In the previous week, the groups were shown different designs of truss bridges. The idea of changing the kinds of materials used in the design was also introduced. The groups spent the lab designing different kinds of truss bridges through trial and error. A final design for a truss bridge was not determined and further research should be done before making the final design is decided on.
The bridges are designed using a program called West Point Bridge Design. This program allows the user to design a bridge using different kinds of materials. The program determines the total cost of the design. It also provides information such as the maximum compression force / strength, maximum tension force / strength, and the length of each beam used. In the program, the user can choose between using carbon steel tubes, or hollow tubes. Changing the type of material being used can decrease the overall cost of the bridge, but this also make the bridge less stable. I think the program is pretty realistic. It is able to calculate the cost of the bridge and some of the forces on it. However, the program does not account for other factors. When testing, one truck drives over the bridge, when in reality there could numerous trucks on the bridge at once. Weather such as warm or cold temperatures, rain, snow, ice, and wind may not have an immediate effect on the bridge, but over time they do. The program does not account for these factors as well.
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