Modified Howe Bridge - Engineering Project (STEM)

thingiverse

To illustrate diverse outcomes from varying designs, I demonstrated this third example to my students. It printed in approximately 4 hours using standard Makerware settings and turned out flawless. To add a touch of realism, no support beam was placed on the second column's sides as I planned for the students to lay a road segment for testing different loads with varied vehicles crossing their bridge. Although optional, the beam can be added for increased stability. The design was created in SketchUp due to school's preference and our lack of access to other 3D modeling programs like SolidWorks or AutoDesk. Due to limited resources, booleans operations were kept at a minimum. I used SketchUp Pro, but the school doesn't provide it for students. The bridges will be printed in parts rather than as a whole, and I'd be glad to share the files if requested.