cools,
it shrinks to its final size,

a diameter of between
22 and 23 millimeters.

It's designed to fit snugly

inside the standard
18.5-millimeter bottle opening.

They had to calculate exactly
how wide to extrude the rod

so that after expansion
then shrinkage,

it would end up
at this precise diameter.

The rod now enters a cutter.

The blade is so sharp that
a safety cover is mandatory.

It's removed here
only for the camera.

The winery placing the order
specifies the cork length.

Air jets automatically blow off
any corks

cut from areas
the measuring gauges flagged

as being problematic.

The cutter slices
about 10 standard-length corks

per second.

All the good corks
land on the conveyor belt

and travel
to the end of the line,

where computer sensors
count them

as they drop
into a collection bin.

Additional machines print
on the winery's name and logo,

and lubricate the surface
with silicone

so the corks will glide in
and out of the bottle with ease.

The factory's on-site lab
tests samples from every order.

Sensory specialists
sniff each cork

and compare it
to a control sample.

There must be
no discernible odor

that might affect the aroma
or flavor of the wine.

If there is, the entire order
of corks fails inspection.

While natural cork
is designed by mother nature,

a synthetic cork manufacturer
can engineer the closure

to fit more or less snugly
according to the amount of air

the particular wine needs
to develop correctly.

Narrator:
Multi-tiered parking garages

have become an urban phenomenon.

With each floor
added to the garage

the number of parking spaces
increases.

In crowded cities
where land is limited,

garages like these
are a necessity.

They build parking garages
one concrete slab at a time.

These slabs are known
as double-t's

because the two support beams
are in a double-t configuration.

Double-t's are often
factory made

and transported
to the construction site later.

They are designed to hold up
under very heavy loads.

They make these slabs outdoors.

Wind blows dirt onto the molds,
so they sweep it clean.

This mold is about 500 feet long

and will be used
to make several slabs.

They spray an oil-based
release agent onto it.

The release agent will allow
the slabs to be easily extracted

when complete,
preventing cracking.

They spread it more evenly
using mops.

This release agent bonds
to the metal quickly

and won't wash off easily
if it happens to rain.

They're now ready to assemble

the floor slab's elaborate
support structure.

They prop up the ends
of each slab

with galvanized steel stirrups.

They place l-shaped
bearing plates

in strategic locations
along the mold.

Then they insert wooden blocks
in the mold.

These blocks will form notches
in the cast concrete

that will be used to join
the slabs during construction.

Next, workers thread
high-strength steel cables

called tendons throughout
the beam sections of the mold.

They pull the ends through holes
to the outside of the mold

and clamp them.

A worker tucks another wood
block between two tendons

to complete the notch part
of the mold

and hold the tendons in place.

The team threads more tendons
throughout the mold,

weaving
a strategic support structure.

To separate each cast slab,
they insert wooden dividers

with slots
that accommodate the tendons.

They adjust the location
of each of the stirrups

so that they sit at a specific
spot near the dividers.

With the final tendons in place,
they bring in a hydraulic Jack.

The worker attaches it to one
of the protruding steel tendons.

He activates the Jack,
and it pulls the tendon

until it's stretched tight
like a rubber band.

He pulls the rest of the tendons
with the Jack

and checks the tension
to confirm

that it's exactly the same
for each one.

Pulled tight and later released,

the cables will hold
the concrete under compression,

adding strength to it.

Without it, the concrete slabs

would never be able to support
the weight of many vehicles.

The next worker ties a plastic
bracket to the stirrups

to set them at the right height.

He inserts metal mesh
into the mold

where each slab will end.

This will help disperse

some of the concentrated
bearing stresses.

He stabilizes the mesh,

and reinforces it
with the support structure.

The team places plastic pockets

along the tops of the beam
sections of the mold.

These pockets will be used
to chain the slab to the truck

during transport.

They'll also act as entry points
for electrical wiring

and hold controls for parking
space counting equipment.

Coming up next,

the deck section
gets plenty of extra support,

and then it's set in concrete.

Narrator: The average car
weighs well over 2,000 pounds,

so each parking garage floor

must hold up
many times that weight.

Double-t concrete slabs
make this possible.

Each slab
has two reinforcing beams,

and each beam
has a tense steel skeleton

that compresses the concrete,
making it stronger.

With the steel tendons

stretched through the beam parts
of the mold,

workers now lay metal mesh
across the deck.

This mesh is known
as welded wire fabric,

and it will reinforce
the surface of the parking slab.

They tie the welded wire
together

for full coverage
across the deck.

They use plastic clips
to prop up the wire

so that when they
pour the concrete,

it will envelop both sides.

They insert handles

that will protrude from the ends
of the completed slab

to allow it to be lifted
for transport and installation.

There are four double handles
in each parking floor slab.

They enmesh the prongs of weld
plates in the steel grid.

The plates
are strategically positioned

for the welding of the slab
to other pieces of concrete.

All the prep work
is finally done,

and they pour the concrete.

The concrete flows into the beam
sections of the mold first,

and then workers spread
the overflow across the deck.

This is a high-performance
formula

that's known in the industry
as self-consolidating concrete.

It flows evenly
into tight spaces

and compacts better without
the need for much vibrating.

This leveler vibrates
the surface of the concrete

only slightly
as it evens it out.

They then rake the surface
of the slab

to allow another layer
of concrete to adhere to it

later during construction.

They now insert arced metal bars

into slots
on the sides of the mold

to form a ribbed framework
down the length of it.

This serves as a support
structure for a tent.

They unroll the tarp
from a huge spool

and drape it over the ribbing.

They secure the canvas
to the sides of the mold

with hooks.

The tent will shelter
the concrete

from the wind and rain
as it cures.

Along with an additional
plastic layer,

it will contain the hot and
humid conditions created inside.

The heat accelerates the curing
of the concrete,

and the humidity
prevents cracking.

The cure takes 16 hours,
and then they roll up the tarp.

Using a torch,
they cut the steel tendons

and place the concrete
under compression.

The cuts
also separate the slabs.

A driver now parks his crane
over one of the slabs.

Workers attach the hooks
of the crane

to the protruding handles
at the ends of the slab.

They signal the crane operator,
and he activates the lift.

Thanks to the release agent
applied earlier,

the concrete slab
easily dislodges from the mold.

It's a heavy load.

Each slab weighs 40,000 pounds.

The crane sets it down

and the team inspects the slab
for defects.

Satisfied that the slab
is free of flaws,

a worker trims
the protruding steel tendons

flush to the concrete.

Another worker
spreads a concrete-like paste

on the exposed ends
of the severed steel

to seal it from the elements.

Then a worker glues rubber pads
to the bearing plates.

They'll act as cushions

when the slab sits
on another concrete beam.

He wraps some tape around them
while the adhesive sets.

This parking garage floor slab
is now ready to join the rest.

Side-by-side,

the slabs will form
one large parking surface

to create even more spaces.

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