Civil Engineering
Day 1
Notebook Question: What is a Civil Engineer?
Being a Civil & Structural Engineer
Essential Questions:
If you were to build a bridge, what material would be best to use considering the physical properties of the material?
What causes weakness in a bridge?
What shapes are best to create a strong bridge? Why?
Career Connections:
City Planner
Architect
Civil Engineer
Carpenter
Vocab:
Civil Engineer- an engineer who designs and maintains roads, bridges, dams, and similar structures.
Structural Engineer- the branch of civil engineering that deals with large modern buildings and similar structures
Structural Integrity- the ability of an item to hold together under a load, including its own weight, resisting breakage or bending.
Why are there so many kinds of bridges? Video HERE
Video Vocab: Tension- pulling or stretching force; Compression- squeezing or pressing force; Bridge- a structure spanning and providing passage over a river, chasm, road, etc.; Truss-a type of bridge whose connected elements usually forming triangular units- this can be as a superstructure or substructure; 4 types of Bridges- beam, arch, suspension, cable stay(ed)
Day 2
Notebook Question: THINK - PAIR - SHARE
What should a Civil Engineer be considering in order to build a structure/bridge?
Once you have answered this, talk to the person across from you about your lists.
Together, come up with FINAL list to share with the class.
More Vocab:
Joints- the points where the members of a bridge are joined that allow movement due to ground settlement or earthquakes; they may be rigid OR flexible; designed to safely absorb expansion, contraction and vibration (think joints of your body- elbow, wrist, etc.)
Members- beams between the joints of a bridge (think bones of a skeleton)
Super-Structure- A bridge whose joints and members reside above the deck (super man flies above the ground)
Sub-Structure- A bridge whose joints and members reside below the deck (a submarine is under water)
Day 4
West Point Bridge Designer Tutorial HERE
To download the free West Point Bridge Design software, click HERE
Day 8
*for each step that has a point value, you must get them signed off by me before moving on!*
Making a bridge, start to finish!
What to be thinking about in your build... ANALYZE THIS!
*DUE TBD*
