3DD WEEK 5 DAY 3

We commenced our last day by designing five miniature models of  bridges constructed out of A4 paper. This was a prelude to our afternoon task which was to create a real bridge in groups.

Fig 1 : Bridge 1 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 2: Bridge 2 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 3: Bridge 3 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 4: Bridge 4 (2013) Authors Own

Fig 5: Bridge 5 (2013) Authors Own

For our real bridge we were handed the following items, 30 bamboo sticks, 6 sheets of cardboard, some tape and elastic bands. The bridge had to span two tables which were placed approximately three metres apart. Furthermore it had to be able to support a miniature electronic model car which would test the bridge once it was finished.

My group decided to build the frame of the bridge first, and we opted for a classical suspension-type style.

Fig 6 : Bridge Frame (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7: Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 7 : Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 8: Bridge (2013) Authors Own

Fig 9: Bridge (2013) Authors Own 

I thoroughly enjoyed this task, as we had to think quickly given that we only had two hours to construct the bridge and working as a group was fun.

In our group, everybody actively participated and contributed and the end result of this was that our bridge was very stable.

Fig 10: Outcome of the Bridge Task (2013) Authors Own