Engineering Design Technology

-
Bridge Competition

Grant Han and Cody Yang

Spring 2014
 Introduction
The goal of this project is to build a stable and efficient
bridge and determine if it performs as intended. In order
for a bridge to successfully perform its task, it must be able
to withstand predefined goals of the amount of pressure
that it is able to handle and be efficient in terms of the
amount of materials used. Understanding the values of
engineering requires being actively involved in design.
Designing an original bridge allows us to learn the key
concepts of engineering, be familiar with construction
materials and techniques, earn confidence, and realize what
real-world problems are faced during the construction of a
bridge.
 Bridge Stress
The members in compression are colored- Members with neutral
coded as red to represent that they have pressure exerted on them
an increased amount of load exerted on are colored gray in order
them compared to the members with to show that they are
neutral stress (gray) and in tension (blue). neither in compression or
tension.

Blue is shown on the members that are in tension,

meaning that they are in the state of being stretched.
These members are able to be thinner than the
members that are in compression, which can lower the
cost of the bridge and increase material efficiency.
 Bridge Data
All members are in uniform thickness to
ease the building of the bridge. Since the
sizes are the exact same throughout all
members, only one size of wooden sticks
are to be used instead of various sizes.
With this configuration, the design of the
bridge is focused primarily on the strength
of the bridge instead of cost efficiency.
SolidWorks Models
 Physical Model: Progress

The wooden sticks were selected by its The joints are bonded together using wood
thickness defined by the bridge-building glue and precision is key to ensure a tight
software and its length is determined by fit.
where the wooden stick meets the others.
Lines are drawn at the endpoint and then
cut using a blade.
 Progress #2

This picture represents our progress so far. Pins help hold the bridge down onto
the foam board. We still need to measure and glue the wooden sticks down so
that we have our front part done.
Subsequently, a replica is going to be built and diagonals will connect the two
parts together.
 Finished Physical Model

This is our finished model, which has the 2 faces bonded together by 2 inch wooden
sticks and wood glue. A wooden piece was added to the middle of the bridge so that
the testing rod would not exert excessive force onto the original structure itself.
Diagonals were also added to the top, bottom, and right/left sides of the bridge to
increase strength and stability. Glue was added in small amounts to prevent the bridge
from becoming too heavy.
 The Competition

Our 32-gram bridge held up to 79.8 pounds, which led

us to have the highest efficiency out of all the tested
bridges. This was surprising, as I never thought it could
have withstood so much pressure. In the end, the
wooden piece and middle stick fractured due to the
stress. The rest of the bridge was unscathed.