Truss Through Tied Arch Bridge

Conquering Hedgehogs

Macomb Mathematics Science and Technology Center

Emily Elizondo, Elizabeth Evers, Abigail Pierce

Mr. McMillan and Mrs. Cybulski

Table of Contents
 Elizondo-Evers-Pierce 1

Summary 2

Introduction 3

Body 4

Acknowledgements 12

Bibliography 13

Appendix A: Scheduling 15

Appendix B: Daily Journal 16

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Summary

This proposal will cover background on the team members, the process for designing the

bridge, and the process for building the bridge. There will be a description of the scientific

reasoning behind the design and the calculations done to decide on the final design. There will

also be data tables of the designs that were considered including the chosen design. Pictures of

the bridge design, the building process, and the final product will also be included. There will be

a description of how the designs were tested and how they were improved based on the test

results. Challenges that were encountered while designing and building the bridge will be

addressed. Safety precautions that were taken while building will also be discussed. The

successfulness of the design, the lessons learned from the project, and the changes that could be

made next time will conclude the proposal.

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Introduction

Our team name is The Conquering Hedgehogs. We chose this name because we all love

animals and we planned to approach this project the best we could in the hopes to conquer

constructing a bridge that can support the most weight and with the least amount of structure

weight. The members of this team are Emily Elizondo, Elizabeth Evers, and Abigail Pierce. We

are all 16 years old and juniors at Sterling Heights High School (SHHS) and the Macomb

Mathematics Science and Technology Center (MMSTC). MMSTC is an advanced program for

students who are proficient in these subjects. Emily is on the dance team and multiple soccer

teams, as well as being a member of the marching band. Elizabeth (Liz) is on the volleyball team

and multiple softball teams. Abigail (Abby) is in the marching band. We are all members in the

National Honors Society (NHS) program at SHHS, and love volunteering our time. We all live in

Sterling Heights, Michigan and volunteer in the community through the NHS program. Sterling

Heights is the fourth largest city in Michigan and ranked the safest city in Michigan.
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Body

Scientific Principles

Before we started creating designs, extensive research went into understanding the

complexity of a truss through tied arch bridge. We discovered that a truss is a triangular structure

of connected elements that provides a very rigid structure. This helps transfer the load from a

singular point on a bridge to a much wider area. We considered this information while designing

our bridge. When designing bridges in the Model Smart program, we discovered that the bridges

with a lower, less dramatically curved arch containing smaller, compacted trusses held more

weight. After these discoveries, we created bridge designs that incorporated these principles.We

also discovered that when equilateral triangles were used, the bridge was stronger and held more

weight. In our design, we decided to use equilateral triangles to create the bottom of the bridge as

the base, where the cars would drive, and at the start of the arches. We also found that when the

top points of the equilateral triangles on the base were connected to the arch with a string, there

was more support and tension. When we experimented with the direction of the strings, we

discovered that, when the strings were perpendicular to the base, the bridge held more weight.

Design Challenges

When designing our bridge, we encountered many challenges. One challenge was trying

to make the bridge weigh as little as possible while still having a high breaking load. This would

give us a higher ratio and the higher the ratio, the better the bridge would be. Another challenge

we encountered was making the sides of the bridge symmetrical. To do this, we started placing a
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joint at the center at a predetermined height and working up or down from that point to the

corners of the bridge on both sides. When coming up with designs, we noticed that the bridges

whose arches were at a smaller angle of elevation held more weight than the arches that had a

larger angle of elevation. Another challenge we encountered when designing our bridge was

learning how to use Bentley. When using Bentley, one problem that occurred was Emilys

computer at home would not allow her to add or edit the text due to it having been updated to

Windows 10. She saved the files and used a school computer, which was still on Windows 8, to

edit, add text, and print.

Table 1
Bridge Design Results
Bridge Breaking Load Weight of Bridge Ratio
(pounds) (pounds)

1 40.057 0.0225643125 1775.24

2 38.009 0.0245396544 1548.88

3 26.677 0.018139635 1470.65

4 42.572 0.0361249463 1178.47

5 35.234 0.0236004852 1492.94

6 37.161 0.0228112303 1629.07

7 38.661 0.0235630066 1640.75

8 42.027 0.0225643125 1862.54

Table 1, above, shows eight bridges we designed and tested for the breaking load. As you

can see, bridge eight has the highest breaking load and one of the highest ratios. This is the

design that we will follow when constructing our bridge.

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Figure 1. Final Bridge Design

Figure 1, above, shows the final bridge design in Model Smart. The weight of the bridge

is 10.235 grams or 0.0226 pounds and the breaking load is 42.027 pounds.

Figure 2. Bentley Drawing

Figure 2, above, shows the bridge design drawn in the Bentley software with some

dimensions labeled. A printout of the Bentley design is attached to the end of the proposal.
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Calculations

breaking load ( pounds) 42.027

Ratio= =
structure weight(grams)/454 grams 10.235/454
=1862.54
Figure 3. Formula to Calculate Ratio

Figure 3, above, shows a sample calculation for how we found the ratios. To decide

which bridge design to build, we found the ratios of each bridge. This ratio was calculated by

dividing the breaking load by the weight of the bridge. Before dividing, the bridge weight had to

be converted from grams to pounds. The higher the ratio, the better the bridge was.

Figure 4. Dimensioned Drawing

Figure 4, above, shows the bridge design with angles measures and sides length labeled.
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Figure 5. Cutting

Figure 5, above, shows Liz and Emily with the cardboard bridge design beginning to cut

and pin down wood for the base of the bridge.

Figure 6. Glueing

Figure 6, above, shows the wet wood for the first arch taped down on the cardboard so it

keeps its shape until the wood dries. Emily and Liz are starting to glue the trusses into the base of

the bridge.
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Figure 7. First Arch

Figure 7, above, shows Emily holding the outline of the first arch and the process of

glueing the trusses inside of the arch.

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Figure 8. Finished Bridge

Figure 8, above, shows the completed bridge before and after the strings were attached.

Design Testing

The Model Smart program allows you to design a bridge and test it. When you are ready

to test the design, place load arrows on the bridge where the cars will be driving and analyze it.

The program applies weight to the bridge where the arrows are and records how much weight it

held before braking. It also records how much the bridge weighs. The program shows you the

bridge breaking and, depending on where the bridge broke, we changed our design to make that

place stronger.

Building Challenges
 Elizondo-Evers-Pierce 11

A challenge we encountered while building our bridge was the accuracy of drawing the

design on the cardboard. When drawing the design, it was hard to make sure that the two sides of

the arch were symmetrical and met in the middle. To make it work, we tried to measure

accurately to the best of our ability. Due to human error, however, when drawing the triangles

inside the base of the bridge, we could not make them completely equal. This error could affect

the stability of the bridge. Also due to human error, the wood pieces were not cut with

completely accuracy, which caused the trusses inside the two bases to not match entirely with the

drawn lines, but they were very close. Another problem that we encountered was that the glue

caused the wood to stick to the cardboard. To pry the wood off the cardboard, we used x-acto

knives. The solution to this problem was to use wax paper, which was placed over the drawing of

the bridge to ensure there would be no cardboard remnants left on the wood.

Safety

We were very careful when building our bridge, especially when using the x-acto knives.

We cut the wood on the cardboard and did not cut near each other. We also had a problem with

the wood pieces flying off the desk when being cut, especially if they were smaller. We were

very careful to cut slowly and make sure we, or anyone else, didnt get hit with the wood.
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Conclusion

Our bridge was successfully completed in time for the major testing. The result of the

major testing showed flaws in our deck but strength in the arches. Total failure occurred when

the main deck was ripped from the bridge but the arches stayed intact. This showed that the main

weakness was in the deck and not the arches.

We learned many new things through the process of designing and building this bridge.

We learned about many structural attributes of truss through tied arch bridges, such as how the

trusses add support along with the tension in the cables to help the bridge hold more weight. We

learned how to use the Bentley and Model Smart programs to design and test bridges. We also

learned how to build a bridge out of balsa wood, string, and glue. When testing, we learned that

the main factor in achieving the best ratio was the strength of the deck.

When building this bridge, some of the wood pieces were not cut completely accurately.

Next time, we will make sure we cut the pieces more accurately and make sure that the two sides

of the bridge are more symmetrical. Based on the results of the testing, the deck can be improved

so that it is stronger and supports more weight to provide a better ratio. To improve the deck we

can connect wood pieces to the very bottom and use triangles for better support.
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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank our teachers for helping us with the project. Our physics teacher,

Mr. McMillan, helped us test our bridge and our statistics teacher, Mrs. Cybulski, helped us by

supervising our building processes, supplying us with the tools we needed, and answering any

questions we had. Without the help of our teachers, this project would not have been possible.
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Bibliography

"Bridge Basics - A Spotter's Guide to Bridge Design." Bridge Basics - A Spotter's Guide

to Bridge Design. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017. <http://pghbridges.com/basics.htm>.

"Cantilever Bridge Facts, Design and History." Cantilever Bridge - Types, Facts and

Longest Cantilever Bridges. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.historyofbridges.com/facts-about-bridges/cantilever-bridge/>.

HowStuffWorks Science. HowStuffWorks, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/bridge3.htm>.

HowStuffWorks Science. HowStuffWorks, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<http://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/bridge6.htm>.

"Fort Pitt Bridge." Bridgehunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2017.

Masters, Bridge. "7 Iconic Bridge Designs (& Their Utilities)." Bridge Masters. N.p., 12

Dec. 2016. Web. 08 Jan. 2017. <https://bridgemastersinc.com/resource-center/bridge-

design/7-iconic-bridge-designs-their-utilities/>.

PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/basics.html>.

"The 10 Longest Arch Bridges in the World..." The 10 Longest Arch Bridges in the

World... ~. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<https://yamannvinci069.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-10-longest-arch-bridges-in-

world.html>.
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"Tied-arch bridges." Steelconstruction.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.steelconstruction.info/Tied-arch_bridges>.

"Tied-arch Bridge Facts, History and Examples." Tied-arch Bridge - Facts, Design and

Examples of Tied-arch Bridges. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.historyofbridges.com/facts-about-bridges/tied-arch-bridge/>.

"Windsor Railway Bridge (Windsor, 1849)." Structurae. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Jan. 2017.

<https://structurae.net/structures/windsor-railway-bridge>.
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Appendix A: Scheduling

1. Background Research (Due Tuesday 1/10/2017)

Write a paper answering What is a Truss Through Tied Arch Bridge?

2. Design/ Build/ Test

Bentley PowerDraft CAD Drawing

Data from Computer Simulated Testing

Build and Test Bridge (2/14/17)

3. MDOT TRAC Proposal (Due Monday 2/13/17)

Must be in Lansing by Wednesday 2/15/17)

Team Notification Wednesday 3/8/17

4. Competition (Wednesday 4/18/17)

Travel to Venue Tuesday 4/17, Complete Wednesday 4/18, Return home same day

Rebuild Bridge with improvements

Prepare Presentations
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Appendix B: Daily Journal

January 4, 2017

Today, our physics teacher, Mr. McMillan, introduced this project to us. He gave us the

instruction booklet and went through an overview of the process of the project.

January 5, 2017

Today we started the background research paper.

January 6, 2017

We continued working on the background paper.

January 8, 2017

We got together at home to work on the background research paper again.

January 9, 2017

We finalized our background research paper and made sure it was ready to be turned in

the next day.

January 10, 2017

Background paper due today.

January 25, 2017

Abby and Liz started to design bridges in Model Smart. Emily downloaded and started to

learn Bentley.

January 26, 2017

Abby and Liz continued to design bridges in Model Smart. Emily continued to learn

Bentley.

January 27, 2017

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Abby and Liz designed bridges in Model Smart. Emily continued to work on learning

Bentley.

January 30, 2017

Abby, Liz, and Emily designed bridges in Model Smart.

January 31, 2017

Abby worked on the table of ratios for all the bridge designs. We determined which

bridge to make as our final design and started to compute dimensions.

February 2, 2017

We started drawing out bridge dimensions on cardboard. We also started cutting wood for

the bridge. We put wood in water to soak overnight so we could bend it for the arches.

February 3, 2017

Today, we started gluing wood together and continued cutting wood for the bridge. The

first arch was completed today, except for the trusses inside.

February 7, 2017

Emily worked on drawing the final bridge design in Bentley. Liz cut and glued wood for

the bridge. The second arch was completed today, except for the trusses inside. Abby

started to outline the proposal.

February 9, 2017

Emily and Liz cut and glued wood for the bridge. At this point we have both arches

completed, except for the trusses inside the arches, which are being finished today. After

that is complete we can connect the arches and attach the string. Abby continued to work

on the proposal.

February 10, 2017

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Abby worked on on cutting and gluing the wood pieces to fit into the inside on the

second arch to create trusses. Both arches are now completed. Emily and Liz worked on adding

to and editing the proposal. Later on, we all worked on creating the base of the bridge that a car

would drive on and attached all the pieces together. We also attached the strings to both sides of

the arches, connecting the bases to the corresponding arches.