University of Pittsburgh: Statics and Mechanics of Materials Project

Statics and Mechanics of Materials - Building a Bridge Over Troubled Water

As the culminating project for Statics and Mechanics of Materials (course code: ENGR 0135), a class I took during the fall semester of my sophomore year at the University of Pittsburgh, I was tasked with constructing a bridge in a team with three other students. The bridge was to adhere to certain specifications that dictate the materials it is made of, as well as the load it was meant to hold.

In order to build a bridge that successfully held the required load of 225 pound-force, we had to utilize skills that we learned from course material throughout the semester. Specifically, finding the moment about a certain point and using the method of joints to solve for the forces in each of the wooden beams helped us ensure that our bridge would be able to withstand the force that it was subjected to.

In the end, my team’s bridge adhered to the specifications required and was able to hold a significant amount of weight more than required. I was a primary author and editor of our final report for the class, which detailed the research done to settle on the specific type of truss bridge we built, as well as the calculations performed, tests ran, and the cost and performance index of our bridge.