Week 2

Civil Engineering involves objects of everyday life, such as public transportation and everyday items. Building science involves physics and architecture, and rely on models and simulations to build prototypes before the final product.

Project Description

We created truss bridge in Bridge Designer, where a simulation of a truck driving over could be completed. We needed to make the bridge cost effective and within a certain stress and strain requirement. Then a 3D version of a bridge that fit the proper dimensions.

Design Process - 2D Bridge

Step 1 - Initial Designs

The initial stages involved constructing the 2D bridge using the given template, while provided a solid foundation for the following stages. In addition, all materials used were the same, to serve as a control group for compression/strength

Step 2 - Simulation

After the bridge design was completed, we needed to test the bridge by simulating the strain and stress when a truck were to drive by over it. As a result we were able to see a table of forces enacted on the bridge and whether it was able to support the truck without collapsing. Furthermore, cost was not the main concern at this stage, since the main goal is to not only ensure the truck can pass through safely, but also meet the compression/tension requirements.

Step 3 - Optimization

The final stage of the bridge building project is to cut cost. We wanted to meet the compression and tension requirements, while getting the cheapest bridge possible. Hollow tubes were implemented to cut the cost, and the best diameters of beams were selected to minimize spending.

3D Bridge Development

Version 1

Our first Truss bridge design

Version 2

The second iteration of our bridge design

Version 3

Our final 3D bridge design

2D Bridge Development

Version 1

Our first iteration of the Truss bridge. We followed the template for the bridge design and made necessary edits to barely enable the truck to pass through safely. It costs 350,000 dollars.

Verison 2

This is our second iteration of the Truss bridge. By changing the diameter of the beams, we were able to achieve most of the compression/tension goals; However, It is still costing 297,000 dollars to construct, despite some efforts on cutting costs.

Version 3

This is our final iteration of the Truss bridge. We optimized it to only cost 290,224 dollars by implementing hollow tubes, as well as decreasing diameters of beams. This is as far as we could go with the strain and stress requirements while using under 15 percent hollow tubes.

Resources

[1] D. Software, “Building Information Modeling and Structural Analysis Software: Scenarios and Success Factors for Data Exchange,” Dlubal, 04-Jun-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.dlubal.com/en-US/support-and-learning/support/knowledge-base/001432. [Accessed: 23-Jun-2020].

[2] “Building a Global Icon,” Architectural, Construction & Building Design| Burj Khalifa. [Online]. Available: https://www.burjkhalifa.ae/en/the-tower/design-construction/. [Accessed: 23-Jun-2020].

[3] E. Valente, C. Avram, J. Machado, and A. Astilean, “An Innovative Approach for Modelling Urban Road Traffic Using Timed Automata and Formal Methods,” Journal of Advanced Transportation, 18-Sep-2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jat/2018/6269526/. [Accessed: 23-Jun-2020].

[4] “Multiphysics Cyclopedia,” COMSOL. [Online]. Available: https://www.comsol.com/multiphysics/finite-element-method. [Accessed: 23-Jun-2020].

[5] “Predictive Engineering Analytics.” [Online]. Available: https://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/global/en/our-story/glossary/predictive-engineering-analytics/13222. [Accessed: 24-Jun-2020].

[6] “Read ‘Unit Manufacturing Processes: Issues and Opportunities in Research’ at NAP.edu,” National Academies Press: OpenBook. [Online]. Available: https://www.nap.edu/read/4827/chapter/15. [Accessed: 24-Jun-2020].

[7] “Insight Through Numerics: The World of FEA Consulting Services at Predictive Engineering,” Predictive Engineering. [Online]. Available: https://www.predictiveengineering.com/consulting/fea/insight-through-numerics-world-fea-consulting-services-predictive-engineering. [Accessed: 24-Jun-2020].

[8] M. Rouse, “What is computational fluid dynamics (CFD)? - Definition from WhatIs.com,” WhatIs.com, 06-May-2014. [Online]. Available: https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/computational-fluid-dynamics-CFD. [Accessed: 24-Jun-2020].

[9] “Computational Fluid Dynamics,” Computational Fluid Dynamics - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/computational-fluid-dynamics. [Accessed: 24-Jun-2020].

Research Paper

Week 2 Research Paper: The Design Process of Structures

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