Original subtitles

>> male narrator: modern marvels

Is going big and counting down.

No series has celebrated

Man-made wonders over so many

Episodes as we have,

And now it's time to flex our

Muscles and count down our top

Ten marvels from the world

Of brute strength.

Whether they lift, pull, hold,

Or haul, prepare to be bowled

Over by these high-tech,

Heavy-duty titans.

You won't find a weak link

In this countdown,

And wait till you see

What our number one,

Strongest-of-them-all can do.

So brace yourself because

You're about to take on

The superstrong on this edition

Of modern marvels mega marvels

Countdown.

[dramatic music]

*

America has always prided itself

On its strength.

Not just as our strength

As a nation of people,

But the technological muscle

We possess to shape our world.

Still, it's easy to take

America's high-tech might

For granted, so we amassed ten

Worthy finalists that showcase

It magnificently, and we're not

Powering down until we count

Them down to the strongest

Of them all at number one.

We pick things up

With number ten.

This behemoth has

The not-so-light task of lifting

And moving the biggest private

Pleasure boats on the sea,

The marine travelift.

At the marine group boat works

In san diego, california,

Mario olivares is piloting

One of the world's strongest

Mobile yacht hoists.

>> it's sort of is like

A remote control car.

Same thing, just more buttons.

Just with a lot

Of responsibilities.

[laughs]

>> narrator: the marine

Travelift's cargo on this day

Is the california spirit,

A 440-ton charter yacht that can

Accommodate 600 passengers.

It barely taxes the capacity

Of this superstrong titan.

>> the biggest boat we've lifted

In terms of length would

A private yacht named ronin,

Which was 193 feet long.

That's owned by larry ellison,

A founder of oracle.

That boat's probably worth

Somewhere in the $40 million

To $60 million range.

>> narrator: the biggest

And strongest marine travelift

Handles boats up to 665 tons,

Moving them around the shipyard

Like bathtub toys,

A superstrong reason to make

It number ten on our countdown.

The machine's lifting strength

Comes not from horsepower

But hydraulics.

>> the motor's very simple.

It's a 400-horsepower

Turbocharged john deere

Which runs a large hydraulic

Pump, and then all the motors

That control the winches,

The wheels, the steering--

Everything's hydraulic.

>> narrator: the engine turns

At 1,800 revolutions per minute,

Pumping hydraulic fluid to a

Series of valves, which control

Where the fluid is directed.

When the hoist valve is open,

The flow of hydraulic fluid

Is forced through a system

Of stainless steel tubing

To the winch, which it turns,

Lifting the boat.

Once the boat is aloft,

The operator guides the marine

Travelift at one mile per hour.

The wireless remote control

Allows him to steer the massive

Front and rear wheels

Independently.

>> there's 16 wheels that are

Approximately 9 feet tall.

They run at about 140 psi

In comparison to a car that runs

At about 35 psi,

And they're capable of bearing

The weight of both the machine

Itself, which is about a million

Pounds, and then the weight

Of its cargo, which can be

Upwards of 1.3 million pounds.

>> narrator: this marine

Travelift has transported dozens

Of boats at up to $10,000

A lift, but few have tested

Its mettle until it got

This big surprise.

>> this boat was launched

In the early '70s as a replica

Vessel to be used

For training purposes.

It got purchased by 20th century

Fox to film the movie

Master and commander:

Far side of the world

With russell crowe,

And then they sold it to

The san diego maritime museum.

>> well, she's tipping the

Scales right now at 1,062,000

Pounds, so she's about 530 tons.

>> narrator: after moving

The lift into place,

Mario and his team begin linking

The heavy nylon straps

Beneath the boat at critical

Stress points along the hull.

The straps are pulled

Into position by over 1,000 feet

Of 1 1/2 inch galvanized steel

Triple-braided cables.

As the ship slowly begins

To lift, the blocks that support

Her are knocked free.

Then mario maneuvers the ship

Out over the finger piers where

It's lowered into the water.

>> our big machine runs with

A crew of five men--one operator

And four helpers--and they can

Lift a 600-ton boat out with

Saying ten words to each other.

Lot of hand signals.

They just know what comes next,

And they know what they expect

Of each other.

>> narrator: and because large,

Seagoing craft can expect

Just the boost they need

From the marine travelift,

It's a fitting choice

To kick off our countdown.

Our number nine entry isn't

Nearly as mega-sized,

But its binding power has held

Together some of the world's

Most mega-sized structures,

And we're really stuck on it--

Vhb tape.

For over 30 years, vhb tape,

The super sticky creation of the

3m company, has held the title

Of world's strongest tape.

>> this is our slammer demo,

And what we're gonna do here is,

We're gonna impact the 16-pound

Bowling ball into two aluminum

Sheets that have been bonded

Together with the vhb tape,

And we'll see how long

The vhb tape lasts.

You can see that it did

Eventually fail, but it did

Take a lot of impacts.

>> narrator: incredibly, the

Tape is ten times stronger than

Rivets undergoing the same test.

>> now you can see, after just

Two impacts, how the mechanical

Fasteners pulled through

The aluminum.

>> narrator: used in planes

And home electronics

And everything in between,

Vhb is scotch tape on steroids.

Fast, easy to apply, and able,

As this test shows,

To pull a train car.

How's that for a strong reason

It's part of our countdown?

The secret behind vhb tape

Is acrylic foam, which makes

It airtight, watertight,

And highly viscoelastic.

Viscoelasticity is one

Of the most powerful ways

Things adhere.

It works like this: when first

Applied, the vhb tape seeps

And flows into the nooks

And crannies of the surface

To which it will stick.

This seepage continues

For up to 72 hours after initial

Application to achieve

The ultimate bond.

>> now, as that material

Is flowing, if you start to pull

On it, now the material starts

Acting like a solid

Instead of acting like a liquid.

So the way it forms a bond

Is through viscous flow,

And the way it forms a strong

Bond is by acting like a solid

Under the application of stress.

>> here's a little demonstration

Of the elasticity

Of the vhb tape.

So you can see you can elongate

It quite a bit, and it still

Has the resiliency to go back,

And we can still

Take it right back again, a show

Of strength and resiliency.

>> narrator: we can't tell you

Vhb's exact chemical formula

Because it's classified,

But we can show you its most

Spectacular use.

>> the facades that are used

In making a number of modern

Skyscrapers are actually made

Out of panels that are just

Decorative in character,

And those decorative panels are

Very often constructed using an

Acrylic foam tape like vhb tape.

>> one of the most famous

Buildings that utilizes vhb tape

Is the burj al arab hotel,

Which is the tallest hotel

In the world.

Also, it's a great example of

An extremely harsh environment

With high temperatures and high

Wind loads, which proves

The durability and the ultimate

Performance of the vhb tape.

>> narrator: since the hotel's

Aluminum panels had to span

The structure's entire 60-story

Height, engineers needed

Reassurance that vhb tape would

Be strong enough to hold them

Securely in place.

Convincing evidence came from

3m's extensive heat tests,

In which they compared

The tape to rivets.

They found that searing heat

Caused the aluminum panels

To expand, creating pressure

On the connection.

Unlike rivets,

The viscoelasticity of vhb foam

Absorbs the stress and allows

The aluminum panels to move

Independently of the steel

To which they're stuck.

This unbelievable combination of

Mega-hold and extreme elasticity

Make vhb the superman of tape

Products and number nine on our

Countdown of the super strong.

Save your strength because we've

Got eight more muscle-bound

Wonders left to power through,

And the next choice coming up

Can more than pull its own

Weight thanks to the 1/2 million

Pounds of force it can exert.

And don't forget our number one

Strongest marvel.

It can generate over 120,000

Pounds of thrust, as much

As three f-35 fighter engines.

It didn't make our countdown,

But another super strong

Industrial material

Is e.P.S. Foam.

A square foot of it can hold

Approximately 1.8 tons.

One of its many uses is as

A foundation for our roadways.

If a stretch of land isn't firm

Enough to support a road, it can

Be dug up and replaced

With blocks of e.P.S. Foam,

Making the road stronger,

Firmer, and more durable.

We're muscling through our top

Ten strongest marvels, counting

Them down to the most formidable

Of them all at number one.

We got things rolling with

A power mover at number ten,

The marine travelift.

Then we formed an unbreakable

Bond with number nine,

Vhb tape.

Our number eight pick

Is a nautical brother-and-sister

Duo brawny enough to take on

Much bigger vessels

And lead them by the nose--

The gar and lindsey foss

Tugboats.

The port of long beach

In southern california welcomes

The largest container ships

In the world,

And superstrength is needed

To muscle these behemoths

Through its narrow channels.

The garth foss and lindsey foss

Tugboats are tailor-made

For the challenge.

>> these boats are about

150 foot in length,

They're over 40 foot in beam,

And they run 8,000 horsepower.

These boats can exert a direct

Bollard pull in excess of

170,000 pounds and an indirect

Bollard pull well in excess

Of 500,000 pounds.

These are really

Mission-specific designed

To stop a tanker at speed.

>> narrator: bollard pull is the

Maritime measurement of force

That a tugboat exerts

When pulling against

A stationary object.

The more bollard pull,

The stronger the tug,

And these tugs pull hard.

>> we're gonna just pull

Straight back now.

We had about 65 tons

On the line here.

See if we can get any more

On pulling direct.

>> narrator: so what makes these

Tenacious tugs strong enough

To pull in the number eight spot

On our countdown?

They're each powered by two

4,000-horsepower locomotive

Diesel engines.

That's the equivalent power

Of over 17 average-sized

Mack trucks.

Aside from hefty horsepower, the

Secret behind the superstrength

Of our number eight contenders

Is their propulsion system,

The voith schneider.

>> the propulsion that's

Underneath the vessel here

Where we're sitting--

The voith schneider propulsion--

The blades would hang down here

That do all the work.

It's a lot different

Than a propeller.

It drives it a lot different.

>> narrator: this unique

Propulsion system

Is similar to a helicopter's,

With its blades

Extending vertically

Into the water from the bottom

Of the ship's hull.

Rotating around a vertical axis,

An array of five blades with

Shapes similar to airplane wings

Provide the lift, or thrust,

For these powerful tugs.

Mechanically linked, each of the

Blades smoothly changes pitch

To optimize its angle of attack

Relative to the flow

Of the water it meets.

On command, this smooth

And coordinated movement

Instantly creates the required

Amount of thrust

In any direction

Required by the tug.

Not only is the voith system

Incredibly strong,

It also provides outstanding

Maneuverability.

>> where we have it heads

And shoulders above

The conventional tugs--

They're not as maneuverable.

You can't control their

Propellers as well as we can.

And then plus the fact that we

Have the 8,000 horsepower.

High maneuverability and high

Horsepower is pretty much

The ultimate in ship assist.

>> narrator: as strong as these

Tugs are, foss maritime

Has plans to incorporate

Even more strength.

>> with a vessel that has a 20-,

25-, even 30- or 40-year

Service life,

You have to be looking

Way beyond what your present

Market needs are.

You have to be looking at your

Customers and what your industry

Is doing and building for the

Future as well as the present.

>> we're gonna keep pushing

The boundaries of what we can do

On the water.

We're gonna increase

The horsepower of our tugs,

We're gonna increase

The performance capabilities,

And really meet that demand

As it grows.

>> narrator: of course, tugboats

Are only as strong as their

Towing line, and if they use

The number seven item on our

Countdown, they have the top

Of the line.

You'll never find yourself at

The end of your rope if you use

Superstrong spectra fiber rope.

It's been over 50 years since

Synthetic fibers such as nylon

And polyester replaced natural

Fibers in industrial rope,

But spectra fiber is in a class

By itself.

>> when honeywell spectra fiber

Was developed, it was

A tremendous leap forward

In strength.

With this spectra fiber,

We could lift something that

Is around 100, 120 pounds before

The fiber actually breaks.

>> narrator: spectra fiber

Is made from a plastic with

Incredible tensile strength.

It's a very high

Molecular-weight polyethylene.

Polyethylene is a long chain

Molecule called a polymer

Derived from petroleum

Byproducts.

Its crystalline, lightweight

Plastics are ideal

For rope-making.

>> manufactured using a gel

Spinning process.

When we spin it, we're able

To orient very long chains

Of polyethylene and really

Rely on the backbone of the

Polyethylene bond, which is

A very strong bond, and because

Of this, we're able to generate

A fiber that has a very high

Strength-to-weight ratio.

>> narrator: this process

Creates the filament that will

Be spun into spectra fiber.

Hundreds of these filaments,

Each roughly 25 microns

In diameter, make a single

Spectra fiber.

When all those spectra fibers

Are woven into rope, the result

Is seven times stronger

Than steel rope.

No wonder it tied down

The number seven spot

On our countdown.

At puget sound rope

In anacortes, washington,

The manufacturing of spectra

Rope is a 24/7 operation.

>> this is a creel that holds

The raw material packages

Of spectra.

This is the very beginning spot

Where we start to manufacture

The rope.

>> narrator: 230 spools

Of spectra fiber are pulled

Together for the first important

Step in making

Superstrong rope:

The twist.

>> each one of these strands has

The exact same amount of tension

On it going into the twist,

So everything will stay aligned

And equal and balanced

Throughout the entire process.

>> narrator: the spectra is then

Made even stronger, almost 50%

Stronger, by stretching it under

High temperatures.

This reorients the fiber's

Molecular structure, producing

What puget sound calls

Plasma rope.

The next step in any rope-making

Process is the highly

Important braid.

There are many different

Braid constructions.

Each affects the performance

And determines the ultimate

Strength of the rope.

>> this machine is a large

12-strand braider.

There are 12 individual bobbins

On the machine.

It produces a much smoother

Structure than conventional

Plain braids.

It maximizes the strength

And the performance properties

Of the structure.

>> narrator: once the rope

Is constructed, it needs to be

Mechanically tested.

>> here we're getting ready to

Do a destruction test on 6-inch

Circumference plasma rope,

And here we've got the fixed

End of the test sample.

We've spliced the specimen.

One eye is here, and the other

Eye is attached down there.

>> narrator: it takes 20 minutes

For the machine to build up

Enough force to even challenge

The integrity of the rope.

The test machine operator stays

Behind the steel wall to protect

Himself from the energy

That will be released.

[rope snaps explosively]

>> this rope broke at 400,000

Pounds, which is where it should

Have broken.

>> narrator: this 400,000-pound

Breaking point indicates a huge

Tensile strength, enough to pull

Most 747s and to pull

In the number seven spot

In our countdown.

After strong-arming our way this

Far, there's no stopping

Our momentum now.

Wait till you see the next entry

On our countdown that carries

Enough potential energy to blast

A 200-pound man nearly

10,000 feet in the air.

Boats aren't the only vehicles

With the strength to pull giant

Cargo vessels through

The waterways.

At the panama canal, eight

Locomotive tugs weighing 55 tons

Each pull ships as heavy

As 80,000 tons through the three

Locks which connect the atlantic

And pacific oceans.

At number eight, we got yanked

Around by the garth

And lindsey fo tugboats.

Then we took on the tensile

Strength of spectra fiber rope

At number seven,

But you'll really dig the next

Finalist on our countdown,

Especially if you're a 258-ton

Vehicle in need of the world's

Strongest tire.

At number six,

The 70/70-57 super tire.

In the depths of this open-pit

Coal mine in wyoming's

Powder river basin,

Everything is big,

Really big, including this

Letourneau l-2350.

It can excavate and load 100,000

Tons of material in a day's

Work, and the weight of that

Tonnage rests on its bridgestone

70/70-57 tires.

Each one weighs about the same

As a school bus, nearly 15,000

Pounds, with a load-carrying

Capacity of 300,000 pounds,

Plenty strong to support

Its place at number six

On our countdown.

Making just one of them requires

40 workers 88 hours

Of painstaking labor

And a mountain of raw rubber.

The first step is to join nylon

Cords to form rubber plies.

>> each of these plies is

A rubberized nylon--nylon cord--

Very much like I have

In my hand right here.

There's up to 21 of these cords

In every inch of that ply.

The plies are up to

17 foot wide.

>> narrator: a team of skilled

Tire builders then begin

Layering the 48 plies

On a massive hub.

Every 12th ply,

The workers insert a bead.

The bead is heavy steel

Hula-hoop.

It's high tensile strength keeps

The tire mounted on the wheel.

One tire requires eight beads.

>> what I have in front of me

Here is one complete set

Of beads for a 70/70-57.

These eight beads--each of them

Weighing 80 pounds, combined

Total of 640 pounds of steel

Here--is comprised of 20

Individual strands of wire

Insulated with a special rubber

Compound to keep the wires from

Abrading against each other.

These 20 strands have been

Wrapped around a 57-inch

Diameter wheel 44 times.

The amount of wire, if I laid

It out end to end, would stretch

Out nearly 20 miles

In total length.

>> narrator: once the beads

In all 48 plies are in place,

A stitching machine removes

The trapped air and seals up

The sections.

Workers then place the hulking

Rubber roll in a hydraulic

Press for shaping.

The press applies pressure on

The outside while a huge rubber

Bladder inflates on the inside,

And a tire begins to take shape.

>> we're inflating that bladder

With carbon dioxide at about 25

Pounds of pressure while,

The same time, we're compressing

The beads the together, so we're

Taking the tire from essentially

A barrel shape down into

A tire shape.

>> narrator: workers next place

It into a large mold.

A 105-ton domed oven filled

With hot steam covers the mold.

Scalding water fills the rubber

Bladder inside the tire.

The heat causes the rubber

Molecules to physically link

With sulfur molecules,

A reaction called vulcanization,

Which increases the stability

And durability

Of our superstrong pick

At number six.

After a final inspection and

Testing, these monster wheels

Are ready to hit the dirt.

In the powder river coal mines,

A set of four hardworking

70/70 tires will last

About six months.

They'll do for now, until

The day that new compounds

Or construction techniques crown

The next world's strongest

Tire and its companion loader.

If you're impressed by this

Giant in our countdown,

Our number five finalist

Will really blow you away--

The subsonic wind tunnel.

Unlike most wind tunnels that

Test the flight performance

Of scale models, this enormous

Facility in mountain view,

California, tests the full-sized

Real thing.

The subsonic wind tunnel

At nasa's ames research center

Is larger than an airplane

Hangar.

>> in the 80x120-foot test

Section, we can fit a 737-sized

Aircraft, which is unique

In the world.

No other facility has that

Capability to test that size

Of aircraft in a wind tunnel.

>> narrator: testing full-size

Aircraft requires

Hurricane-strength winds, which

The subsonic wind tunnel creates

Using this set of colossal fans.

>> what is behind me is what's

Called the fan drive.

Every wind tunnel

Has a drive section.

Some have multiple layers

Of blades.

This one has one layer of blades

Because it's a low-speed

Subsonic wind tunnel.

Each one of these, the cells

That you see--there's six

Of them--has a 22,500-horsepower

Electric motor.

It's driving 15 blades

That you can see.

They're 40-foot diameter

On the outside.

And that's basically what

Provides the energy to move

The air around the test section.

>> narrator: that's a grand

Total of 135,000 horsepower,

More than enough

For the subsonic wind tunnel

To whisk away the number five

Spot in our countdown.

But with all of that power,

You better make sure the fan's

40-foot diameter blades

Are superstrong too.

>> each fan has 15 blades.

Here we're looking at one

Of the blades installed within

The hub system itself.

At the root of the blade, we see

The graphite windings that have

Been installed to be able

To withstand the high loads

Experienced during operation.

Underneath the graphite,

In the area of the blade root,

We have the hydulignum wood,

Which is three times denser than

Normal birch wood and, as such,

Three times stronger.

>> the intake section behind me

Is about a football field

In length, and its purpose

Is to bring air into the test

Section of the wind tunnel.

This particular wind tunnel

Pulls air through this aperture

And exhausts it out the other

Side of the wind tunnel.

>> narrator: at the mouth of the

Intake section, the structure

Is 13 stories high, but in

The test section, it's height

Is reduced to eight stories

In order to generate

High wind speeds.

>> so the wind just outside the

Aperture would be moving about

20 miles an hour, but by necking

Down, much like a garden hose

When you're turning the spray

Nozzle, by a six-to-one ratio,

We get the air up over 100 miles

An hour by the time it reaches

The test section area.

>> narrator: those superstrong

Winds are helping to push the

Limits of aeronautic research

And powerful enough for the

Subsonic wind tunnel to breeze

Its way onto our countdown.

Next up is our only entry

That can withstand both

An 1,100-degree fire

And the pressure

Of a 20,000-foot ocean dive.

And later, we'll reveal our

Crowning choice at number one,

So powerful it can haul nearly

1/2 million pounds from new york

To los angeles

In under three hours.

They didn't make our countdown,

But for another heavy-duty

Aeronautic ally, there's

The world's strongest elevators

On the uss ronald reagan.

They can lift 200,000 pounds

Each, more than enough

To transport two fully loaded

F/a-18 fighters from the flight

Deck to the hangar bay 40 feet

Below in under ten seconds.

We started this herculean

Journey at full strength with

The hefty hauling power of the

Marine travelift at number ten.

Then we strong-armed our way

To number five

With the mind-blowing

Gale force of the subsonic

Wind tunnel.

Number four on our countdown

Is a tough nut to crack,

But that's a good thing.

Let's peek inside aviation's

Indestructible wonder,

The black box.

Airplane crash rates

Are remarkably low.

Only 2 1/2 accidents occur

For every 1 million commercial

Flights worldwide,

But if the unthinkable does

Happen, the plane's black box,

Which contains vital information

On how and why the crash

Occurred, is expected to survive

Crashes like these

With its data intact.

That data can then be used

To prevent future catastrophes.

All large commercial aircraft

Are required to have not one

But two black boxes onboard.

The larger one is the flight

Data recorder, which tracks key

Parameters from different parts

Of the plane like airspeed,

Wing flap position, vertical

Acceleration, and engine speed.

The shorter box is the cockpit

Voice recorder which captures

Crew conversations and any

Unusual noises in flight

Thanks to microphones positioned

Around the cockpit.

The technicians at l-3

Communications in sarasota,

Florida, conduct tests that help

Ensure that the black boxes

Can survive even the most

Devastating crashes.

>> the crash survival tests

Are meant to simulate an actual

Crash event of an airplane.

>> narrator: first, let's see

How the tough aluminum shell

Of our number four entry fares

In the static crush test.

>> the static crush takes

The unit and places it in this

Machine and applies 5,000-pound

Crushing force to simulate crush

Of large components

Of an airplane that may fall off

During an accident

And land on the recorder.

>> narrator: one thing you've

No doubt noticed at this point

Is that a black box

Isn't actually black.

>> the recorder is bright orange

Per the specifications,

And it's done that way so that

The recorder can be easily

Found in the wreckage.

>> narrator: it's believed by

Some that he misnomer may refer

To the charring that occurs

In crash-related fires

Or the color of early recorders.

Within the black box's aluminum

Shell is an even stronger

Stainless steel or titanium

Casing that protects

The all-important memory module

Where all the critical

Information is stored.

To test its strength,

The engineers at l-3

Use the pin penetration test.

>> we'll take this 500-pound

Weight, insert this 1/4 inch

Hardened steel pin in

The bottom, hoist it up 10 feet,

And then drop it directly on the

Bull's-eye here and attempt

To penetrate the crash housing.

>> narrator: this test is meant

To simulate the debris

That could fly at the device

During a crash.

>> we hit our mark right in the

Center of the crash housing with

The 1/4 inch steel pin, and we

Don't have any penetration.

>> narrator: want more proof

That the black box belongs

At number four

On our superstrong countdown?

>> this test is to simulate

An airplane crash where

High-temperature fire resulted.

The test consists of three

Burners that you see around

The recorder.

Those burners are set to produce

A flame temperature

Of 1,100 degrees c.

[flames hiss]

>> narrator: the black box must

Withstand the heat for one hour.

As the aluminum housing

Ultimately melts away, the

Stainless steel case endures.

[saw buzzing]

>> you can see that it's still

In good shape.

All the paint has been burned

Off of it,

The labels have been burned off,

But it looks fairly intact.

>> our current recorder so far

Has an unblemished track record

In data recovery

And audio recovery.

Our recorders are built

To survive even the worst

Of crashes.

>> narrator: the black box is

Standard superstrong equipment

If you're flying, but if you're

Headed for earth orbit, you need

Something superstrong just

To get you to the launchpad.

Our choice at number three:

Nasa's crawler-transporter.

The crawler-transporter

Was the space shuttle's personal

Taxicab since the program's

Inception in 1981.

It weighs a svelte 6 million

Pounds, with a roof about

The size of a baseball diamond.

Inside this vehicle assembly

Building, or v.A.B., the shuttle

And its companion rocket

Boosters sit atop the mobile

Launch platform.

It's combined weight:

12 million pounds.

To get this behemoth off the

Ground, the crawler-transporter

Uses some seriously strong

Hydraulic muscle.

The system is called j.E.L.,

Or jacking equalization

And leveling.

Basically, it's an enormous

Floor jack.

>> the actual load of the mobile

Launcher and shuttle elements

Are assumed by four small

Points, one directly above

The crawler truck assembly

On all four of the corners

Of the chassis.

>> narrator: after the crawler

Moves beneath the mobile

Launcher platform, the j.E.L.'s

16 cylinders, under 3,300 pounds

Per square inch of hydraulic

Pressure, jack up the structure

18 inches.

After the fragile docking

Is complete, the crawler hits

Reverse and begins the long,

Six-hour trek to the launchpad

4 miles away at a top speed

Of .9 miles per hour,

A snail's pace,

But inching along on 456 shoes,

The crawler is actually more

Like a mutant centipede.

>> we're walking alongside

One of the eight crawler

Tread belts.

Each tread belt is comprised

Of 57 individual shoes.

Each of the shoes weighs

Approximately 2,000 pounds.

The lugs that are holding

The adjacent shoes together

Each weigh approximately

80 to 100 pounds.

>> narrator: it takes a lot

Of muscle to move these beefy,

Load-bearing tracks,

And that muscle comes

From what's under the hood.

>> this is one of our

Two dc propel engines onboard

The crawler.

It's an alco 2,750-horsepower

Engine.

Both of them are operating

Concurrently when the crawler's

Operating in normal

Configuration,

And each one turns a shaft

Supplying power to these

1,000-kilowatt generators,

And they're responsible for

Supplying power to the 16 propel

Motors that are on corners of

The crawler that are responsible

For taking the crawler

Down the crawler lane.

>> narrator: that's a total

Of 5,500 horsepower, burly

Enough to carry the number

Three position on our

Countdown, but the real secret

To the world's strongest crawler

Is how it converts that power

To the phenomenal torque needed

To move millions of pounds.

Each of the eight thread belts

Uses two propel motors.

Each motor turns a shaft that

Powers a five-stage reduction

Gear train.

Every 168 revolutions of

The motor shaft equates to one

Turn of the propel's bracket.

The result is overwhelming

Torque multiplication.

In order to bear the weight

Of a new generation

Of heavy lift rockets, the

Crawler-transporter's carrying

Capacity is being increased from

12 million to 18 million pounds.

This will enable it to haul

Nasa's heaviest launch vehicle

Yet, the space launch system,

Or sls.

So despite already residing in

Florida, the number three entry

On our countdown isn't ready

For retirement yet.

Number four was that

Indestructible aeronautic

Device, the black box,

And carrying us on its brawny

Back at number three was

The space shuttle's personal

Taxi, the crawler-transporter.

Our runner-up at number two is

A mega hauler of the high seas,

The cosco long beach.

The cosco long bea is longer

Than three football fields,

30 feet wider than the panama

Canal, and weighs over

72,000 tons.

Such a huge cargo ship needs

A superstrong diesel engine

To move it, and the cosco long

Beach has one of the most

Powerful in the world,

The wartsila rta96-c,

With an astounding

95,000 horsepower.

Manufactured in korea,

The wartsila is 76 feet long

And 44 feet high,

As large as a three-story house.

>> I've been working

On big engines all my life.

This is the biggest.

It's amazing.

It's a challenge.

It's a lot of horsepower

To look after.

It's a big engine.

Massive.

>> narrator: the total engine

Weight is 2,300 tons.

The crankshaft alone weighs

300 tons.

It's over 1,000 times more

Powerful than many car engines.

Each of the wartsila's

12 cylinders delivers

8,000 horsepower.

This overwhelming strength is

What powers the cosco long beach

Cargo ship to number two

On our countdown.

>> this is a spare piston

For this main engine.

It's 20 feet tall,

And it weighs 5 1/2 tons.

Just imagine this piston moving

Up and down the engine

At 102 times per minute.

That's incredible.

>> narrator: inside the 12

Assembly units where the pistons

Are connected to the crankshaft,

Technicians inspect

The engine parts.

Running at full power,

The wartsila would be far too

Dangerous to approach this

Closely, so it's been slowed

Down to a fraction

Of its normal speed.

>> we are slowly turning

The engine at the moment, just

To give an idea of this massive

Piece of steel coming up,

Driven from the pistons.

When this machine

Is in operation, you will never

Be able to stand in this area.

>> narrator: using time-lapse

Photography, we're able to speed

Up the process and bring

This incredibly powerful engine

To life.

With each stroke

Of the 5 1/2 ton assembly,

It covers more than 8 feet.

This enormous mass of metal

Drives the crankshaft, which

Generates the 95,000 horsepower.

The engine consumes

Up to 250 tons of fuel a day.

It can propel the cosco long

Beach at up to 24 knots,

A blazing speed for a container

Ship this size.

>> it give you a feeling like

A car driver if he has a fast

Car on a good road without

Speed limit, where you can

Use this horsepowers,

So it's a nice feeling.

>> narrator: we've counted down

Through ten impressive specimens

Of strength and durability.

Only one, our crowning choice,

Remains.

Before we unleash it,

Let's recap the worthy

Adversaries it outmuscled.

Number ten,

The marine travelift.

>> it's sort of is like

A remote control car.

>> narrator: number nine,

Vhb tape.

Number eight, the garth

And lindsey fo tugboats.

>> pretty much the ultimate

In ship assist.

>> narrator: number seven,

Spectra fiber rope.

Number six, the 70/70-57

Super tire.

>> world's strongest tire.

>> narrator: number five,

The subsonic wind tunnel.

>> no other facility

Has that capability.

>> narrator: number four,

The black box.

Number three, nasa's

Crawler-transporter.

Number two, the cosco long beach

Cargo ship.

>> that's a lot of horsepower

To look after.

>> narrator: now it's time

To unshackle our ultimate pillar

Of strength, the number one

Superstrong dynamo

And america's ultimate bomber,

The b-1b lancer.

No one appreciates

The superstrength of this flying

Juggernaut better than

The airmen of the 28th bomb wing

At ellsworth air force base

In south dakota.

The b-1b bomber is 146 feet

Long, weighs approximately

440,000 pounds fully loaded,

And can reach supersonic speeds

Of mach 1.2.

Its four turbofan engines

Produce 30,000 pounds of thrust

Each, meaning the b-1 is powered

By the equivalent of three f-35

Fighter engines.

>> the b-1 is the muscle car

Of the bomber force.

It has power, it has speed,

And it has a huge payload

Capability.

>> narrator: the b-1b can haul

A smart weapons payload weighing

134,000 pounds, eight times

Heavier than that carried

By a b-17 during world war ii.

Isn't that a potent enough

Reason to make it number one

On our superstrong countdown?

The b-1b is more than capable

Of flexing its muscles without

Unleashing its munitions.

When flying at supersonic speeds

As low as 200 feet off

The ground, the b-1b's engines

Can create a sonic effect

On a human ear similar to

A large conventional bomb blast,

Making a deafening show

Of force on the enemy below.

>> well, the show of force

Is really just to say, "We're

Here," and a lot of times, you

Can disperse the enemy or scare

Them into hiding and run them

Off before we have to use any

Kinetic tools like a weapon.

Collateral damage is very, very

Important to us, and we minimize

That to the maximum extent.

>> narrator: whether it's a show

Of force sortie or a tactical

Bomb strike, the b-1b has

Displayed the strength

To make america's enemies

Weak in the knees.

>> if I were an enemy of the

United states, the last thing

I'd want to see

Is a b-1 coming at me.

>> narrator: the b-1 and all

The superstrong mega marvels

On our countdown are a force

To be reckoned with.

You can't overburden them,

You can't break them,

You can't sever their bonds,

And as they continue to shape

Our world, we'll continue

To be in awe of them

And of the scientists

And engineers with the strength