The ironworkers eagerly awaited the start of their shift. It was six-thirty in the morning, and crew was sitting in the parking lot. John Marken, the foreman, was in the cab of his truck talking to his wife on his wristphone. Dave and Michael, the young connectors, were discussing last night’s ball game, Dave tying the laces of his boots and Michael taking a puff from his electric cigarette. Mitch, the old man of the crew, at 49 years old, was telling war stories to the apprentice, Luis, and the hook man, Duron. The TV16 news truck pulled into the split-gravel parking lot.

Today was the first field test of the Electro-Carbon Lifting System, developed by the Telsa Group. For the last two days, the ironworkers strung the curtain of carbon fiber from the temporary support post attached to the fourth floor of the exposed structural steel frame. Salex Steel company owner Sal Alexander sat impatiently in the doublewide construction trailer cluttered with blueprints along with dignitaries and honored guests.

A voice broke out above the din of low voices.

ENR Construction Science Fiction Contest“您今天将首次在公开场合公开看到的是升起组装的结构钢制墙段11英尺,高3英寸,长40英尺,长度为9英寸,” Telsa的首席工程师David Fasinelli宣称。。“通过我们的Magna Lift Generator,仅诱导75伏直流电流并将其引入碳纤维,将使这六吨吨组装升级到铁工船员的等待手中,将指导该部分到达其在其最终的休息位置,在其第四层的最终休息位置这个结构。不使用起重机,只有与铁成分相互作用的激发分子。”声音再次增长到低落的嗡嗡声。拖车的两扇门旋转,小组开始散入凉爽的早晨空气。从海湾向西吹来的海盐气味在空中。

戴夫(Dave)和迈克尔(Michael)在建筑电梯上升起了旧建筑的侧面。已移除花岗岩板以容纳新建筑。一群穿着衣冠楚楚的高管和建筑经理进入了便携式建筑拖车和1990年代复古四层楼之间的绳索区域。戴维·法西内利(David Fasinelli)和萨尔·亚历山大(Sal Alexander)在蓝色和黄色的游戏机后面占据了与Telsa Company徽标的颜色相匹配的位置。

The pre-assembled building wall section, braced by rust colored steel pipes, sat on wooden four-by-four timbers in alignment with the building wall to which it would soon extend further skyward. Red carbon cables—each about three inches thick and a quarter of an inch wide—hung from brackets atop the building. They shimmered and danced in the early morning breeze. Melvin Kennedy, the project manager for the Summl Corp., the general contractor, lifted his microphone. His nasal voice rang over the loudspeakers. He welcomed the honored guests and the reporters that would witness this historic event. “Three…Two…One…Let the lift begin," he declared.

Fasinelli began to turn knobs on the console. A low vibrating hum was heard above the murmurs of the attendees. The voltage made its way through the thick black cables to the red carbon fiber cables. The ironworker ground crew stood ready—each man was at one of the pipe braces—and their tool belts were left at the gang shack as the steel wrenches could be pulled by the magnetic field.

The wall section began to raise from its timber supports, first the near end, and with slight adjustment by Fasinelli, then the far end rose ever so slightly from the support. It was now floating about six inches from the ground. A couple of gasps echoed from the crowd, and one loud voice shouted, “Yes!”

The ironworker ground crew released the braces by hand then backed away from the wall. The wall floated like a bumblebee and started to drift slightly away from the crowd. Fasinelli quickly toggled the controls, and the wall sat floating completely still as if in magical levitation. The engineer pulled slightly down on the sliding control and the wall began to rise as if pulled up by a crane. The grey painted iron frame rose slowly between the red carbon fibers. With a slight buzz-crackle, electric noise hummed through the assembly. The electro-carbon cords slithered like snakes around the slowly rising steel. Floor by floor, the wall section floated up to its final elevation, about four minutes in all.

铁工连接器戴夫(Dave)和迈克尔(Michael)在高架巨石的两端倾斜了伸出的手臂。Fasinelli调整了水平控制旋钮,这导致墙向铁工倾斜。戴夫(Dave)直接悬停在连接板板上时,戴夫(Dave)向他的收音机讲话。连接器将其特殊的塑料复合物SPUD扳手放入壁板的孔中。

“让她慢慢失望。”戴夫向小型收音机讲话。法西内利(Fasinelli)慢慢地推向滑动控制,直到“高高”一词,船员的口头信号停止吊装,打破了无线电的沉默。连接器将螺栓旋转到三列连接中并拧紧它们。戴夫(Dave)宣布收音机和机组人员:“她很安全。”Fasinelli将所有控件转换为零,并关闭电源开关。掌声从人群中响起。

Fasinelli与Sal Alexander握手,然后走到Melvin Kennedy。这些人握手,梅尔文递给麦克风大卫。女士们,先生们和尊敬的客人。今天,您目睹了Telsa电碳提升系统的首次公开演示。这是一个历史性的世界活动。多年的研究,利用新旧技术,使我们在成本削减和安全技术方面达到了这一里程碑。在不久的将来,我们将能够以低成本的价格将重物提升到太空中,而无需使用火箭。谢谢您的出席。”

该小组开始分裂,有些人进入建筑拖车,有些则进入车辆。几位记者开始围绕Fasinelli。铁工队的工作人员在屋顶上休息,并用总承包商提供的咖啡,甜甜圈和苏打水庆祝。

Facista

George Facista hails from Phoenix, Ariz. He is employed as apprenticeship supervisor of the District Council of Union Ironworkers of California, Nevada and Arizona. He has worked in all aspects of the ironworking trade for 35 years as foreman, general foreman, inspector and safety representative. Facista began teaching apprentice ironworkers in 1997 and assumed the role of apprenticeship coordinator of Arizona in 2005. He became apprenticeship supervisor in 2009. Facista earned his associate degree in Ironworking in 1996 and his bachelor’s degrees in Safety and Health and Education in 2001. He also is a Certified Welding Inspector. In his spare time, George enjoys playing guitar, hunting and spending with family and friends.

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