Faculty of Engineering Physics 1 Laboratory

GROUP NUMBER 1 DATE SUBMITTED March 9, 2019

SECTION 1-23 RATING
MEMBERS
1. Abao, John Joewen D.
2. Agustin, Christian Joshua B.
3. Alejo, Erika Louise M.
4. Alfonso, Brian M.
5.Alfonso, Jeffrey C.

ACTIVITY 2
BRIDGE DESIGN

1. OBJECTIVES

At the end of this activity, the students should be able to:

a. Improvise a truss bridge using the material assigned (popsicle sticks or pasta),
based on the given design parameters
b. Determine the factors that may influence the efficiency (and failure) of the improvised
truss bridge by testing using static loads

2. DESIGN

A. DIAGRAM OF DESIGN

Our bridge is based on the Howe Truss Bridge design, but we modified it to fix some
minor errors so that it can be suitable for the activity.

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B. RATIONALE, DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED, AND RESOLUTIONS

The experiment assigned to the group was a bridge made up of popsicle sticks.
The measurements that the grouped used were the minimum required measurements
since the goal of the experiment was to create a light and durable bridge strong enough
to withstand 45 kilograms of weights. The group used the Howe Truss Bridge design,
which has a double diagonal member and a vertical member to be compact and stable.
The more connections the bridge has, the stronger the bridge can be. In order to make
the truss of the bridge stronger, the members glued the popsicle sticks together with
only the right amount of glue for it to maintain a light load. To test the feasibility of the

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bridge’s design, the group created a prototype to observe and gain knowledge for more
innovations to be applied. This helped the group to finalize the bridge’s design for it to
withstand the pressure test.

The difficulties that the group encountered were the fragileness of the bridge’s
body because compared to the other groups, the bridge’s design only had a single-
layered base while the other groups incorporated a multi-layered base for it to
withstand the pressure test. The second problem was that the bridge did not have a
top lateral bracing to support both of its upper chords. Lastly, the glue that the
members used had a greater mass than the popsicles itself, hence it made the bridge
heavier and it surpassed the group's target weight for the bridge.

Creating an ideal bridge design requires research and understanding of the

components needed for it to withstand the weights that would be applied to it.
Discovering the flaws of the bridge was the group’s greatest strength, not only did it
prevent bigger problems to occur, but it also made the members innovate the design,
which enabled the group to create a stronger bridge. Overall, after many trials allotted
on the bridge, the group managed to create a design that can withstand the pressure,
which prevented the popsicle bridge from breaking.

3. DATA

Table 3.1 Bridge Dimensions

Actual Dimension Required Dimension Remarks
Bridge Length 45.50 cm Max length; 50 cm Met the
required
dimensions
Bridge Height 12.50 cm Max height; 15 cm Met the
required
dimensions
Bridge Span 15 cm Min width: 10 cm Met the
required
dimensions

Table 3.2 Bridge Efficiency

Material Used for Construction (popsicle sticks or pasta) Popsicle Sticks
Mass of Bridge (in grams) 343.4 grams
Load at Failure (in kg.) Did not fail
Structure Efficiency, 𝐸 (load at failure/mass of bridge) N/A

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4. OBSERVATIONS AND SUMMARY

A. PHOTOS

Figure 1: The group gathered materials to Figure 2: The base of the bridge was the first
be used (popsicle sticks, wood glue, to be made to serve as the basis for the
scissors, and glue gun) to make the bridge. trusses.

Figure 3: The trusses were made carefully Figure 4: A combination of wood glue and
and precisely as it will be the main support glue gun was used to connect the base
of the bridge. The truss is clipped to ensure along with the truss to make sure that the
the hardening of the glue. two won’t break loose.

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Figure 5: Four popsicles were glued to the Figure 6: The height of the bridge is measured
trusses to connect them both; Adding up to to show that it complies by the required
the overall support and stability of the bridge. dimension.

Figure 7: The width is also measured to show Figure 8: The length of the bridge is
that it complies by the required dimension. measured. The bridge is now ready for
testing after meeting all the required
dimensions.

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Figure 9: The group weighed the bridge Figure 10: The bridge was tested by
before the testing. placing set of weights on the cable tie
which was along the midpoint of the bridge.
The bridge was able to withstand a total of
45 kilograms.

B. CAUSES OF FAILURE
i. Comment on the original level of the bridge in comparison to its level after the
weights were applied.
The bridge showed a little to almost no damage. The damage was only seen on the
side of the bridge due to the cable tie being in a gap between two popsicle sticks. Overall,
the bridge was stable during the course of testing.

ii. Did any of the truss members fail prior to the collapse of the whole bridge? Describe
this member failure.
The bridge was able to withstand the 45 kilograms of weight. Therefore, the truss
members did its job and failure was not evident through the course of testing.

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iii. Did the bridge design worked as expected? What are the strengths and weaknesses
of the design?

Yes. Because it was able to withstand the 45kilos of weights in the experiment with
ease and the truss members held greatly and the bridge didn't ruin its form while in the
process of testing.

 Strength- the Howe-truss design is the strength of the bridge that made the truss members
support each other and distribute the forces on the bridge.
 Weakness - The bridge is slightly heavy and some of its parts is not necessary in the
testing of its strength.

REFERENCE:

 Howe Truss Bridge Design. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.historyofbridges.com/facts-

about-bridges/howe-truss/
 Popsicle Bridges - How to Build a Popsicle Stick Bridge. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.historyofbridges.com/model-bridge/popsicle-stick-bridge/
 The Howe Truss. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.dlwrr.com/srr/structs/decktruss/howe.
html

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