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Project 1
Form and Function
The purpose of this project to teach us the relationship between form and function. The project helps us learn whether or not the form of a structure is dependent on a function, and how the function will affect the form of the structure. This project also helps us learn about the concept of "functional beauty" and how the structure can still be visually appealing even if the form is dictated by the function.
This project presented us with the issue of figuring out how to modify a bridge to allow a boat to pass through. There is a river that is 190 feet wide and the water sits 10 feet below the roadbed. Our job is to modify the form of the bridge to fit its new function, which is moving part of the road to create a 30 foot wide by 40 foot tall opening in the bridge for the boat to pass through.
Project 1
Form and Function
Span Prototypes and Diagrams
The first part of this project involved us taking existing bridges from all over the world and diagraming them out so we could better understand the basics of the structure. I chose to diagram a cantilever bridge, a truss bridge, and a cable stayed bridge.
3D Objects and Movement Analogies
The second part of this project had us take everyday objects with multiple moving parts and diagram them out as 3D objects in AutoCAD. Used those 3D images to diagram the basic movement mechanism of each object. These diagrams gave us ideas of different ways to move the roadbed. The objects that I chose to model were a wine bottle opener, an umbrella, and a music stand.
Combination Table
After we diagrammed out both the bridges and the movable objects, we had to figure out how to layer the objects on top of one another, incorporating the object into the bridge in order to move the roadbed. We created a 3x3 chart so that we could figure out which combination would work best to successfully move the road. The design we decided to develop was the one in the center of this chart, which used the basics of the umbrella to move part of the truss bridge.
Bridge Transformation
This animation shows how the bridge was transformed from the existing truss bridge into the new structure we designed. The bridge was first rotated and a new structure was added in to support the bridge, turning it from a truss bridge into a suspension bridge. The movement mechanism was then incorporated into the new structure. In order to move the mechanism, a system of cables and rollers needed to be added. Once all of these features were incorporated, we had our final product
Movement Mechanism
Here is a close up of the movement mechanism that I designed based off of the umbrella. I used multiple members connected by rods at different points to allow the mechanism to collapse up into the bridge, clearing the opening for the boat to pass through
Final Design
Closed
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