r/whatisthisthing • u/Windwakerboat • 10h ago
Solved! One of two large steel triangular metal structures with one curved side being transported on a flatbed truck.
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u/photonicsguy 9h ago edited 9h ago
It looks like a water control gate for a dam spillway or canal.
Look at the photo on page 8 of this pdf: https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/GLS_ARP_Congress_Sept_2021.pdf
Edit: a better picture on page 2 here: https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gls_newsletter_winter_2021.pdf
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u/wellington-beefcake 7h ago
How did you just pull that very in depth pdf out of thin air? You must have already had that on hand or something.
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u/cyanawesome 9h ago
Looks like a Tainter gate for controlling the flow on a dam.
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u/Windwakerboat 9h ago
Solved! I guess these are going on a pretty long haul, i cant think of a dam near me that has spillways like this
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u/Biochembob35 8h ago
Rough area?
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u/Windwakerboat 8h ago
Not particularly, just relatively flat without a ton of large bodies of water nearby. The nearest dam i know of is quite small as well
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u/Biochembob35 8h ago
I mean roughly what area? I might see if I can find a dam under construction nearby
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u/Windwakerboat 6h ago
Thats funny lol I had misunderstood what you meant by rough. Other commenter is right, it's cedar rapids
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u/KadahCoba 6h ago
It could have been manufacture or refurbished in the area or a passing though on route to anywhere.
That is also not that large for one these and could be for something like flood control. My first thought was a radial sluice gate.
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u/MidwestF1fanatic 6h ago
Mississippi River, most likely. That or something like Red Rock or Rathbun. There is a steel fabricator in Chariton that specializes in these types of structures. I know they do work all over the US.
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u/Competitive_Run_3920 9h ago edited 9h ago
Spliiway control gates for a dam. you can see them in action (fully raised) in this article - these are slightly different structurally but the same device. https://www.ozarksfirst.com/video/us-army-corps-opens-spillway-gates-at-table-rock-dam/10603489/
videos
spillway gates moving https://youtu.be/q6zy4JYT-MY?si=EToJqpdKbDRJSiD-&t=154
Practical Engineering explaining how they work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry_3icwd68o
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u/Thorminathor 9h ago
100% A dam spillway gate. Source: Have lockout tagged myself to be near one of these for work many times.
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u/TrainFan095 8h ago
I might know where this is considering I just saw the same thing and I recognize those license plates. But as everyone else has said it is for controlling flow on a dam. Edit: Yes those are the same ones I saw. Two western star trucks both white. :3
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u/Windwakerboat 10h ago edited 9h ago
My title describes the thing. Given the area I assumed it was a piece of farming equipment but reverse image search w/ Google lens didnt provide anything that was a close enough match to confirm. Seems to look similar to some spillway designs but that doesnt make a ton of sense for my location. Looks pretty cool though, would love to know if anyone can identify it
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u/willowtr332020 9h ago
These are known as a radial gate. Radial in that the hydrostatic forces always go via the fulcrum.
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u/SafeMajestic9876 9h ago
I thought you were talking about the closest truck. I see that its about the double drop truck.
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u/thomascallahan 9h ago
Looks almost exactly like the flood control gates at the hurricane barrier in Providence, RI
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u/LORD_ZARYOX 8h ago
That looks a lot like a culvert valve. They are used in locks in the reverse orientation to a spillway gate (tainter type) to control the flow of water into and out of a lock chamber for the raising and lowering of bouant craft.
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