Overview
For my design project in Architectural and Engineering Design, we were tasked to build a strong balsa wood bridge. This College, Career, and Technical Education (CCTE) course focuses on preparing students for life after high school.
We were scored by the ratio of bridge weight to load weight. I scored in the top three out of 75 students!
Plans
These sheets were created in AutoCAD
Strength and Weight
Estimated Weight: 20g of balsa wood + 5g of glue = 25g
Actual Weight: 28g = 0.0617 lbs
Load Ratio
Ratio = Maximum Load / Bridge Weight
Ratio = 31 lbs / 0.0617 lbs
Ratio = 502.6
Engineering Process
I developed the design for my bridge using the truss simulator to figure out a design and saw that the strongest bridges curved up. They also had two beams crossed in each section to make four triangles to make the bridge sturdy.
My bridge held 30psi and weighed 28g. There were about 80 students total ranked by the ratio of bridge weight to load weight and total weight carried.
Overall, I placed third by the ratio and fourth place by total weight.
