Week 8 Bridge Process

This past week we have worked to complete a bridge designed to span a 36” opening, and worked to determine ways that our bridge could be improved using the analysis tools we have at our disposal. This coming week we will work to further improve our design to have the best possible bridge ready to test in week 9. Overall I would say that we had no major accomplishments this past week. As a team the only issues that we faced were disagreements on how to improve our bridge and prevent it from racking.

Throughout the term, each week brought something new to the table and something that I had not seen before. We started out using modeling programs that helped us to learn to maximize the tension and compression forces that a gusset plate feels. In maximizing the forces that the gusset plate feels you are able to use the smallest size members possible, in many cases this lowers the total cost of the design.  In looking back at the videos the bridge failures shown in class it is clear that a bridge designer plays an important role in keeping people safe, if even one small aspect of the bridge has a flaw it can lead to a catastrophic failure and significant loss of life. I have also learned that when designing a bridge that is most efficient, that the bridge should be able to handle a load that will change over time; just as we have seem with local bridges the weight of paint is added on as the years go by and our vehicles continue to increase in size as a result increasing the load that the bridge must carry. Bridges are subject to more forces than meet the eye, there is the typical gravitational force but what many people don’t realize is the tension and compression in each member as well as the overall impact of the elements and external factors on the bridge.