Mechanical Engineering Commons^™

Balsa Wood Bridge Senior Project, Ryan Moe

All Undergraduate Projects

For all of human history, people have been working to increase efficiency. This project followed in that pursuit by forcing engineers to create a 400 mm long bridge out of only balsa wood and glue that could withstand over 20 kgs of force with the bridge weighing a maximum of only 85 grams. The bridge also needed to have a lifting mechanism to raise it 140 mm above the starting position.

To accomplish this task, a strong truss needed to be built. Balsa wood is strong in compression so a truss with more beams in compression was used. Statics was …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Daniel R. Netro

All Undergraduate Projects

When building a bridge, there is a lot of criteria that need to be met so it can be functional. These criteria for this balsa bridge competition are what the bridge is made out of and can only weigh so much, the bridge must hold a certain amount of weight and not fail due to it, must allow a “vehicle” to go through the bridge and under it. For this bridge, the only material that can be used is balsa wood and any glue. With this, the strength of the material can be found and multiple calculations can be used …

Balsa Wood Vertical Lift Bridge, Emeri Wilson

All Undergraduate Projects

How can college students demonstrate the cumulative knowledge and skills acquired during their time in the Mechanical Engineering and Technologies program at Central Washington University? Students were asked to complete a senior project to display their skills, in this case a Balsa Wood Bridge was selected to highlight the student's capabilities. The ability to design, manufacture and test the Balsa Wood Bridge draws from competency in Strength of Materials, and Statics, specifically, truss analysis. This along with experience in computer modelling programs such as Solidworks and MDsolids, and manufacturing experience in the CWU Woods lab led to the completion of …

Hydraulic Balsa Wood Rising Bridge, Kaitlyn Greenfield

All Undergraduate Projects

What is the solution to allowing tall vessels to navigate past a vehicle bridge that is less than 10 [ft] above the water? To answer this question, a balsa wood bridge was designed, constructed, and tested. The bridge needed to articulate by mechanical means, allow for travel through the bridge, and be able to withstand ample force while the main structure only being constructed of balsa wood and glue. The project was analyzed in sections. These sections include: the bridge structure and its members, the hydraulic lift, and the pins needed for the bridge and hydraulic lift to operate. The …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Logan Bronemann

All Undergraduate Projects

Abstract: The objective of the project undertaken is to design and build an articulating bridge which can be raised and lowered constructed from only balsa wood. To meet the objective set forth for this project a series of requirements were set to determine the design parameters such as height, length, weight and more. Using these requirements, a series of analysis can be undertaken upon the bridge design and structure. These analyses consist of column buckling, tensile stress analysis, and compressive stress analysis. The analysis determined the dimensional requirements of the structural members to include a ½”x ½” lower support beam …

Balsa Wood Bridge, Joshua Nye

All Undergraduate Projects

The project requires the individual to design and construct a truss bridge made from balsa wood and wood glue to perform several objectives. The main objectives are to articulate the bridge by raising it, to conform to dimensional requirements, to allow a vehicle to travel along the road deck, and to hold a minimum load. The bridge must be able to articulate in two different ways. First, the articulation system can lift the road deck vertically while on top of the bridge. Second, raise the bridge with a pivot when the articulation system is placed at the specified end of …