Identify the Problem:
Create a tower made of balsa wood, which should withstand the a given amount of pressure. It should also be able to have a metal beam in the middle.
Generate Ideas:
-Cube, which be a bunch of balsa wood sticks snapped in half, glued together
-Scaffold-like tower, balsa wood tower, that would sort look like a guard tower
-Pyramid, a basic pyramid made out of balsa wood
Constraints:
The tower can only be made out of balsa wood and glue. It has be at least 2, 2, 3, and no more larger than 4,4,5 in inches.
Criteria:
The tower must be strong, so that it will not collapse under 50 pounds pressure, and still hold its structure. It must also be compact as possible, so that it takes the least amount of space possible, and still do its job
Research:
Theoretical: Truss tower designs mainly used for designing bridges, and most designs are shaped with triangles. People use balsa wood to create structures, then test them by adding weight above the structure to see how much weight it can take. Truss tower designs has also been used for building radio towers and fences.
Empirical: When a test is being conducted, the triangle shape was the best model. Although the balsa cube held a lot of weight, many other models crashed before 50 pounds.
Possible Solutions:
One solution, is to create a cube, but after a few tests, it won't work out. Looking at our previous data, we believe that a triangle-like design will be the model that will definitely work.
Results/Redesign:
To redesign the truss tower, we'd make it bigger. Based on the data, having a larger tower, would make it last longer. For the tower itself, it was able to hold 147 lbs of pressure, and a displacement of .297.
Idea Matrix:
Trust Tower Idea Matrix (Below)
Create a tower made of balsa wood, which should withstand the a given amount of pressure. It should also be able to have a metal beam in the middle.
Generate Ideas:
-Cube, which be a bunch of balsa wood sticks snapped in half, glued together
-Scaffold-like tower, balsa wood tower, that would sort look like a guard tower
-Pyramid, a basic pyramid made out of balsa wood
Constraints:
The tower can only be made out of balsa wood and glue. It has be at least 2, 2, 3, and no more larger than 4,4,5 in inches.
Criteria:
The tower must be strong, so that it will not collapse under 50 pounds pressure, and still hold its structure. It must also be compact as possible, so that it takes the least amount of space possible, and still do its job
Research:
Theoretical: Truss tower designs mainly used for designing bridges, and most designs are shaped with triangles. People use balsa wood to create structures, then test them by adding weight above the structure to see how much weight it can take. Truss tower designs has also been used for building radio towers and fences.
Empirical: When a test is being conducted, the triangle shape was the best model. Although the balsa cube held a lot of weight, many other models crashed before 50 pounds.
Possible Solutions:
One solution, is to create a cube, but after a few tests, it won't work out. Looking at our previous data, we believe that a triangle-like design will be the model that will definitely work.
Results/Redesign:
To redesign the truss tower, we'd make it bigger. Based on the data, having a larger tower, would make it last longer. For the tower itself, it was able to hold 147 lbs of pressure, and a displacement of .297.
Idea Matrix:
Trust Tower Idea Matrix (Below)
Graphical Model:
Triangle Design Graphical Model (Below)
Triangle Design Graphical Model (Below)
Mathematical Model:
The tower held 147 lbs of pressure before crumbling, then constant until crumbled again. It seems that came back up a little, but stopped.
The tower held 147 lbs of pressure before crumbling, then constant until crumbled again. It seems that came back up a little, but stopped.
The weight held based on weight, length was 3-5 inches of the towers.
Working Model:
3D View #1 Side View Top View 3D View #2