Bridge Project

Michael Vaughan

C-Block

One project in particular that I would like to talk about would be the bridge project. This project was considers a civil engineering project. The goal of the project was to design a bridge that could withstand twenty newtons of force. The only materials given to the class for the project were strips of balsa wood, a small container of glue, a razor blade, and metals pins. Before getting into the hands-on aspect of the project, we had to design the bridge and all of its components on engineering paper. We needed to have exact measurements before we could start making the bridge. Once the blueprint was completed, we placed the balsa wood over the measurements and made cuts where necessary. Then, we applied glue at the seems and the pieces were held together by metal pins. Once the roadbed and two side walls were completed, all we had to do was design the the substructure and glue that onto the bottom of the roadbed. Then we tested our bridges to see how effective they were. we spanned the bridge across two desks, and attached a bucket to the rectangle cue. Lastly, we added more and more sand until the bridge snapped. My project withheld some where around 37 newtons, which was pretty decent in comparison to the class. If i could do it gain, I would have used all of my glue to make my bridge more sturdier. Overall, I thought my structure choice for my bridge proved to be effective. I learned how to plan what I am doing beforehand, in accordance with my restraints. My advice for next year would be to work in groups and I think combined strategies will make the results better. Overall, this was my favorite project of the year by far.