Popsicle Bridges

Overview

Objectives/Goals The Objective of my project was to see which bridge type was able to hold the most weight, with the weight applied in the middle of the bridge. The different types of bridges tested were Beam Bridges, Warren Truss Bridges, Suspension Bridges, and simple Baseline Bridges (A Straight-line Bridge). Methods/Materials The materials that were used in the experiment were Popsicle sticks, wood glue, a tape measure, weights, books, heavy rocks and a scale. Results The results of my experiments showed that the beam bridge was the strongest of the four designs. The Beam bridge did the best due to the fact that it was able to transfer the weight directly from the point where the mass was applied to the ground through various beams. The beam bridge held an average of 105.5 kg. Conclusions/Discussion The Beam Bridge was the most successful design variation, holding an average of 105.5 kg. It's ability to support a heavy load was due to where the mass was being applied in relation to the location of the beams which supported the bridge. The second best was the truss bridge which supported an average of 632.25 kg. This bridge did quite well because the truss triangles were able to carry the load away from the center.

Competition history

• CSEF 2018 Applied Mechanics & Structures · Entry J0329

Resources

• CSEF project summary ↗

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