The Conceptual Dynamics of Compression and Tension Forces
Compression:
The force which is pushing in on both ends of a member. This often results in failure of a member, causing the integrity of the member to be jeopardized. What happens when you push down on a spring and collapse it? That's right, you compress it, and by squishing it, you shorten its length. Compression stress, therefore, is the opposite of tension stress.Compression and tension are present in all bridges, and as illustrated, they are both capable of damaging part of the bridge as varying load weights and other forces act on the structure. It's the job of the bridge design to handle these forces without buckling or snapping. Compression in most diagrams is represented as blue, and we used a thicker balsa wood in order to produce optimal strength within the structure of the bridge.
Tension:
The force of which pulls along the axis of a member, causing failures by ripping apart the members from the gusset plates along the bridge. This force is crucial to keep in mind when building the structure for a truss bridge. Often in diagrams this is represented as the color red. When building the bridge design, we planned and executed our building process by using thinner balsa wood; optimal strength was produced as a result of this decision.
The force which is pushing in on both ends of a member. This often results in failure of a member, causing the integrity of the member to be jeopardized. What happens when you push down on a spring and collapse it? That's right, you compress it, and by squishing it, you shorten its length. Compression stress, therefore, is the opposite of tension stress.Compression and tension are present in all bridges, and as illustrated, they are both capable of damaging part of the bridge as varying load weights and other forces act on the structure. It's the job of the bridge design to handle these forces without buckling or snapping. Compression in most diagrams is represented as blue, and we used a thicker balsa wood in order to produce optimal strength within the structure of the bridge.
Tension:
The force of which pulls along the axis of a member, causing failures by ripping apart the members from the gusset plates along the bridge. This force is crucial to keep in mind when building the structure for a truss bridge. Often in diagrams this is represented as the color red. When building the bridge design, we planned and executed our building process by using thinner balsa wood; optimal strength was produced as a result of this decision.