Engineering Design Day Challenge: Engineer a Dam

Name ___________________________ Teammates ___________________

___________________

Today, you are part of a team of engineers who have been tasked with a critical problem of
addressing the power and water needs of a province in South Africa. The Polokwane river
provides the citizens of the North West Province with water, however with the growing
population in the area, the hope is it could be used to provide energy and store a larger source
of water.

It is critical that the dam is able to control the rate of water flow to adjust for the seasons. For
instance, during the rainy season, greater amounts of water will need to flow through the dam,
so not too much of the area is flooded upstream. Alternatively, during the dry season water
must be stored, but the dam must allow some flow so villages downstream still get water.

In order to address this problem, you will work as a team to produce a dam that can block ____
inches of water depth in a model river basin. Youll have lots of materials to use such as
cardboard, pvc pipes, tape, foil, plastic wrap, cups, straws, paper clips, pom-poms, plastic
sheets, clothes pins, wire, string, screen, fabric, springs, and other materials. You may only use
the materials provided to you within your bin, no other classroom or personal materials may be
used. However you may trade with other teams if it is kept civil with permission from teachers.
Your model must be completed and ready to test by 1:30pm today!
You have a base of gravel at the bottom of the basin which simulate the rocky or sandy bottom
of a river bed. Youll need to not only stop the water, but develop a system so you can release
water at two different controlled rates (slow and quick). Youll need to stop the water, let a little
come through, and stop it again.
You will follow the engineering
design process when addressing this
problem.

Define the Problem: Explain the

Challenge. What are the limitations?

Explore and Research: Explore the

forces, materials, loads, and shapes lab
at the Building Big- All about Dams
website to help learn more about dams
prior to developing designs. Also read
the attached Student Resource Page
www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/lab
Record your notes and thoughts below.
Planning and Design Phase- Individual

Think about the different ways you can use the materials provided to stop the water flow. Also,
consider what mechanism you might create that would allow a little water to come through when
you want it to at a slow and fast rate. Below draw a diagram of your planned dam. Be sure to
label your designs with the materials you plan to use for each part of construction.

Diagram

Materials Needed:
Planning and Design Phase- Team Design

After sharing your designs with each other, start to select the best features of the designs you
came up with. Also discuss how you can create an even better plan and design. Draw your
diagram and make a final list of materials below. Draw a side view and top view of your dam
and make sure everyone on your team is able to understand the design. In addition, come up
with a building plan for who will do what and what order parts need to be built.

Diagram

Materials Needed:

Building Plan:
Construction Phase: Use your plan to build your model.
Build your dam in your basin. You can test it with a little water before the full amount of water is
poured in by your teacher. Make any adjustments during construction that you like, but record
those changes and the reason for those changes below.

Classroom testing: Try it out.

Your teacher will test each f the dams created in your class. They will look to see if any water
escapes through the dam and also if you are able to start-stop-start the flow. Be sure to watch
as the dams made by other teams are tested so you can evaluate their designs and see what
methods worked best. Complete the chart below showing your results -- 40 points is the highest
score.

1. Did your dam hold the water back for 5 minutes?

10 points: Yes no water escaped
5 points: Some water escaped but less than 1 inch
0 points: Dam did not hold

2. Were you able to release water and then stop it again?

10 points: yes
0 points: no

3. Were you able to release water at a slow and quick rate?

10 points: Yes both slow and quick
5 points: Only at a single rate
0 points: Does not release water.

4. Did your team work collaboratively on this project with everyone sharing in the planning and
construction?
10 points: yes we worked collaboratively on all parts
5 points: we worked somewhat collaboratively and had some trouble
0 points: our group did not collaborate on this project.

Total Score _____________________

Make It Better: Evaluation. Answer in complete sentences

1. How similar was your original design to the actual dam you built? Explain.

2. If you found you needed to make changes during the construction phase, describe
why your team decided to make revisions.

3. Describe features of at least 2 other groups that worked well or you feel were creative
and innovative.

4. If you had a chance to do this project again, what would your team have done
differently? Explain.
5. Do you think you could have achieved the goal of this lesson using fewer parts or
pieces of material than you did? Explain.

6. Do you think this activity was more rewarding to do as a team, or would you have
preferred to work alone on it? Why?

7. If you could have used one additional material that wasnt provided to you, what would
you choose and why?

8. Can you think of any possible negative effects of a new dam on the ecosystem of a
region?

Adapted from Engineer a Dam Developed by IEEE as part of TryEngineering

www.tryengineering.org