Area 06
Structures & materials
Why bridges stand and towers stay up
Structures carry loads: bridges, towers, roofs and frames. The shape you choose and the material you use decide whether a structure stands or fails.
What you will learn
- What loads, tension and compression are
- Why triangles make structures stiff
- How materials behave: stiff or flexible, strong or brittle
- How to find a weak point and strengthen it
Example experiments
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Build a bridge from beams and load it until it bends too much.
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Compare a square frame and a triangular frame under the same load.
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Build the same tower from different materials.
Things you can build
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A truss bridge
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A tower that resists the wind
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A crane arm
These examples show the kind of work in this area. The published lessons may differ.
What the simulation simplifies
- Materials are described by a few simple properties; real materials have flaws and change with age and weather.
- Results show how a design behaves in the model. Real buildings need professional engineers and safety checks.
Every simulation simplifies reality. Knowing how it does so is part of learning engineering.
Links to school subjects
Physics, mathematics (geometry), architecture, art
Connections to other areas
Structures rely on mechanics and support everything from robots to buildings.
Good to know
A triangle cannot change its shape unless one of its sides changes length. That is why cranes, roofs and bicycle frames are full of triangles.