Introduction: Trust the Truss Bridge

The goal was to develop a bridge design to help the elderly and disabled cross a fish ladder in a nature preserve.

Supplies

  • balsa wood
  • hot glue
  • saw
  • sandpaper
  • ruler

Step 1: Designing My Model

  1. Measured a piece of balsa wood
  2. Made a V-Shape
  3. Then made trusses by cutting and gluing balsa wood to fit in the V shape
  4. Then I copied that basic design 3 times for a total of 4
  5. I added them on to a floor/base piece
  6. I added extra support - beams going across the top and middle to make it stronger
  7. I sanded some of the pieces

Step 2: Conclusion

In this project, I discovered a lot about the engineering process. Engineering is all about solving problems. I tried to solve the problem of the elderly and disabled crossing the fish ladder. I learned that I like using my hands and designing. Building the trusses was the most challenging part.