Truss Bridges

Investigate the tensile and compressive forces in truss bridge components. Build a truss bridge out of manila file folders and load it to failure.

Build a truss bridge that spans 24 inches, following the directions in the West Point Bridge Design Contest manual.
Measure the tensile and compressive forces in individual components.
Measure the total applied load to the bridge.

Download the instructions and program components to perform this project.

Select the equipment you want to purchase for this project.

	Order Code	Price
Interfaces
Vernier SensorDAQ	SDAQ	$189	Select
Sensors
Force Plate	FP-BTA	$215	Select
Dual-Range Force Sensor	DFS-BTA	$109	Select
Software
LabVIEW	LabVIEW (1 User License) For U.S. high schools only	$100	Select
	LabVIEW (25 User License) For U.S. high schools only	$1500	Select
Other
File folders Glue Scissors Bucket Sand Foam core board Lumber and hardware for test stands

Engineering education with Vernier technology