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the team built this 8ft long draw bridge
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a middle school class built this cantilever bridge
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the "luffer" lifts a through truss bridge
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this 40ft suspension bridge is rated at 4 tons
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a live load on a deck truss bridge
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Cable stayed bridge with a 5 brick live load
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measuring the deflection on a suspension bridge
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Here's a 17ft scale model of the "fishbird" bridge
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this "whirly" rotates on casters
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a deck truss bridge
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suspension bridge OMSI
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#2jpg
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arbor bridge
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Fernwood Crane
STEM Bridge Beams
I've been teaching kids about bridges and cranes since 1997. This is NOT a shop class but an integrative math/engineering curriculum. The kids and I built bridges and cranes while learning basic engineering principles and related math formulas.
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
Now however I'm using models of bridges and cranes built from BRIDGE BEAMS. These are 1/4" ply "beams" connected with small nuts and bolts. The kids can build a crane and then take it apart and use the same pieces to build a totally different crane, or a bridge or an elevator or anything they can dream up. Here are a few examples.
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge
homepage picture kids next to the bridge