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Karamba Bar Assignment

Exercise 1 - Horizontal Support

Team Members:
Emily
Simon
Jonathan

Part 1:

This activity used stay skewers to build a bridge with supports, the sticks were used horizontally glued then were made as walls to stand the bridge up as shown in the images below. The additional piece in the middle of the structure was intended to support the two outer layers to help carry and balance the load. We chose this structure because the sticks would reply in each other to help carry the force of the load from the top down. The sticks at the top would reply on the stick right below that that stick would reply on the one below that one and so forth.

This model however was not as good as other models due the imbalance of the structure to support any load downwards. The force of the load forced the structure to keep bending towards one side causing it to fall and deform as shown in the video below.

The sticks were not fully supported as they didn't not have the exact identical shape to stick fully, and as a result the structure tilted and fell as the load was placed. 

Therefore I have learnt that the support of the structure require not just  being able to support each other, but to also be able to balance the load of force that it needs to withstand. The sticks also needed to be supported more by the glue we used. 

Part 2:

This exercise contained materials of elastic and skewers that allowed itself to support itself and carry a load. The elastic material helped connect the sticks together to form a solid cylindrical shape that were used as components of the bridge. these components were also connected by a fishing line to bring about a compressed force while the connection of the ticks and the elastic bands gave a tension force in order to balance he structure together.  The two poles on the side were to sit on the table sides to hold the bridge up as shown in the images below.

The model was not as good as others due to the elastic and skewers immediately falling below negative position in height. this created a new shape in the bridge which was unintentional but we had to continue to test out the structure. Rather than the skewers on the side to act as the supports, the top components that were suppose to supports the load became the core feature in withstanding the load of the paper.  

Eventually the balance of the bridge was another downfall in this design and cause the structure to fall down. 

As a result I have learnt that greater thought is needed to be done in regards to how the compression and tension forces are to be balanced and how they are going to reply on each other.

Part 3:

The paper bridge was made using intensely rolled up paper which were connected together to form a bridge as seen in the images below. the rolled up paper was designed to be thick enough to be a strong component by itself in the structure. 

The model was a great success as it was able to withstand a considerable amount of force compared to the material we were using. 

I have learnt that intensifying the material used in the bridge will allow a better stability to carry the load. 

Exercise 2 - Horizontal Spans 

Team Members:
Emily
Simon
Jonathan

Part 1:

In this activity, we have used skewers again but this time using half the length of the sticks to allow a stronger structure to be formed. The sticks were strategically placed to support all aspects of force that it needs to withstand. The triangular formation allowed efficient use of the sticks as well. 

Load Efficiency= 193.5/36g = 536250kg

There weren't any flaws as seen in the images as it stays in the original shape even after the load test. I have learnt that using the triangular formation to support each other is a efficient and n effective way to build a form that is strong and reliable. 

Part 2:

In this exercise we have used a similar method in building the model using the elastic and combined skewer sticks to form a triangular frame that is formed in many directions. The structure was well made however the length of the sticks were partially a flaw that didn't allow the structure to fully carry out its full potential in the end. The sticks were connected via a pin joint that weren't effectively secured and failed to load the force.

Load Efficiency = 7.5kg/103g = 72.8155339806kg = 72.8kg (1d.p.)

The structure was able to support a few paper loads but failed through the joints at the top of the structure giving out. This could've been improved through more support at the top to be able to hold the weight evenly across the surface at the top. 

Part 3:

This paper activity contained using many folded paper that sat between two sheets of paper to position the folded paper in place. This idea allowed the component to be much stronger and relied on the sheer amount of quantity to allow it to load a substantial amount of load. After the test, the structure did deform a little and became squashed but it did withhold a lot of force on to the structure.   

Load Efficiency = 131kg/128g = 1023.4375kg = 1023.4kg (1d.p.)

What i've leant that more quantity does help this structure to be come more stronger but in reality, this would come down to if you're willing to spend more money than a similar structure with less components but more cheaper. As a result this strategy did work out and exceed out expectations in terms of our hypothesis on how many loads this structure could take. 

Exercise 3 - Vertical Stabiliser 

Team Members:
Jonathan

This exercise consisted of using cards and paper clips to hold and construct a tower that would be able to support itself. The cards were slightly bent to form a triangular shape which we thought was the best solution to a stable structure. The paper clips positioned the cards into place and we stacked the two components together vertically upwards to create height in the structure.

The model wasn’t as good as the others as it was much heavier due to the amount of paper clips needed to support the form. The form however did feel like it was a promising stable structure but in the wind test it did have its flaws. As the structure got higher, the wind blowing at the top would be the most vulnerable place for the structure to fall down as seen in the video. 

I have learnt that some features of the component like the paper clip used in this example can be reduced in order to build a more closer form of the required objective. If less paper clips were used, we would've been able to further increase the height of the tower.