Bridge of Fortitude

In this unit of Urban Planning, we learned a lot about bridges. You may not realize it, but bridges do have a lot going into them. We learned about the different types of bridges and researched them. We even learned a bit about vectors and how they work. We went on a tour of Downtown, getting to see the bridges near us and seeing how they were made. This all culminated into our AP, which was to make a bridge out of 75 popsicle sticks and glue that can hold up to 10 pounds.

 

 

 

Sketch of bridge, SM, 2023

 

Our bridge is around 18 6/8 inches, so we can draw it at a 1/6th scale. With that, it’ll be 3 ⅛ inches when drawn digitally. Our bridge would experience tension at the bottom and compression at the top.

 Bridge compression and tension, SM, 2023

 

Bridge Calculations, AR, 2023

 

 

As for the third angle for the triangle, my partner and I had determined that the triangle we measured was equilateral. This means, once we found one angle, we had found them all. 

We also calculated the potential and kinetic energy of the bridge should it fall, which were the exact same. This tells that energy isn't simply created; it takes one form and then another.

A deck truss bridge is a bridge that can fit into gaps and be supported well without needing to worry about things collapsing on top. It would lead to more safer environments and possibly more scenic views, allowing passengers to take in the nature around them. This relates to SDG 11, as through a deck truss bridge, we could make cities more sustainable and resilient.

 

BNSF - Colorado River Bridge (Topock, Arizona and Needles, California), cmh2315fl, 26 Nov 2018

I decided to make this a deck truss bridge as it was a type that wasn’t talked about as much. I wanted to try and make a bridge that used the least amount of sticks while still being strong. I thought that, if the deck was strong, it could hold up the weights.

The main thing I want to change is the way it was built. It was tilted, which led to it being flipped over during testing. I should have had it clipped down so the legs of the bridge would’ve been a lot more straight, leading to a potentially better bridge. Everything else seemed to be good, just the fact the bridge was titled was the main downfall.