Re:Surreal Appeal of the Falkirk Wheel
by TrevorJ on Monday June 29, 2009 @12:33AM
(#678496)
That is amazing. It isn't often you find such a good marriage of form and function. Am I right in thinking that this would be more efficient than conventional locks? They don't have to actually pump any water in this design, and the boat is essentially counterbalanced by the cantilever design so the rotational force needed to turn the wheel would be minimal.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
You don't have to pump any water in conventional locks - you rely on having a source of water (lake) higher than the top lock.
The wheel is quicker than a series of locks (not important for leisure use) more expensive to build but it's probably cheaper to maintain than 20 locks.
The wheel still uses energy from the water source to lift the craft. The real advantage is it takes far less water while looking cool. It’s also tall for a lock.
I think the most efficient system to build and use would be a "bucket" and pulley’s attacked to a counter weight. Granted it would have far less summitry and not look as cool. The main advantage to locks is they scale really well but they use more water.
PS: I can't help but wonder how they counterbalance the buoyancy when one end dips into the water. Those curved tips might help and I can world out the geometry in my head but I think they just brute force it.
I don't think any of it dips into the water. It looks like there's a dug out portion for the wheel to turn into.