Matboard Beam Bridge

For the CIV102 course project, my team and I designed and constructed a 1200mm long bridge using only a single piece of matboard and contact cement. Here it is in action:

Our bridge:

• Supported a peak moving load of 840 N (over 180 lbs!!)
• Tied for first place in our section based on peak load capacity
• Achieved third place overall in the cohort for power-to-weight ratio efficiency

I led the cross-sectional design process, which involved:

• Performing extensive structural calculations
• Iterating through multiple design variations
• Optimizing performance through analytical modeling

Initially attempting to use MATLAB and Python for calculations, I pivoted to Google Sheets for efficiency, which proved effective for our analytical needs. The project showcased practical applications of structural engineering principles and the importance of iterative design optimization.

Below are the detailed structural calculations used to optimize our bridge design, including parameters for each section, stress analysis, and safety factors: