Bell Weekly Blog- Week 6

In the prior week, the group each constructed a bridge out of K'nex. We each built one to get some different ideas out onto the table. After we each had our bridge built, we each tested our bridge with weights. For the bridge that held the most weight, we took that bridge design and built off of that. We decided to take that design home with us for some analysis and construction. As a team, we have agreed to keep the bridge design that we already have. The tasks we will cover in the coming week will consist of changing minor things on our bridge to help reinforce its structure. The major accomplishment our group had in the week was having a bridge that was able to hold nearly all the weight that was available (about 33 lbs.). Some issues that might come up throughout the next week might be an argument over different structures on different parts of the bridge. 

Compared to last week, I would say that our group made little to no changes to our design. If we were to make a steel bridge that spanned 20', many things would change. First of all, we would need way less material because steel is way stronger than many materials. Second of all, the steel bridge would be able to hold a lot more weight proportionally because the joints on the steel bridge would probably be welded. The K'nex bridge always fails at the joints.