Structures and Contraptions

Students investigate the forces that act on structures such as tension and compression, and will design, build, and test bridges, both hands-on and using an engineering simulation program, as well as creating powered structures such as Ferris wheels and small catapults. Students will design houses or other buildings, using SketchUp, a 3D design program, and will then construct and frame physical models of what they have designed, using post-and-beam framing.

Science Buddies STEM activities
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities

Tufts Low-cost Engineering Placemats: 

https://sites.tufts.edu/pebl/2023/08/30/low-cost-engineering-activity-placemats/

Straw House STEM Challenge

https://frugalfun4boys.com/straw-house-stem-challenge/

Project 1: Investigating Forces on Structures and the Paper Tower Challenge

 Focus: Understanding core structural forces, including tension and compression. Students will learn that combining materials with different properties (such as those strong in tension with those strong in compression) allows engineers to create highly stable structures.

 Activity: Students will participate in the Tallest Paper Tower Challenge. Working in pairs, they will be tasked with building the highest free-standing tower possible that can stand for at least 30 seconds.

 Constraints & Techniques: They are limited to just 5 sheets of copier paper and 12 inches of tape. During the build, instructors will demonstrate paper rolling techniques, joining techniques, and how to create a tripod base to teach the importance of redundancy and side support against forces.

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/tallest-paper-tower-engineering-challenge-6-8

https://westonk12engineering.org/structures/pages/floppy_towers.htm

Project 2: Bridge Engineering (Simulation and Hands-On Construction)

 Focus: Designing, building, and testing bridges to safely carry loads.

 Digital Simulation: Students will use The Bridge Designer, a free educational CAD software package, which provides a realistic introduction to engineering by having students design a digital highway truss bridge.

https://www.asce.org/career-growth/pre-college-outreach/bridge-designer

Hands-on Construction: Following the simulation, students will build physical models. They can construct model  Truss Bridges ,or explore the forces acting on Cable-Stayed Bridges.

Project 3: Engineering Contraptions and Structures that Move

https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/engineeringcontraptions/home

 Focus: Investigating dynamic structures and mechanical engineering contraptions.

Activity: Students will explore "Structures that Move" by building powered and kinetic models. The materials provided support the construction of small catapults, cranes, and rubber band cars.

(Note: While you specifically requested building Ferris wheels, the provided sources do not explicitly detail Ferris wheel projects. However, a Ferris wheel easily fits into this unit's theme of "Structures that Move" and could be supplemented with external resources or rotational building kits).

Project 4: 3D Architectural Design with SketchUp

https://sites.google.com/aceraschool.org/engineering-design/sketchup/sketchup-for-architecture

Focus: Translating structural concepts into professional 3D architectural modeling.

Activity: Students will use SketchUp for Schools, a free, web-based parametric CAD program used for architectural design and city planning.

Application: Students will design houses or other buildings digitally. To add realism to their environments, they can access SketchUp's extensive '3D warehouse' to import pre-designed components like trees and furniture into their layouts.

Project 5: Physical Modeling with Timberframes

 Focus: Bringing their digital architectural designs into the physical world using post-and-beam timberframing.

Activity: Students will construct physical timberframe models of the structures they designed. They will learn to assemble the specific structural components of a framed building, including foundations, floors, bents, and roof framing.

Real-World Connection: To help guide their framing, students can look at historical examples of timberframing, such as building a model of Thoreau's cabin at Walden Pond.