Bridge Design and Building

Spaghetti Bridge Competition

 

Each year an engineering services company called Thiess, holds a bridge building competition in Brisbane during Engineering Week at the start of August. The competition is normally held at the Ekka.

See http://thiessspaghettibridge.com/ for details.

 

Task

Your task is to build a spaghetti bridge that meets

the rules of the competition and holds the most

weight. Materials will be provided to you by your

teacher. Each bridge will be tested at school.

 

The best two bridges from each year level will be

offered a trip to Brisbane to enter the competition.

Prize money will go to the school.

 

Rules

See http://thiessspaghettibridge.com/how-to-enter/

 

The basics:

 

• at least 35 cm span

• round spaghetti

• can't be hollow

• glues - PVA (wood glue), cyanoacrylate

(superglue) or hot glue

• total weight of the bridge including

spaghetti, glue and loading hook must not

exceed 300gm

 

Testing at School

Testing at school will use the Thiess plate

(blue rectangular object in the middle of the bridge) and hook. The load will be applied by filling a bucket with sand and recording the load when the bridge breaks.

 

 

Testing in the Compeition

A testing machine will be used to load your

bridge until it breaks.