Design Blueprints - Arch Bridge
Arch bridges are generally designed for the forces to compress onto the members. Most kinds of arch bridges are made from stone or concrete that are strong against compression but weak against tension.
Arch bridges use the idea of transferring the weight using curves to the supports at each end which carry the load and resist the bridge spreading out. Using newtons second law, the weight pushing down the the half circle will put the force onto the supports, which will react to the action force by pushing back with a reaction force.
Most arch bridges are made of concrete or compression resistant materials and are extremely strong. Unfortunately, since we only have access to Popsicle sticks, it will be difficult to recreate the arch bridge with the same efficiency.
Arch bridges use the idea of transferring the weight using curves to the supports at each end which carry the load and resist the bridge spreading out. Using newtons second law, the weight pushing down the the half circle will put the force onto the supports, which will react to the action force by pushing back with a reaction force.
Most arch bridges are made of concrete or compression resistant materials and are extremely strong. Unfortunately, since we only have access to Popsicle sticks, it will be difficult to recreate the arch bridge with the same efficiency.
Simulator for Arch Design:
Using the same simulator as the K truss bridge design, our team created the Arch design and tested it against 100N. The results is the bridge having a bit less survivability than the K truss, but with similar results.
The numbers represented on each member for the arch bridge represents the load that is forced onto each member. The highest percentage in this build is 86% at the top and is a compression. This means that the section is generally distributed nicely, although not as well as the K truss design.
Using the same simulator as the K truss bridge design, our team created the Arch design and tested it against 100N. The results is the bridge having a bit less survivability than the K truss, but with similar results.
The numbers represented on each member for the arch bridge represents the load that is forced onto each member. The highest percentage in this build is 86% at the top and is a compression. This means that the section is generally distributed nicely, although not as well as the K truss design.