2005 Winning Essay
St. Thomas More School
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Efficient Use of Aggregate Materials
in Futuristic Transportation Systems
La Mole Revolutionizes Transportation Systems
Transportation plays a key role in the development and progress of any city. Of the numerous methods of transportation available, L'Etoile Directice benefits most from its well-designed subway transportation system. For centuries cities have been using aggregate products such as cement, asphalt, gravel, and sand to pave roads and construct transportation vessels. L’Etoile Directice, through the skill of its civil engineers, has found it most efficient to utilize alternative products in place of traditional aggregates. L’Etoile Directice is an island constructed using natural resources found on an aggregate shelf located off the coast of Louisiana, approximately two hundred miles off the coast. L’Etoile Directice efficiently utilizes aggregate products as construction materials because of advanced, ecologically friendly methods of accumulating natural resources. The aggregates are extracted through a vacuum system, which minimizes adverse environmental effects. Currently, the aggregate shelf is a large, unutilized resource.
L’Etoile Directice also uses the most efficient and valuable subway system in the country through the use of an innovative machine called La Mole. La Mole is a highly advanced cylindrical shaped boring and digging mechanism that specializes in creating tunnels. A rotating cone, equipped with cutting teeth and spiral fins, caps the cylinder of La Mole. Burrowing into the ground, La Mole creates a perfectly cylindrical tunnel by cutting the aggregate and forcing it into a cylindrical shape. La Mole excretes a chitin adhesive to bind the aggregate together and then a chitin lubricant to minimize the friction of the subway cars. Chitin is a naturally occurring polymer that exists in the shells of crabs, crawfish, shrimp, and other crustaceans. Scientists of L’Etoile Directice have developed a method of extracting chitin from crustaceans. The shells are a waste product of the Louisiana seafood industry. The scientists use the chitin to produce adhesives and lubricants used by La Mole. La Mole sprays out a chitin adhesive compound to bind the aggregate around the walls of the tunnels. The chitin adhesive compound adheres to the walls of the new tunnel, holding it together. La Mole then sprays a chitin lubricant on the walls of the tunnel to allow the subway cars to move freely. After La Mole has finished its job, the subway cars are propelled through the chitin-lubricated walls with pneumatic propulsion. The reduced friction creates a more efficient transportation system. La Mole is environmentally advantageous because it is self-contained and requires no extra equipment. All it is required to do is to create the tunnel, and then it quietly emerges from the excavation.
Since La Mole is only slightly larger than the subway itself, the subway has no room to lose control. This gives citizens a feeling of security. In addition, the design of this transportation system reduces the maintenance requirements lessening the burden on the tax base.
With this machine, L’Etoille Directice’s civil engineers decide the width, length, and location of the tunnels. Civil engineers keep citizens informed of the importance of the aggregate based transportation system and the status of the subway system on a daily basis.
Overall, the city uses aggregate materials proficiently so that the subway cars glide easily through the slick tunnels dug by La Mole. The latest technology and sound engineering practices create a pollutant-free environment that ensures commuters’ enjoyment of and trust in the public transportation system.
Bibliography
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“The Mineral Industry of Louisiana.” http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/state/982296.pdf (17 Dec 2004)
“Ocean Energy and Minerals: Resources For the Future.” http://www.yoto98.noaa.gov/yoto/meeting/energy_316.html (20 Oct 2004)
Spearing, Darwin. Roadside Geology of Louisiana. Minnesota: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1995.
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