A2-JACOB

Bill of Materials

Elevation Image

Plan Image

My initial objective was to construct a truss bridge that satisfied all the design constraints and had the best price to weight. I realized that the best way to start the design is by applying what I learned so far. Therefore, my objective shifted to building the simplest design with smallest membranes that followed the same truss pattern as the one I designed on the WPBD software. To build 8" wide flat portion on the top of the bridge, I decided to remove the arc that I previously designed on the software. My initial designed consisted of blue and white long chords because I recognized that shorter beams are more stable than longer beams. My initial design of the bridge was expensive and totaled over $350,000.   During the designing process, I was able to cut down the price significantly. I recognized that one yellow long chord going diagonal was efficient and cheaper than having two white chords connected with a gusset plate going diagonal. By replacing the white chords with one yellow chord enabled me to lower my price range to $277,500. The basic outline of the bridge didn’t experience any change and remained as a trapezoid with the long base that spanned 2 feet and 1/8 inches with a height of 3.125 inches. This assignment was a great learning experience as well as a great hands-on experience on how real designing work. The assignment also taught me the importance of making accurate measurements and keeping a record of the progress of the design. Overall, this assignment was a great way to understand the engineering aspects involved in designing a bridge.