The honest answer is that the machanical properties of wood are highly variable, so much so as to be almost useless. We have measured variations of at least 10-1 in almost every specification (tensile, compressive, young's, density, etc.) of balsa wood. Bass seems to be a bit more consistant but it still varies hugely from peiece to piece. If you design based on some sort of textbook value of tensile strength og basswood, your bridge will probably be eith overbuilt of underbuilt. The only way to get the lightest piece of wood possible is to test the actual peice you intend to use.wyu1229 wrote:does anyone know the tensile strength of basswood, with the stress applied parallel to the grain?
Elevated Bridge B/C
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
your from NJ right? becuase i got a 769.6 and came in third place. 19.49 grams and held all the weightsewforlife wrote:770. not that greatBjsong wrote:Can you guys post what was the 1st place efficiency at your state for elevated bridge so that I could get an idea of what competition at national will be like.

- hbk.showstopper
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
the 1st place team in my state was about there too... 

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- sewforlife
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
yeah. that was you. what was the efficiency of the 1st place bridge?bob3443 wrote:your from NJ right? becuase i got a 769.6 and came in third place. 19.49 grams and held all the weightsewforlife wrote:770. not that greatBjsong wrote:Can you guys post what was the 1st place efficiency at your state for elevated bridge so that I could get an idea of what competition at national will be like.
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
oh, i thought you meant 770 was the efficiency of the 1st place bridge, i'm not sure what it was.sewforlife wrote:yeah. that was you. what was the efficiency of the 1st place bridge?sewforlife wrote:770. not that greatBjsong wrote:Can you guys post what was the 1st place efficiency at your state for elevated bridge so that I could get an idea of what competition at national will be like.

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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
Really only 770? I thought it would be at least 1000 for a state winner. Because I'm constantly getting efficiencies of 1000 and up.
Towers 2nd state 07, 1st Regional 08, 3rd State 08
Rocks 1st state 08, 32nd National 08
Mystery 4th State 08, 19th Nationals 08
Robo-cross 3rd Regional 09, 2nd State 09
Fossils 1st State 09
Bridge 2nd State 09
Road Scholar 10th state 08, 6th State 09
Rocks 1st state 08, 32nd National 08
Mystery 4th State 08, 19th Nationals 08
Robo-cross 3rd Regional 09, 2nd State 09
Fossils 1st State 09
Bridge 2nd State 09
Road Scholar 10th state 08, 6th State 09
- sewforlife
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
no 770 was teh third place bridge...
looking at who got first place, their bridge was incredibly light.
it was made of dowel rods.... and weighed about 8 grams.... wow. i wonder how much it held.
and bob3443, yeah i didn't get to see all the efficiencies so i assumed the highest one at the point was gonna take 1st place. which was urs...
the first placers tested their bridge close to last
looking at who got first place, their bridge was incredibly light.
it was made of dowel rods.... and weighed about 8 grams.... wow. i wonder how much it held.
and bob3443, yeah i didn't get to see all the efficiencies so i assumed the highest one at the point was gonna take 1st place. which was urs...
the first placers tested their bridge close to last
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- sewforlife
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
yeah, i did mean that. by accident.bob3443 wrote: oh, i thought you meant 770 was the efficiency of the 1st place bridge, i'm not sure what it was.
are u from hammerskjold? or churchill?
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
hammarskjold going to chuchill next yearsewforlife wrote:yeah, i did mean that. by accident.bob3443 wrote: oh, i thought you meant 770 was the efficiency of the 1st place bridge, i'm not sure what it was.
are u from hammerskjold? or churchill?

- sewforlife
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Re: Elevated Bridge B/C
wow. nice. did u guys get 10th in regions?
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