Week 6 - Knex Process

After working with the Knex for a week, I have noticed that my previous perspectives of the comparison between Knex and WPBD have slightly shifted. I have noticed that working with Knex gives you more options to design your bridge. Especially the connectors, WPBD is limited to one type of connector while Knex has variety of connectors. In addition, Knex consist of groove gussets that can be attached another groove gusset to strengthen the bridge. Some of the major flaw in the similarities and differences I had previously seen between Knex and WPDB programs is with testing the bridge. WPBD program provides a constant result because the bridge is being tested in a controlled testing field. The results from the Knex bridges can vary because the bridges are tested at an uncontrolled field. Therefore other factors can influence the end result of the bridge such as the position of the bridge and the placing of the weights on the bucket. Another discovery I made from working with the Knex was that the connectors and the chords starts to bend and becomes less stable, more we work with the Knex. Whereas, the joint and the membranes in WPBD programs remain stable and unchanged as they undergo more testing.

During the previous week in class, our group discussed about the design that will produce the most efficient bridge. For the rest of the class, we worked with the Knex to build one bridge as a team. We did several trial and error on our own and modified the design as went along. Although our bridge went through several modifications, the basic outline of the bridge remained as a trapezoidal prism. For the next week in class, we will be discussing the construction issues and conducting more Knex bridge testing.