I just recieved a bridge building project from my Physics class. This is the first time I ever had to build something like this and I have no clue where to begin! I formally request help from anyone who has had experience and can point me in the right direction?
The wood that I have to use is Balsa wood.
2006-12-25 12:20:24 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
you wanna look at your bridge efficiency i.e. the ratio of the weight of the bridge to the amount of weight it can hold. That the qualitative measure most people overlook. Other than that, use the GOOD wood glue...ideally the stuff they make airplane models out of...not the quick drying glue-that has no flexibility.
You want to have enough crosses and reinforced joints. Use google.
2006-12-25 12:26:21 · answer #1 · answered by Syd 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are some good sites out ther for this type of project. Trusses are typically used. Trusses employ a top chord, a bottom chord and diagonals for shear. The chords resist bending, and the further away they are from each other, the more resistance they provide.
Bending is the greatest at the middle of the span, shear is the greatest at the ends.
Look into a Bow Truss. The top chord will be in compression and will be subject to buckling and thus need to be bigger or at least better braced.
2006-12-26 10:27:36 · answer #2 · answered by daedgewood 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
. You want your bridge to concentrate material near the top and bottom, so that the material has as much leverage in resisting bending as possible.
. You want to assemble the bridge so that there are plenty of triangles formed by the pieces. It would probably be best if all of the spaces between the sides are triangles. You can get by with much fewer triangles in the top and bottom.
. You want to be sure that the open space through the bridge is large enough for you traffic to pass through, whatever that traffic might consist of. You might have a limit on the outer dimensions of the bridge written into the rules of your assignment.
. Craftsmanship of the joints is very important to the strength of your bridge. Try to make them fir together very nicely. If you are using glue to hold your bridge together, you want as much contact area between parts as possible.
. If I knew what materials you would be using, I could give more specific instructions.
2006-12-25 12:58:09 · answer #3 · answered by PoppaJ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
May I recommend "Hot Glue" It comes out of a glue gun and hardens as it cools. Makes model building much faster. Then get medical applicator sticks. They are like skinny popcycle sticks.
2006-12-25 13:29:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Physicist to Engineer: Is that bridge strong?
Engineer: Yeah, it's pretty strong.
Physicist: Will it fall down?
Engineer: Probably not.
(What do these physics guys want from us engineers anyway?)
2006-12-25 15:11:52 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋