Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Sophomore
Major
Mechanical Engineering
Minor
N/A
Institution
Kentucky Community and Technical College System
KY House District #
2, 2, & 4
KY Senate District #
1, 1, & 4
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Shen Liu
Department
Physics
Abstract
Bridges are one of the most important and costly engineering projects, involving extensive design considerations that try to minimize expenses while insuring the bridge will not fail. Different models of bridges were constructed in order to perform experiments that determined which beams were in compression and how much force was experienced in the beam’s when a static load was applied. Computer simulations were also performed to determine the loads on the different beams. The simulation and calculated results were compared to ensure accuracy of the final results. It was determined that a Howe bridge offers the lowest maximum compression on any beam when compared to the Pratt bridge. The cost did not increase because the diagonal members only switched positions and no extra material was needed.
Included in
Model Truss Bridge Design
Bridges are one of the most important and costly engineering projects, involving extensive design considerations that try to minimize expenses while insuring the bridge will not fail. Different models of bridges were constructed in order to perform experiments that determined which beams were in compression and how much force was experienced in the beam’s when a static load was applied. Computer simulations were also performed to determine the loads on the different beams. The simulation and calculated results were compared to ensure accuracy of the final results. It was determined that a Howe bridge offers the lowest maximum compression on any beam when compared to the Pratt bridge. The cost did not increase because the diagonal members only switched positions and no extra material was needed.