Top 9 Most Complex Machines Ever Built
Despite what most people think, the world is full of extremely complex machines that serve a variety of purposes. We here at Mteevanhire love to keep abreast of the latest machinery developments and are always amazed by the power behind these monsters.
The most complex machine ever built is undoubtedly the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator located beneath the France-Switzerland border. Its size alone is amazing!
1. The Large Hadron Collider
Tucked beneath the mountains of Switzerland, trillions of particles race around this giant man-made track at nearly light speed. When they collide, sensors record a treasure trove of data and relay it to supercomputers for analysis.
The Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, is Earth’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator. It consists of a 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets that power and accelerate particles as they circle it.
In 2012, the machine proved that the Higgs boson exists — the subatomic particle that gives mass to the fundamental particles that make up matter and form the universe. Now, physicists are trying to use the LHC to understand more about these particles and other aspects of our universe.
The LHC isn’t just huge, it’s also incredibly complicated. Its critical components, including the super-strong magnets and bubble-shaped accelerating cavities, must be kept ultracold, or else they won’t work. It takes months to warm up and then cool down these parts of the machine.
2. The Space Shuttle
One of the most amazing machines that humans have ever built is the Space Shuttle. This incredible machine was designed to perform a number of different tasks, including carrying large payloads into orbit and providing crew rotation for the International Space Station.
The Space Shuttle was the first reusable human-built spacecraft that could reach orbit and return to Earth. It was also the first spacecraft to be capable of delivering construction modules for the International Space Station.
To achieve this, the space shuttle had to be extremely complex. It consisted of a two-stage vehicle called the Booster and Orbiter. The Booster acted as the rocket booster while the Orbiter served as the pressure vessel and docking platform.
The Booster and Orbiter were powered by three Space Shuttle Main Engines. These engines were capable of swiveling 10.5 degrees up and down and 8.5 degrees from side to side during ascent to change the direction of their thrust.
3. The Human Genome Project
The Human Genome Project was a massive scientific undertaking that sequenced the entire genome of humans. The project was an incredible success, and it helped us understand the genetic basis of disease.
Before the HGP, the biomedical research community viewed projects of this scale with deep skepticism. However, these types of massive projects are now commonplace and well-accepted.
The HGP gave investigators three main research tools:
A physical map of the human genome allows investigators to locate specific genes by using a simple procedure known as "chromosome walking." This technique has allowed researchers to identify disease-linked genes, such as the gene for chronic granulomatous disease (Collins 1992).
A reference sequence of the human genome allows scientists to compare sequences from close relatives, including Neandertals, bonobos, and chimpanzees. Scientists can also use this information to investigate the role of non-protein-coding genetic elements in complex biological processes such as gene regulation, cellular development, and evolution.
4. The World’s Largest Tunnel Boring Machine
One of the most complex machines in the world is a tunnel boring machine. These mole-like machines use millions of components to bore through the earth and place interlocking concrete bricks to create a tunnel. They have been used to build everything from roads to subways.
The world’s largest tunnel boring machine is called Bertha. It is 57ft in diameter and is digging a two mile roadway underneath Seattle. This is a critical project because the city’s aging Alaskan Way Viaduct could buckle in an earthquake.
When workers dig, they operate from a cab inside the machine and wear hyperbaric suits to protect them from high underground pressures. This is necessary because working deep below ground can create a dangerous atmosphere with up to five atmospheres of pressure. When the cutter head breaks down, a huge screw carries the soil to a conveyor where it is mixed and conditioned before being pushed out of the machine and onto barges for transport to the surface.
5. The BelAZ
The BelAZ (Belarusian Automobile Plant or Belarusian Autonomous Zavod) is one of the world’s most impressive and complex machines ever built. The company manufactures some of the largest dump trucks in the world, and their giant BELAZ-75710 model was even included in the Guinness Book of Records. This unique machine can carry 503 tons of cargo and weighs more than 900 tons empty.
The company is also known for its excellent customer service and after-sales support. They have dealers and service centers in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Although the AN-58 bomber might be the most complicated machine ever constructed, it’s hard to compare it to modern computer chips which have thousands of transistors and logic gates. If you want to see a real-life example of what makes these incredible machines so complicated, come to Zhodino and visit the BelAZ factory. The tour includes a trip to the dump truck test pit where you can climb on and under these massive vehicles and take some unique photos.
6. The Universal Alloy Extrusion Press
This enormous machine is used to make extruded aluminum products. It can be considered one of the most complex machines ever built because it has a lot of moving parts and can be quite complicated to operate.
The colossal machine was originally built in Germany in the 1940’s and shipped to the US as war spoil. It was disassembled, refurbished and reassembled at UAC’s Canton plant, where it is used to manufacture aluminum extrusions for aerospace applications.
The machine’s hydraulic system includes four Bosch Rexroth variable displacement servo-controlled pumps with a design flow of 150 gpm each. The pumps drive the cylinders in the extrusion head that press the billet into bars, rods or sections. Hydraulics also control a die slide and butt catcher cylinders to load dies for different shapes into the extrusion head.
7. The Three Gorges Dam
In 1919 in his industrial blueprint for the Chinese Republic Sun Yat-sen envisioned damming the Yangtze River and harnessing its waters to improve navigation, flood control, and hydroelectric power. He didn’t live to see the project come to fruition but his successor Chiang Kai-shek pursued it and invited American engineer John L Savage – who had worked on the Hoover Dam – to survey the area and draw up plans. He also sent dozens of Chinese engineers to America for training.
The result is the 185-meter-tall Three Gorges Dam, which has 34 generators that have a combined capacity of 22,500 megawatts — the largest in the world. But despite its massive output, it hasn’t been without controversy.
The dam’s sluice gates have opened several times this summer to release water into its reservoir, prompting complaints on Chinese social media that it has exacerbated flooding downstream. The company that runs the dam disputes this, claiming it has helped to delay and stagger flooding by intercepting millions of cubic meters of floodwater.
8. The World’s Largest Bucket Wheel Excavator
As humans, we’ve always been able to create incredible machines that push the boundaries of complexity and functionality. Some of these amazing machines have even changed the world we live in.
These massive machines are called Bucket Wheel Excavators (BWEs). They’re a type of mining excavator that uses a large rotating wheel with buckets attached that scoop up dirt as the wheel spins. These excavators are used to dig large-scale open pit mines and can remove thousands of tons of overburden a day.
BWEs are also used to extract lignite, hard coal and copper. They can even be used for oil operations.
One of the most impressive machines ever created by mankind is the MAN/TAKRAF RB293 — more commonly known as “Bagger 293”. This machine weighs over 31 million pounds and holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest land vehicle in the world. It was built to mine coal in the Garzweiler mine, and it took five years to design and assemble it.
9. The Tunnel Boring Machine
If you’re building a tunnel underneath a city, you might need a giant drill. That’s what the world’s largest tunnel boring machine, named Bertha, does. We’ve followed Bertha closely since she sank into the dark muck beneath Seattle to begin her 1.7-mile dig that will replace the Alaska Way Viaduct, a double-decker highway that could buckle in an earthquake.
As she chews through the muck, Bertha’s cutterhead rotates at a speed of 35 feet per day. 260 teeth, both spinning and stationary, grind the soil into a fine slurry. The slurry is then pushed forward through mouthlike holes on the front of the machine and into a chamber where it’s stirred and conditioned. To keep the soil from escaping, it’s pressurized at up to 5.6 atmospheres. That’s why the crew who operate the machine can’t stay in front of it for too long — they need to decompress first. This system — used around the world to dig railway, water and mining tunnels — is incredibly complicated.
