Bridge Builders

thingiverse

Challenging Middle and High School Students to Build Bridges with 21st Century Technology A time-honored activity in science classrooms is taking a quantum leap forward with the advent of 3-D printing, infusing design principles into bridge building projects. How I Designed This I designed everything on Tinkercad, but any modeling program should suffice for this innovative project. Standards NGSS Standards Align With This Project Overview and Background Bridge Building is a Perfect Fit for 21st Century Learning Researching bridge types, transitioning to design, considering dimensions, and concluding with display and presentation will provide an authentic learning experience for students. Objective: Students Will Explore Bridge Design Principles While Mastering 3-D Modeling and Desktop Fabrication Lesson Plan and Activity Audiences This lesson is designed for middle and high school students in physics, engineering, design, or general science classes. The project can be modified for younger students with proper support. Lesson/Activity: Assign teams the task of designing and printing three different bridge types, including research on available styles. Introduce Tinkercad to unfamiliar students and let them create their designs. Bridge Stand Serves as a Measure of Roadbed Accuracy The bridge stand will only accommodate roadbeds with specific dimensions: 150mm (l), 25mm (w), and 2.5mm (h). Print Bridges and Display on Bridge Stand Have teams explain the design features of each bridge style and under which circumstances it is used. Dramatic Conclusion Challenge students to design weight mounts and test maximum tensile strength for a dramatic conclusion. Extension Activities: Increase the challenge by requiring a maximum weight, forcing students to become familiar with slicer program settings. Assign teams to build a better bridge stand for an added challenge. Duration of Lesson 3-5 sessions for research and design, 5-10 sessions for printing and redesign, and 3-5 sessions for testing models Preparation This project can be part of or conclude a larger unit on design, engineering, or bridges. Rubric and Assessment See the included guidelines above for assessment recommendations. Share designs on Thingiverse as an additional requirement for project completion. References Common Bridge Types: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tech/build-bridge-p3.html