bridge building for science olympiad

[ThinkPad R]

any engineer, architect, student having studied physics...

any science olympiad bridge building veteran...

I have this bridge design that I'm not sure about. I already built it.

This (as well as last) year's competition requires that we put the block of wood, to which the sand bucket is attached, on top

(far right, middle, and far left). This forces us to make a bridge that is strong on all of the three points.

Well, it's really 2 points b/c the bridge is equal in both sides...


Anyway, b/c the bridge gets shaky sideway under # kilos of weight, many bridges collapse.

To prevent that, i've done this: http://rei0zero.tripod.com/thinkpad/index.album?i=1&s=1

but I'm not sure if those sticks would pressure force in those directions & widen the side, causing collapse of the sysstem.


Nice picture?

[draco2527]

LOL!

The memories....Can you provide a side shot of the bridge with dimensions as well as the dimensions/type of wood?

I really like this stuff..........


I hope the glue is not setting while ON the ThinkPad!!!!

[ThinkPad R]

yeah. thanks for the enthusiasm.



100% balsa wood.

I'm afraid that the diagonal pieces put to prevent sideway collapse would


push out the the sides & cause the bridge to fall.

[draco2527]

I think you should be fine, there is a lot of factors that come into play; I do not think this one will be detrimental to the design. IF the bridge starts to bulge then the weakness was in other parts of the structure and not here. Based on the limited amount of information obtained from the drawing and picture (I am more conserned with were the mounting points relate to one another more then the layout of the crossmembers)

If these are evenly spaced and the load is equal in all points (an no points are higher then others) I think you will be fine!

I have not made on in about 12 years!!! So I guess balsa is still the "regulation" wood, what about glues and attachment points; any limitations or prohibited techniques?

GOOD LUCK! and let us know how it goes.....

[ThinkPad R]

the wood pieces can't be thicker than 1".

what i mean by the 3 loading points was that in the competition, they will choose the point on which the loading block will be placed.

so... i have to be prepared for all 3 points.


they made it harder -much harder by forcing us to put the loading block on the top of the bridge.

i remember that it used to be at the base of the bridge. now, it's @ the top.

so...the bridge can collapse sidway as well as each side breaking.


I don't think you are allowed to go to the National Lawrence Laboratory (if your dad works there) & ask them to build one for you.

It says that the students themselves must use simple domestic tools to build them,

not some multibillion dollar swedish machineries.