Week 2

Goal: Create a bridge under certain conditions

Civil, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Civil Engineering is one of the oldest engineering professions. It focuses on the infrastructure necessary to support a society.

Mechanical Engineering applies principles and problem-solving techniques of engineering. Using principles of force, motion, and energy that make sure the designs are safe, reliable, and cost efficient.

Industrial Engineering focus on make things better than they were before. Similar to mechanical engineering they focus on reducing cost, increasing efficiency, improving quality, ensuring health and safety, protecting the environment as well as implementing government regulations.

We use these types of engineering as well as electrical engineering in our project. When building our bridge we are focusing on civil, mechanical, and industrial engineering and we use electrical engineering when constructing the ROV.

Day 1:

Before starting this project we needed to learn the concepts of stress, gravity, and tension. To understand these concepts we created smaller projects such as designing a bridge using a simulation, an egg drop, and making a bridge from index cards. As well as create bridge on a bridge simulator on the computer.

Egg drop design with architecture

Bridge Simulator

Day 2:

We create a sketch of our bridges using our knowledge from the bridge simulator from the day before. Next we swap sketches with another group and explain the design. After that we take the sketch from the group and design a scaled diagram of their bridge. While Claudia and Esha worked on the scaled model, Stephen and Jordan started on the ROV to drive across our bridge.

Our sketch for our bridge

Scaled model we created for another group

Claudia and Esha working on scaled model

Our bridge in a scaled model created by another group

Day 3:

We went on a field trip to an Earthquake Conference and to the Los Angeles Hyperion. At the Earthquake conference we viewed tower created by different colleges, many from California. Also we watched the towers be shaken on an earthquake shaker to see which one can stand the strongest magnitude.

Day 4 & 5:

We didn't use our bridge from the scaled model because it didn't look structured to handle weight. Using everything we learn from this week we created our new bridge! While everyone was working on the bridge, Jordan worked on perfecting our ROV.

Jordan working on the ROV

Final design for ROV

Claudia creating the cords for the bridge

Stephen analyzing the bridge, wondering how to perfect it

Scale Drawings

Design Process

Creating the Bridge

Step 1: We planned out our bridge. We did this to make sure we didn't run out of anything, because we had limited amount of materials. As well as reviewing the rules and requirements for this project which consist:

Driving surface must be a distance of 4 ft
Bridge has a span two standard tables apart ( 3 ft)
Minimum of 1 ft from the table to the lowest point on the bridge
Minimum width of 1 ft
Bridge composed of only 150 balsa wood strips (1/8" x 1/8" x 36"), 15 balsa wood planks (1/8" x 3" x 36") and 15 hot glue sticks
Support a Vex car carrying 3 standard red bricks

Images are above of scaled drawings.

Step 2: To start off we created the driving surface of the bridge using the planks of balsa wood (1/8" x 3 x 36"). Cutting the planks to make the surface 4ft long and double the width of the ROV.

Step 3: Taking the small strips of balsa wood, we soaked them in water (making it easier to shape). Then twisting them in groups of 3, making the cords stronger.

Step 4: Next it was making the bases for the bridge. To build these took two planks added holes (at an angle) for the cords to attach at, and then gluing the pieces together in the shape of a triangle (but without the base). Doing this step 4 times for each corner of the bridge.

Step 5: Then we attached the 4 bases to each corner of the driving surface. Creating indents at each corner 6" in and 1" deep in the driving surface, then attaching the bases, 12" from the ground, with glue. Once dry we added holes on the surface for the cords to connect, each hole was 2" apart.

Step 6: We add the cords, connecting from the bases to the surface. As well as creating X's on the bases under the surface.

Step 7: With the extra strips of wood, we ran it under the surface of the bridge to create a stronger base.

Step 8: To use up all the glue we were given, we placed it on areas that we felt needed to be held together better.

Creating the ROV

Step 1: We first established the chassis of our ROV to be able to hold the 3 bricks in a secure opening .

Step 2: We cut up the pieces of our chassis to create a smaller vehicle that would be able to provide enough strength to hold the bricks as well as adequately travel across the bridge.

Step 3: Next we added the small base at the bottom of the brick opening to allow to allow support to hold the bricks within the robot and protect our motors.

Step 4a: Below these platforms we attached the foundation where we put our 4 wheels and screwed our motors into place.

Step 4b: On the side of constructing our robot, we created the programming code used to autonomously control our robot for our experiment. We set up the motors we would use and provided the code we would put into our Vex Cortex Micro Controller.

Step 5: Then we added a platform in the back of our ROV to provide an area where our Vex Micro Controller, motor wires and battery could rest while it is moving across the bridge. We also screwed the micro controller to the back of our ROV and taped the motor wires together so it can be secured in place and take up less space in the back area.

Sources

Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/233741652/#editor

Testing Video: https://youtu.be/DjjJqlPhBqQ

PowerPoint: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14LDBgeVJZUMsFuLT1TaStczAbXyBQTSoNbEDzsLhzas/edit?usp=sharing

Links:

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