The Bridge Competition

By Nolan Slagle

The competition
A 12in bridge made of entirely in wooden rods and
glue. The end goal is to be the strongest, most efficient
bridge. The only major parameters are the width (8cm)
and the placement of the road (2 rods above the support).
Once the bridge is constructed, the weight is taken and
then the bridge is tested until it bends 1cm or breaks. The
efficiency is calculated by strength (weight put on it) over
mass of the bridge.

The Major Design

Going into this competition, we were told one rule,
triangles are supreme. I tried to implement triangles into
the design to best redirect the weight load into the
ground as quickly as possible. Other designs were truss
bridges like this one below.

The Design Cont.

Rather than making a fortress of a bridge, I went a
different route, trying to minimize weight while
maximizing efficiency.

Early Designs

Final Design
I settled on a very similar design with moderate
changes,mainly to make building it easier.

Modifications and Problems

Due to the relatively small span of 12in compared to years
past, the design was scaled back, as otherwise it would
have been a wooden bunker of a bridge.
Also due to human error, the bridge had several
imperfections that may increase the likelihood of
structural failure.

Bridge

Data Results
Note, the row labeled N is this bridge.

Mas
s (G)

Wt
(ib)

Def
(cm)

Str/
Wt
ratio

Stiffn
ess

185g

776i
b

.9
cm

4.19

4.67

The Bridge (after testing)

Reflection
The bridge exceeded my expectations in strength, and
due to its all around and explosive failure, it is hard to
pinpoint what failed. Without a doubt, even with
hindsight, I wouldnt change much. I set off with a light,
efficient design and it performed far greater than both
what I expected and most other bridges.