The Manlet Bridge

Hello Reader,

This was our 1st unit of Urban Planning called "Load". During this unit, we focused on truss bridges and their mathematical concepts, using only 75 popsicle sticks and glue to build bridges that could support 10 lbs and span a minimum of 18 inches. The bridge designs were completely up to us, and we were encouraged to be creative. This project mirrored the work of Mark Bennett, an urban planner for Chicago who has to work within resource constraints. Our efforts gave us better understanding of the dynamics of bridge engineering and how to apply mathematical concepts to our designs. Furthermore, we gained insight into the challenges faced by urban planners, who must successfully balance design creativity with material limitations engineering requirements.

My bridge is called "The Manlet Bridge" because of it's size. The bridge that inspired the Manlet Bridge was the Somerset Bridge because it is the narrowest bridge at just 56cm wide. In order to accommodate the weight on top. We also used all our remaining sticks to fill in the gaps where the bridge was not stable. Our bridge design is quite small and if it were to be scaled to a real bridge it would be built very fast. This connects to SDG11 (check out other action projects to learn more about what those are). SDG11 is "sustainable cities and communities. Bridges are an essential part of city planning and development, and having a bridge design that can be built fast and repaired easily is useful. 

Unfortunately the manlet bridge did not hold up to 10 pounds even though we used all 75 sticks and weighing in at 89.9 grams. Next time, I would use more triangles given that they are the strongest shape.