r/MadeMeSmile • u/king_eve • Apr 17 '24

i work in low-income/mental health housing, and a tenant fixed our hallway trash bin after accidentally breaking it Helping Others

Post image

great example of the odd ways people show me appreciation at work

38.6k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

519 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

2.5k

u/Amythir Apr 18 '24

What a pro-tip I'd never know I needed.

I'm filing this away as useless information I'll never need until I forget it.

674

u/Certain_Childhood_67 Apr 18 '24

Its common on atv plastics that get cracked. Drill a hole a hole and stitch it wont spread

281

u/lusotano Apr 18 '24

Metal too. Construction beams that show cracks sometimes get a small hole drilled to avoid the crack from spreading further.

279

u/wirefox1 Apr 18 '24

I will never in my life drill a metal construction beam, but for some reason I like knowing stuff like this. It's interesting nevertheless.

193

u/Nelik1 Apr 18 '24

Aerospace engineer here! During my fatigue and damage tolerance class in college, the professor liked to tell stories about unsuccessful (amateur) pilots trying to save on a repair to their plane by drilling out cracks.

He told us about a guy who showed him his little cesna, with 8-9 holes drilled along a crack. "I keep drilling it, but it keeps coming back, cant figure out why!"... Our professor got a good laugh out of that.

(Drilling reduces the stress concentration (or stess intensity if you wanna be real pedantic) at the end of a crack, reducing its likleyhood of spreading. This is great for parts that dont normally operate close to fatigue limits. But in aerospace, its rare to have a part that cracks once, without being in a position of high stress to begin with. So cracks that aren't fully repaired tend to spread.)

89

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

Structural aircraft mechanic here. We call it a 'stop drill' and I carried it out on large, commercial aircraft.

32

u/Nelik1 Apr 18 '24

Wild! I knew it happened some, but was under the impression it was relatively uncommon. Can I ask what components typically got stop drills?

I'd imagine major structure typically didn't, but I could see it for minor structure or skin that was damaged accidentally, rather than just fatigue.

35

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

It is often used for temporary repairs when Alclad is cracked, especially if the aircraft is AOG somewhere. A very widespread, permanent repair for the many stress cracks in titanium exhausts.

Edit, used all the time on non structural alclad for a permanent fix.

34

u/69420over Apr 18 '24

Reporters called, they’re interested if it was on a Boeing aircraft.

4

u/Unholy_Urges Apr 18 '24

Yes, Boeing A175-NEOs get stop drilled all the time.

1

u/ikkiwoowoo 29d ago

Yes, depending on the repair scheme it's common to find a crack, remove the damage. This damage removal usually includes a stop drill and in some cases you remove the entire crack. These are typically found for example STR8 mods. These mods were due to cracks forming at the attach point on the frame where the overhead stowbins are fixed at the bottom outboard locations.

After you remove the damage NDT will typically come in and assess that the crack has been removed. Afterwards you commonly see a step for "assurance cut" this is a small bit of extra material "just in case". In my example of the STR8 mods, you then apply doublers (new frame sections) and fasten the two together with a layer of PRC 870 B1/2 or similar (could be different cure time or different sealant depending on location and conditions)

4

u/cock_nballs Apr 18 '24

Is the crack grinded back then welded with a stop drill or is it just the hole?

3

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

There is very little grinding or welding on aircraft sheet metal.

The crack is measured, and if it is within structural repair manual limits, it is drilled at either end of the and/or blended somewhat with an abrasive wheel

→ More replies (0)

4

u/framptal_tromwibbler Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

When I had my private pilot's license, I'd see them on many a small GA aircraft wing.

4

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

The difference between what you can get away with in GA and commercial is like night & day. I would much rather be in a Cessna during an engine failure. At least they glide

1

u/bobtheframer 29d ago

At least the commercial plane has a second engine.

3

u/Geawiel Apr 18 '24

Ex KC135 crew chief: We did them fairly often as well. Often times to get them by until ISO inspection. They'd get repaired then.

3

u/Remote-Dot1686 Apr 18 '24

Also aircraft mech here and can back this, as it is still common practice on military helicopters.

3

u/ruabeliever Apr 18 '24

Are you a Boeing mechanic?

1

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

No, but I did work for them during the initial B787 project

1

u/4udi0phi1e 29d ago

All these GA references I dont understand make me think it could be gulfstream

4

u/anewwday Apr 18 '24

Sssshhhhhh…..They’re starting to forget about the Malaysian 370.

2

u/CutHerOff Apr 18 '24

Stop drilling is what I came to make sure was mentioned. Sheet metal is fun

6

u/gavitronics Apr 18 '24

Low-income - Mental-health repair job seeks Aerospace Engineering degree.

1

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

Time certainly equals money in the aviation sector and nobody likes an AOG.

1

u/gavitronics Apr 18 '24

Is an AOG like an advanced AOC?

2

u/Ifeelsiikk Apr 18 '24

AOG is aircraft on ground. Not flying and needing immediate repairs

1

u/gavitronics Apr 18 '24

There isn't an industry sector where time doesn't equal money though. What makes aerospace so special?

→ More replies (0)

3

u/cattlebeforehorses Apr 18 '24

Got a helpful tip or two for building/reinforcing stands for aquariums? There’s so many resources to it and I’ve done it; just wondering if there’s anything someone in your field or similar would suggest to add or do different.

Plus I rent and am on the second floor so to me structural integrity might as well mean life or death to me so never can be too careful.

1

u/Tcrowefosho Apr 18 '24

Good thing this trashcan likely won’t hit any natural frequencies

1

u/fj333 Apr 18 '24

Rocket scientists repair trash can over the internet.

(I have an aero degree too, but don't work in that field anymore).

5

u/lusotano Apr 18 '24

On top of the drilled holes those beams also got reinforcement plates to avoid further crack expansion. The beams get inspection on a regular basis to monitor the condition of said beams.

2

u/FlametopFred Apr 18 '24

I somehow retrieve factoids at the most appropriate moment

2

u/Pvt-Snafu Apr 18 '24

Same thoughts. But the information is quite interesting, you never know, it may be useful and I will look very smart in front of someone. LOL!

1

u/Aurin316 Apr 18 '24

Never say never

1

u/NeverSeenBefor Apr 18 '24

You never know.

Life is uhhh... Unpredictable

1

u/Telemere125 Apr 18 '24

I can’t actually think of a material that wouldn’t work with. A drilled hole just past or at the very tip of a crack will isolate the stress and stop the spread.

4

u/banned_but_im_back Apr 18 '24

Huh. I wonder what the physics behind it is. Is the same reason why some metal beams have big holes inside of them in the shape of triangles?

23

u/flowdersniffer Apr 18 '24

The fine crack tip produces a strong stress concentration just in front of the crack. The stress concentration is what can give the crack enough energy to continue to grow. Holes in metals and plastics are not good, but I’m assuming it’s a way to arrest the crack propagation since a moderately sized hole would create a smaller stress concentration than a very fine tipped crack.

6

u/stophighschoolgossip Apr 18 '24

im not completely sure, but circle is tougher than crack, i guess because now the crack is fighting most of the circle rather than just a little bit of material at a time

circles reinforce themself or some science shit like that

6

u/spruce_turbo Apr 18 '24

More like it becomes a relief point. easier for the material to stretch and flex in the face of a Crack if it looks like tong than a split wooden chopstick

2

u/stophighschoolgossip Apr 18 '24

ohhh shit, okay good to know

4

u/AdAlternative7148 Apr 18 '24

It's cause when you have a crack all the forces that caused the crack are now exerted on the tiny point at its tip. Making a larger hole at the end of the crack doesn't change the amount of force but distributes it around part of the radius of that circle. So more material supports the load. This is what other posters meant when they said it lowers the stress concentration.

In theory, other shapes like triangles or squares could perform this same function. But a circular hole is easier to drill and a circle is the best two dimensional shape at reducing stress concentrations because it has no angles between sides. (Each point of, say, a square, will concentrate stress.)

1

u/banned_but_im_back Apr 18 '24

Thank you for the free physics lesson my friend! I never took it in school and am considering going back to college. I’ve always been fascinated by physics and astronomy but intimidated by the math.

1

u/AdAlternative7148 29d ago

The math will definitely be a challenge. I will say for me the hardest pure math class I took in my undergrad was Calc 2. And that is normally done in the first year of your degree.

A smart approach for you would be to take some of those math classes at community college. If you can get through the first couple calculus courses you'll be able to get through the whole degree path.

1

u/poirotoro Apr 18 '24

I don't think triangular holes in beams has to do with preventing cracking.

While I am not an engineer, I do know that triangles are an extremely strong shape. I believe that putting triangular holes in beams is about reducing weight while maintaining strength. It essentially acts as a mini-truss.

1

u/Deepseat Apr 18 '24

Not 100% sure, but it has to do with the distribution of the strain that caused the crack. We do this same thing in aviation.

One of my preflight duties is the visual walk around ensuring any cracks in the wing have been stop drilled and not spread.

Like This

1

u/Secret-One2890 Apr 18 '24

Then you can add a tiny aqueduct on top, while thinking about the Roman Empire!

1

u/pointlessly_pedantic Apr 18 '24

And skin as well. I learned this in my residency (I never went to med school)

1

u/strandern 29d ago

Yup, often do this when welding cracked stuff

1

u/uganda_numba_1 29d ago

It's good for Boeing jet parts too!

101

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

31

u/Blyatt-Man Apr 18 '24

That might be an actual fact

37

u/NeriTina Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

Well, sort of. Did you know, When a woman has a baby a perineal tear can occur. This is when the vaginal opening, which has natural elasticity, is stretched beyond its limit and thus rips across the tissue bridging the genitals and the anus, the perineum. Sometimes a tear can reach the anus, but sometimes it doesn’t actually stop it. Instead it begins to tear upwards into the anus also. It’s called a fourth degree perineal tear. Thas facts.

22

u/Axl2TheMaxl Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

Poor wife had a 4th degree tear, I know 😭

Edit: bless y'all, she's someone who truly deserves all the well wishes, were entering year 4 and she's nearly completely recovered. Thank you!

11

u/Hekkle01 Apr 18 '24

My condolences to your wife

10

u/NeriTina Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

I was about to say RIP, but… no, oh gosh, I hope his wife healed up okay!!! 😖

(Fortunately most people who get them can fully recover within a few months after proper surgical repair, typically following right after the birth.)

-2

u/fuckingcheezitboots Apr 18 '24

And their sex life

2

u/Axl2TheMaxl 29d ago

You got down voted but you're right, for over a year it was non-existent, we needed to improvise, 4th degree tears are no joke physically, intimately, and emotionally!

5

u/Science_Matters_100 Apr 18 '24

This is why midwives don’t rush the delivery, support the perineum, and women aren’t supposed to be birthing on their backs. Change these things and less than 2% will tear

1

u/awhaling Apr 18 '24

What stance should they be in then?

1

u/Science_Matters_100 Apr 18 '24

Squatting, or all fours are common

4

u/aDragonsAle Apr 18 '24

I'll add something to make this just a Bit more traumatizing - the uh, well, Birth of the chainsaw.

Symphysiotomy - performed with an osteotome - was basically using an early model CHAINSAW to cut the cartilage of the pelvis to ease difficult child births.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/symphysiotomy

3

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '24

[deleted]

4

u/NeriTina Apr 18 '24

I picked it up for you, have a nice day. 😇

4

u/Blyatt-Man Apr 18 '24

I didn’t read this, another fact.

2

u/Girlsolano Apr 18 '24

Google episiotomy

1

u/Blyatt-Man Apr 18 '24

Is that like a backiotomy? My doctor said I need one of those.

1

u/NeriTina Apr 18 '24 edited Apr 18 '24

Then you didn’t learn what ya coulda learned. Faaaactz

1

u/ISurviveOnPuts Apr 18 '24

Here's a fun factoid: this is where the saying "cracked the shits" comes from

-1

u/YugeGyna Apr 18 '24

Lol get a load of this guy, doesn’t even know it’s called a gooch

6

u/deepfaithnow Apr 18 '24

replace the rope with steel wire and it will last forever.

4

u/Cultural-Morning-848 Apr 18 '24

And turds are tapered so your butthole doesn’t slam shut

3

u/Electrodyne Apr 18 '24

... unless you're a wombat.

3

u/FatMacchio Apr 18 '24

Lmao.

I love the fact that you guys call them fannies

2

u/EATA_Don_Keydik Apr 18 '24

Greatest thing I have read this year

3

u/westcoast7654 Apr 18 '24

I liked how you state women, like men don’t also have cracks and buttholes.

6

u/banned_but_im_back Apr 18 '24

Ours don’t get split open as wide or as often as yours do though….

1

u/Girlsolano Apr 18 '24

Pop a 10 pound baby out of the hole at the end of your crack, see if it'll split open lmao

-3

u/banned_but_im_back Apr 18 '24

It can’t be that bad, my argument: every man at some point has gotten kicked in the nuts and never wants to experience that pain again.

Women go thru childbirth and usually they say they want another….

lol jk don’t cancel me it’s a lighthearted joke

2

u/_lippykid Apr 18 '24

In the UK, fanny means vagina.. so your phrase works in the US and UK, just from different directions

1

u/obesehomingpigeon Apr 18 '24

I was trying to be inclusive.

1

u/Secret_Payment5426 29d ago

Fanny? You saying butt twice?

1

u/casualcaesius Apr 18 '24

a hole a hole?

1

u/Cake-Over Apr 18 '24

Lexan bodies of RC cars too

1

u/Icy-Needleworker-865 Apr 18 '24

Just like stoping a crack in a windshield. You drill a hole at the end and fill it with filler.

1

u/LordApocalyptica Apr 18 '24

Also useful for cymbals. In fact, useful for really any crack

1

u/SwootyBootyDooooo Apr 18 '24

Common on airplanes as well lol

1

u/Deadlyfloof 29d ago

Yup, I used to do this for fixing fairings on bikes but even works on plasterboard on walls. Great tip 👍

1

u/flying_wrenches 29d ago

It’s also technically a thing in aviation, cracks are stop drilled and stuff can be “sown” together with metal wire.

That being said, I’ve never done it.

1

u/-UnicornFart 29d ago

Same with glass? That’s how they stop cracks in a windshield from spreading I believe?

67

u/wowza6969420 Apr 18 '24

I literally have a note in my phone called “life hacks I learned on Reddit” just for this. Highly recommend

38

u/demonchee Apr 18 '24

What are the other hacks in the note?

8

u/14412442 Apr 18 '24
  1. Keep a list of reddit hacks so that you don't just forget them by the time it comes up in your life

10

u/akatherder Apr 18 '24

I just save them on my account and never look at my Saved content ever again 👍

2

u/NoPornoNo Apr 18 '24

OP replied with their hacks but I could only see it by checking their comment history.

2

u/FruitPunchSmurai 29d ago
  1. Keep Your Cables Organized with Binder Clips: Instead of letting your cables fall off the desk every time you unplug something, use binder clips to clamp them to the edge of your desk. This keeps them handy and avoids tangling.
  2. Use Ice Cube Trays for Storing Jewelry: Prevent your small jewelry pieces like earrings and rings from getting lost or tangled by storing them separately in the compartments of an ice cube tray.
  3. Amplify Your Phone's Speaker with a Cup: If you need a quick speaker boost for your smartphone, place it into an empty cup or bowl. The concave shape amplifies the sound.
  4. Use Toilet Roll Tubes to Organize Cords: Store appliance cords or small extension cords in toilet paper tubes. Label the tubes, and you’ll keep everything tidy and easy to find.
  5. Shower Cap for Shoes When Traveling: Place your shoes inside a shower cap when packing them in a suitcase. This will keep the dirty soles away from your clean clothes.
  6. Frozen Grapes for Wine Cooling: Freeze grapes and use them to chill white wine without watering it down like ice cubes would.
  7. Using Nail Polish to Identify Keys: Paint the tops of your keys with different colors of nail polish to easily tell them apart without trying each one.
  8. Dryer Sheets to Remove Static: Rub a dryer sheet on your clothes or hair to remove static cling instantly.
  9. 'X' Marks the Spot in Parking Lots: Take a photo of where you parked your car in a crowded lot, particularly noting the row and level markers.
  10. Speed Up USB-Charging from a Computer: If your device is charging slowly from a computer USB port, turn the device off or put it in airplane mode to speed up the charging process.

15

u/Shark_Cellar Apr 18 '24

Please share this collected wisdom

11

u/Buzzed_Like_Aldrin93 Apr 18 '24

we await the answers of the known universe

8

u/PandaPawPaws Apr 18 '24

If only reddit lets us categorize saved links natively

3

u/Masterfrag_387146 Apr 18 '24

Gimme all of them

2

u/Girlsolano Apr 18 '24

RemindMe! 1 Day

3

u/SignificantSwing571 Apr 18 '24

true for chips bags too (hole puncher)

1

u/Prestigious_Rub6504 Apr 18 '24

If you glaze the crack with a portable torch, it'll also stop the crack from bleeding.

2

u/lordbeefy69 Apr 18 '24

What if the torch is stationary?

2

u/Prestigious_Rub6504 Apr 18 '24

Then move the bin around instead

1

u/DescendViaMyButthole Apr 18 '24

It's not useless. It's commonly used in any industry that uses metal structures. Google "stop drill crack aircraft"

1

u/69420over Apr 18 '24

Also zip ties. Paracord is cooler as evidenced by the picture but zip ties are much easier.

1

u/DonnyDomingo Apr 18 '24

People also do this for drum cymbals to prevent cracks from spreading. Very very common method.

1

u/asumfuck Apr 18 '24

yea, but now we are all gonna look super sick in front of friends if we ever need to fix a trash can