Prototype 1

When we were assigned this project, our group was spilt in half into 2 teams, working on two very different bridge designs.  One was abstract with a novel design, and the other was a variation on a conventional, modern bridge.  Eric and Jack started on the later concept and it was named Prototype 1.  Our first prototype was 33.5 cm long, 11 cm wide, 12 cm high, and weighed 114 g.  Our prototype was based on a trapezoidal prism figure.  It held 65 pounds before it broke.  The center of the lower side rail broke first, which then caused the bridge to snap, twist and collapse.  We decided that our faliure was due to a weakness in our base.  Our base consisted of 3 popsicle sticks vertically oriented, with minimal bracing in the horizontal or vertical axes. Our modifications consisted of  using more triangles to cross brace the base, making it stronger on the bottom in future models.  Overall, it was a good first prototype, giving us much to learn from and modify in future bridges.