Garrett Boon Advanced Technique: Calculating the stiffness of your wood, most commonly balsa wood. The tips in this article will help you go to the next level in choosing good wood for your model bridges. Not only will you know how to choose good wood, you can pick wood with different qualities to fit different applications.
Today I found out what exactly a pony truss is. I had heard the term before, but never understood what it meant. In fact, it is quite simple. A pony truss is a truss bridge which allows traffic through the truss, but the top of the bridge is not joined together with cross braces. Example … Read more
This bridge was definitely not my best, but it does bring back memories. It was the second bridge built by my old Science Olympiad Bridge Building partner, David, and I. As you can see, we were still in the beginning of our bridge building career. I assume David is still building bridges, as his father … Read more
The Whooping Creek Bridge was originally built in 1928 (According to here). Unfortunately, the bridge was closed in May of 2006 after a DOT inspection. 5 months later, no work has been done on the bridge. From what I understand, there is division on what to do with the bridge. Some people want to replace … Read more
This balsa bridge was built by some students of mine for a Science Olympiad competition. It spanned 14 inches, weighed 8.1 grams, and held 29 pounds. That puts its efficiency at 1630.
All the time I am asked “How tall should I make my bridge?” This article will attempt to answer this question by illustrating a principle in model bridge building. There is no cut and dry answer, as you should evaluate your bridge specifications and guidelines and conduct experiments to reach the best answer for you. … Read more
Here I have complied what I believe to be the best list of websites that you will find useful. All of them have relevant model structure, bridge and tower information, some sell balsa and basswood, and others contain useful tips. Some of these sites have a specific competition or goal in mind, but you can … Read more
If you have visited my Projects page, you probably have seen the Fernbank Bridge. It is coming up on a year since I built that bridge. Original Fernbank Bridge Which means, it is about time to build a sequel. Unfortunately, the date for the Atlanta Toothpick Bridge Competition (where I test the Fernbank Bridge) and … Read more
I have a bridge I built for a physics for engineers class I’m taking in cegep (QUEBEC). My partner and I didn’t have much confidence in it, but it blew the competition away! We primarily focused on keeping the weight of the bridge down. The bridge weighed in at 211 grams.
1. Humidity affects the weight of your bridge. Keep your bridge in a closed container with a few grains of rice. or some silica gel packets. 2. Go easy with the glue bottle. As a general rule of thumb, if you can see it then you are using too much. 3. Keep your hands clean! … Read more