ENG 10003 Mechanics of Structures

Final Project Semester 2 2020

Assessment Title: Design and Build Your Model Bridge

Due Dates:
First submission: 26th Sept 2020 by 11:59pm AEST with peer-review feedback
component due no later than the 5th October

Second submission (optional): 17th October by 11:59pm AEST

Final submission: 15th November by 11:59pm AEST

Assessment Weighting: 40%

Assessment Type: Individual, with assessable peer review activity

Aims
This project aims to further develop your understanding of the key learnings from this unit (and to
exercise your brain to churn creative solutions while keeping safe at home.)

Project Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this project should be able to:

1. Identify an existing bridge (online) and explore the forces and/or other actions acting on the
bridge and describe how the bridge maintains equilibrium and stability. Consider traffic load/ wind
load or any other type of loads that you can identify. Reflect on a previous bridge failure and lessons
learnt.

2. Plan and design your own bridge with materials that you can find from home – minimum clear
span of 600mm with a load of 3kg (3L of milk) at midspan. The bridge must sustain the loads for a
minimum of 10 seconds. Minimum width of bridge to fit 3L milk carton (100mm). Try building a
bridge to span as far as you can and strengthen the bridge to carry loads (Be as Creative as you
can!).

Your Tasks
You have been contracted to design a bridge from materials from home (for example spaghetti,
popsicle sticks, marshmallows, straws, toilet paper roll, Lego blocks or anything else that you can
think of).

Version 1.1 August 2020

ENG 10003 Mechanics of Structures
Final Project Semester 2 2020

Stage 1: Background research

1) Research an existing bridge online.

a) Describe the type of bridge, location, materials, span, member sizes, support type
b) Identify type of loads acting on the bridge, identify tension and compression members,
sketch free body diagrams and describe how the bridge maintains its equilibrium
c) Identify possible advantages and disadvantages of this type of bridge

2) Research on a bridge that has failed in the past

a) Identify what were the causes of failure
b) What are the lessons learnt?

Stage 2: Building your own bridge

1) Do a search on Google if you need inspiration for DIY bridge (for e.g. Spaghetti bridge, straw
bridge etc.)
2) Plan the design of your bridge – select materials, identify how to connect pieces together,
shape of the bridge, targeted span and loads that it can carry (Remember, your home-made
bridge should span a minimum of 600mm and carry a minimum of 3kg of load at midspan)
3) Explain why you have chosen the particular shape/design of your bridge
4) Construct your bridge
5) Provide calculations to explain the built of your bridge, to include the following:
a. Identify load path – explain how the load from 3L milk carton reach the supports
b. Calculation of reactions to include point load and self-weight of your bridge
c. If DIY bridge is a truss, analyse member forces near support via method of
joint/section
d. Draw bending moment and shear force diagram assuming bridge is a simple beam
e. Calculate section properties of the main deck. Suggest how you can improve the
section properties to give your bridge better performance
f. Calculate stresses in main members -bending stress and shear stress
6) Showcase your bridge in a video presentation, start with a load of 3kg at midspan (hold it for
10s) and continue increasing the load (see video of how load was added incrementally in this
competition). Reflect on what improvements could be done for your bridge.
7) Write up a report documenting your research, design and performance of your model bridge
and thoughts about what you may do differently to improve the bridge

Submissions:

1) Summary report (3-4 pages) with:

a. sketches and action plan for DIY bridge – giving thoughts to how are you ensuring
stability of the bridge, where could the bridge potentially fail, what are the
perceived weak points, preliminary calculations and
b. notes on chosen research of an existing bridge and bridge failure

This is due in Canvas on 26 Sept. You will be assigned a peer’s submission for review. This is
due no later than 5th Oct.

2) Analysis of bridge for feedback on 17 Oct

3) Final report and video due during Final Assessment Period 15 Nov

Please refer to rubric for marking assessment.

Version 1.1 August 2020