Truss Design Project

TRUSS ANALYSIS

THREE TRUSS ANALYSIS COMPONENT

EM120-07 TEAM 3

	For this project, we aimed to support the largest load with the lowest cost. The challenges to this were twofold; first, the members in compression have an inverse relationship between buckling force and distance, and secondly, our team was restricted to 12 feet of material with a fixed joint cost. To these ends, we tried to minimize the length of the compressed members by creating arcs with straight members. We also discovered that max weight supported increased at a greater rate than cost did to a certain point, so we could support much larger weights with marginally higher costs.
Introduction
Project Description
Three Truss Analysis
Selected Truss
Team Members

Experiments

By utilizing our Working Model physics package, we could very easily analyze a large number of trusses. As a result, we tried to methodically analyze a number of alternatives and minor variations inside of each variation. Some of our focuses:

Super-structure: How does the shape of the top of the truss affect its load? Does an arch give more strength, or will a flat top support more? How does height affect the load in each member?
Sub-structure: How does the base affect the structure? Will a flat base be best? Will an arched base give more support? How do the costs of the two compare?
Internal Structure: How does the internal structure affect the load on the super- and sub- structure? How should the triangles be arranged to divert the load? How do you prevent internal structure from failing before the main compression members of the superstructure do?

We ran a series of 25 structures through analysis, mixing and matching pieces until we found an ideal mix. Here you can download the Auto/CAD file of all of our designs, and a sample working model analysis:

Truss Experimentation

PI analysis

Sample Working Model Analysis

Please note the threads running through our experimentation. It was often necessary to pursue one set of changes to a certain point, then switch to another thread, then switch back when another part of the structure was maximized.

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