Project Outline

The Brooklyn bridge at night. [1]

Problem Overview
As a Group it is our job to design a bridge using the knowledge we have obtained and analyzed using footage and performance information that was provided on a presently running bridge. The bridge that is designed needs to be ready to sustain stress levels of environmental proportions as well as user level impacts such as cars driving on it, or it being drawn in order to let boats pass through etc. It's placement needs to be factored in as the placement of a bridge has economical and community related repercussions as well as environmental effects on the bridge itself. All these factors when assessed allow us as a group to create a piece of engineering that works hand in hand with the community.

The Bridge we will be analyzing and studying will be the Tacony Palmyra Bridge in Philadelphia, PA.
A very old draw bridge that has it's own interesting qualities. However considering it's age it is in need of constant surveillance to see how it is weathering the elements.

The Tacony Palmyra Bridge. [2]

Pre-Existing Solutions
While Building a bridge is done on a regular basis, one of the goals of our bridge is to maintain an efficient design that will wether the elements in a fashion that will also provide more efficient and convenient for the bridges' location and purpose. Our Bridge will need to compete and hopefully win the competition (see the competition page)

Project Goal
Our primary goal is to create a bridge that will seamlessly integrate all of the functions of said bridge while allowing it to be efficient in it's energy use and durable in its prolonged use, this will be achieved through thorough design and analytical approaches to it's foundation and engineering.

Project Deliverables & Challenge
The created bridge that we build out of K'Nex will be put together under a time limit to win a competition versus other teams. Time= money as do many other factors including the types of pieces and quantity used to make the bridge. All of the factors will be added in to retrieve a cost and the team with the minimal cost wins the competition.