10th week

The first part of my traineeship in Aktau is almost ending. I will stay two more weeks here, and then I go to the Netherlands for one week, to get a new visa and to see family and friends.

Last week I keep on working to the transportable footbridge, which is actually not a bridge, but a steel platform. When I thought I finished my Technical Note, it was checked by a colleague. Then I remarked I wasn’t finished at all. A lot of changes in structure had to be made and I had to add moment, shear force and deflection diagrams to give a better view and insight for the person who’s reading the note. ]

At the same time I started with detailing the steel platform. So I had to figure out how all parts are attached to each other. For example the gratings have to be attached by so called ‘G clips’ and the beams have to be welded. Another point was how to design the lifting provision. With the help of literature and existing drawings of comparable structures I could manage it. All together I draw it in detail.

Today I also will start with a sheet pile calculation with ‘Plaxis’. Another colleague from the Netherlands arrived this week and he is specialized in soil mechanics, so this afternoon he will me explain the basics. During this traineeship I saw a lot of sites of civil engineering like concrete structures, steel, soil mechanics and also how to work with databases.

Every week I see new cultural Kazakh things and I learn a lot from other people who travelled in the former Soviet Union area. It is great you meet different people who like to share their stories and opinions about Kazakhstan and also Russia.