This past term my knowledge of bridge design has increased tremendously. Before coming into this class I knew that bridges had to be designed with specific angles, placement of the beams, and width and length of the beams. But after doing calculations by method of joints, and by using the WPBD I was able to see all of the different factors affecting bridge design. Force, tension, and compression are all taken into account when creating a bridge. Also, with the challenge of building a bridge with a low cost per weight lifted ratio, I have learned to think more critically about creating the best design. This class has given me a sample of what the bigger picture is actually like. Despite not being a civil or architectural engineering major, this class has taught me that no matter what we are creating, one little error in analysis can be the difference in saving lives depending on what the creation is.
Last week we had to begin testing our new 3-foot bridge designs. We initially started off with two different bridges, but neither could lift more than 17 lbs so it was not as well as we hoped. Our new goal is to modify our bridge and create the best design for a final testing.
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