Bridge Design
Define A Problem
This project's goal is to create a effective bridge that is cost effective and safe. It had to be cheaper than 400,000 dollars and withstand a truck going over it.
Generate Concepts
Develop A Solution
My final design consisted of many solid bars and a few hollow bars in spots with less stress to meet cost constraints. I found this was the best design I had because it supported the load and it fit all constraints while also being semi-simple too. The arch type bridge with a low height was found to be the best in distributing and withstanding stress.
Construct and Test Prototype
Evaluate Solution
Final Design:
Cost:
Load Test:
Member Property:
Present A Solution
In this project I learned that arches on bridges are super supportive and can withstand a lot of stress. Also, I learned that when built with constraints the design of a bridge becomes a lot harder because you want to accomplish all the constraints while still making the bridge super effective. The type and direction of stress make it so that you may need to have a material with a high cross-sectional area because when a force is bearing on a hollow item the stress is too high, but when the item is solid it can bear the weight easier. This applies to material selection to because if a material isn't strong enough to resist the force then it will snap or flex too much instead of the desired amount. Tension and compression work together to make a bridge better by distributing the force across the angled bars with compression and giving the actual roadway tension because it flexes or just resist the weight pulling down, this helps make it so that not one area takes all the force.