Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Week 4: Bridget Breslin


In the previous week, the West Point Bridge Designer was used by the team, again. We had tested many different types of bridges in the program observing different factors. Designing a bridge that was as safe as it possibly could be was very important to us. Another factor we looked at was the cost. We designed many different types of trusses to try and make it as safe as possible at the lowest price. After many trials and errors, we then played around with using different types of materials for different components of the bridge. Doing this brought down the cost of the bridge substantially, however was more of a task choosing which pieces would be made of what material.  

After using the West Point Bridge Designer for several weeks now, I have noticed some qualities of the program that are not realistic. Although the program helps to facilitate the thought and design process, some designs would never work in real life. When the design for the bridge is completed, a test run is done, which is one of the problems in the software. No matter what the design of the bridge looks like, as long as it does not break or deform into so strange shape, the truck will pass over it. This is a huge problem because although the bridge is safe in the program, in real life it would be anything but safe. The program does not account for the proper amount of bending that should be allowed. Also, the program does not consider nature’s effects on the bridge. Finally, the West Point Bridge Designer does not drawn into account the fatigue on the bridge and how long it is supposed to last based on environmental conditions and usages. All of these factors need to be considered in real life, otherwise many lives will be at stake.

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