Results & Explanations

Results

On the first attempt, our bridge collapsed after putting the fourth brick onto the platform. This was likely due to the fact that the person placing the bricks onto the platform put them off to one side of the bridge, therefore making the balance of the bridge uneven and making it tilt to one side. They also placed it too quickly, which might have impacted how the bridge fell. In addition, it also could have collapsed due to the fact that our bridge was not securely taped to the shaking platform. We were only allowed to put on three pieces of tape before we were told to test it, but if we placed more tape and in secure spots, it could have been able to hold more bricks

On the second attempt, we placed it on the ground and did not shake it. It was able to hold 7-8 bricks before the middle stated to cave and we said that we were satisfied with the results. Although it was not able to hold all of the bricks in the bin, we were happy that it did not fully collapse. This could have been due to how we constructed our truss and how uneven and weak the joints were. From the first attempt, some of the planks fractured and some of the members were completely broken, which could have prevented our bridge from holding more bricks. Given those conditions, we were pleasantly surprised at how well it went, although we could have potentially tested our bridge's limits further.

Project Evaluation