Investigating the Structural Integrity of Different Bond Angles in Simple Bridges
Session Number
Project ID: ENGN 05
Advisor(s)
Dr. Dave Devol, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Discipline
Engineering
Start Date
20-4-2022 10:25 AM
End Date
20-4-2022 10:40 AM
Abstract
In the past couple of decades, the stances on the perfect truss structure have been widely varied, with new studies popping up every couple of years using new modeling techniques to prove one hypothesis or another. Sometimes, the need for simplicity is a dire one, and research focused on the best structure for a simple bridge is very limited. We started our research by creating ten sets of easily replicable bridges using balsa wood and a different connection angle for each bridge. We tested the load each bridge could hold and ran a regression analysis in relation to the length each bridge spanned to find which angle provided the best support per degree and, by relation, meter spanned. We found that when the bridge angle was less than 130 degrees, its structural integrity significantly increased, making its support per meter spanned double from 70 degrees to 50 degrees alone. Our findings imply that smaller angles of conjunction in bridges support greater weights, but the benefits only apply to angles less than
Investigating the Structural Integrity of Different Bond Angles in Simple Bridges
In the past couple of decades, the stances on the perfect truss structure have been widely varied, with new studies popping up every couple of years using new modeling techniques to prove one hypothesis or another. Sometimes, the need for simplicity is a dire one, and research focused on the best structure for a simple bridge is very limited. We started our research by creating ten sets of easily replicable bridges using balsa wood and a different connection angle for each bridge. We tested the load each bridge could hold and ran a regression analysis in relation to the length each bridge spanned to find which angle provided the best support per degree and, by relation, meter spanned. We found that when the bridge angle was less than 130 degrees, its structural integrity significantly increased, making its support per meter spanned double from 70 degrees to 50 degrees alone. Our findings imply that smaller angles of conjunction in bridges support greater weights, but the benefits only apply to angles less than