(Our group's straw bridge)
Day 3: Straw Bridge Design Competition
On the second day, we were instructed in the field of bridge engineering. Bridges that have a truss are more likely to be sustained than bridges that don't; load must be distributed evenly otherwise deflection (breaking point) would occur. Our group design of our straw bridge was a simple interlocking five triangles that form a trapezoid as the truss for our bridge along with simple interlocking squares as the floor and the top of the bridge. we believed that our interlocking truss and the floor would provide enough support because if there were any tension on any one point, it would be transferred to another member near it. Also important was the cost and time; our design couldn't be too ambitious and expensive. However, when we tested the load, it wasn't able to match up with our competitors because we made it too long, and the load primarily acted on the center of our bridge, and the weight of the floor of our bridge further increased the deflection in our straw bridge. Also, we did not include any cross bracing to keep the top from holding the bridge together. One of our competitors attached an arch to the bottom of their bridge, which allowed the bridge to sustain deflection near their end. One of the connections to architecture is obviously emphasizing the role of cross bracing in architectural design.
On the second day, we were instructed in the field of bridge engineering. Bridges that have a truss are more likely to be sustained than bridges that don't; load must be distributed evenly otherwise deflection (breaking point) would occur. Our group design of our straw bridge was a simple interlocking five triangles that form a trapezoid as the truss for our bridge along with simple interlocking squares as the floor and the top of the bridge. we believed that our interlocking truss and the floor would provide enough support because if there were any tension on any one point, it would be transferred to another member near it. Also important was the cost and time; our design couldn't be too ambitious and expensive. However, when we tested the load, it wasn't able to match up with our competitors because we made it too long, and the load primarily acted on the center of our bridge, and the weight of the floor of our bridge further increased the deflection in our straw bridge. Also, we did not include any cross bracing to keep the top from holding the bridge together. One of our competitors attached an arch to the bottom of their bridge, which allowed the bridge to sustain deflection near their end. One of the connections to architecture is obviously emphasizing the role of cross bracing in architectural design.
(measuring deflection)
(The winning entry with the arch)Day 3: West point Straw bridge competition
The second half of our bridges workshop involved using a program called West Point Bridge Designer. We were asked to design the cheapest bridge that could sustain a regular truck. Using the program, we could choose from two types of bridges; standard truss bridge or an arch bridge. Using hollow tubes or solid members we had to design the cheapest load sustainable bridge . We chose to design an standard bridge but with a curve at the ends to shorten the length, hence reduce the cost. We made most of the structure with hollow tubes while leaving the sides of the structure with solid bars of high quality quenched steel. We were able to achieve the lowest score amongst the entire workshop in large part to our ingenuity and shrewd micro-management of members that could be reduced in size for a lower cost. Overall, bridge design is about micromanagement, as we figured out; Architecture could be applied in the same manner; it is possible to optimize every component of the building to minimize the cost tremendously; I believe that this could be the new face of architecture.
Overview:
Bridge design provided to be one of the most unpredictable aspect of civil engineering as we were endowed with the minimal knowledge of physics and engineering theory. What we believe constitute a strong bridge could be an overestimation as we failed to consider the impact that over supporting the bottom of the bridges could increase the existing load, hence deflection on the bridge. Howevcer, this part of Civil Engineering camp was a quite enjoyable experience because we learned about what Civil Engineers have to do sometimes. Also, the West Point Bridge Designing Competition allowed me to envision a future for architecture where every component of the building could be optimized so that costs would be sharply reduced. This way we can move towards a more sustainable future.
The second half of our bridges workshop involved using a program called West Point Bridge Designer. We were asked to design the cheapest bridge that could sustain a regular truck. Using the program, we could choose from two types of bridges; standard truss bridge or an arch bridge. Using hollow tubes or solid members we had to design the cheapest load sustainable bridge . We chose to design an standard bridge but with a curve at the ends to shorten the length, hence reduce the cost. We made most of the structure with hollow tubes while leaving the sides of the structure with solid bars of high quality quenched steel. We were able to achieve the lowest score amongst the entire workshop in large part to our ingenuity and shrewd micro-management of members that could be reduced in size for a lower cost. Overall, bridge design is about micromanagement, as we figured out; Architecture could be applied in the same manner; it is possible to optimize every component of the building to minimize the cost tremendously; I believe that this could be the new face of architecture.
Overview:
Bridge design provided to be one of the most unpredictable aspect of civil engineering as we were endowed with the minimal knowledge of physics and engineering theory. What we believe constitute a strong bridge could be an overestimation as we failed to consider the impact that over supporting the bottom of the bridges could increase the existing load, hence deflection on the bridge. Howevcer, this part of Civil Engineering camp was a quite enjoyable experience because we learned about what Civil Engineers have to do sometimes. Also, the West Point Bridge Designing Competition allowed me to envision a future for architecture where every component of the building could be optimized so that costs would be sharply reduced. This way we can move towards a more sustainable future.
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