We learned about reaction forces between members and joints. Then, we discussed how to calculate the magnitude of force on each member of a truss. We then confirmed our calculations by using MDSolids to calculate the values of statically determinate structures. In the balsa bridge project, we applied this knowledge to building trusses. First, we used MDSolids to design a truss that minimized forces on members. Then we used balsa wood to build a bridge based on our designs and added gussets to reinforce the joints.
Through breaking the bridge, we learned about the elasticity of materials. By examining the tensile strength graph, we can understand how much a material can withstand. Although the graph on the slideshow is not the graph of my bridge (because the graph on the machine didn't work), this project taught me how to predict weak locations and understand the elasticity of materials.
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