Bridge Building 2016

[xinu777]

Can someone confirm the opening for Div. B is 350 mm? Have not received the rule manual yet but like to give it a first try.
Thanks!

[bernard]

Can someone confirm the opening for Div. B is 350 mm? Have not received the rule manual yet but like to give it a first try.
Thanks!

Confirmed.

[xinu777]

Can someone confirm the opening for Div. B is 350 mm? Have not received the rule manual yet but like to give it a first try.
Thanks!

Confirmed.

Thank you!

[noobforce]

To those creating a half elevated bridge, how are you constructing the angles? Is the side without the 5cm block going to be at a steeper angle than the side with the 5cm block? Thatś what Iḿ doing right now and I feel like it is not very efficient.

[marielise]

Any thoughts on the new bridge design?

[JonB]

Any thoughts on the new bridge design?

Yes, if you have a good design from last year then with only minor adjustments you will still have a good design. If it is your first year, then focus on building a good bridge on a level plane (like last year) and then once you are getting good results then start playing with the elevated side. To be honest, even with the exact same design as last year (well, a tad bit longer because of the angle) we are still getting good scores.

[retired1]

If you are putting the load on the top, you need a tension member at the bottom. Did you just move this member up from the bottom to the 5 cm height?
What kind of efficiency are you getting this year? What did it get last year??

[JonB]

If you are putting the load on the top, you need a tension member at the bottom. Did you just move this member up from the bottom to the 5 cm height?
What kind of efficiency are you getting this year? What did it get last year??

To be honest, right now we have not moved anything. The small diagram in the rules (of the bridge on the supports) pretty much hits the nail on the head of how the bridge is built and how it sits. The tension piece is no longer parallel with the test base but we have not found that to be an issue (logically, we know it is somewhat of an issue, but not the major issue). There is one spot that is (relatively consistently) breaking and we are exploring ideas related to that area.

Last year we were 4th at nationals with a score of 2633.

[Daquan]

Has anyone found some successful ideas for the bridges?

[bernard]

Has anyone found some successful ideas for the bridges?

If you're asking about design, there is no one best design. Some of the bridges that placed at nationals last year looked just like mine and others looked nothing like it. The best recommendation I can give is start with a design you like and think will do well (if you don't know what will do well, do some reading or look at pictures of bridges). Then test it, observe it as it is loaded and fails, then make more. Don't change a whole lot as you work towards a successful design or you might not know what's good. Students I've talked to who have done well in the event in the past have made many bridges.