Problem You have been contracted by Verizon Wireless to design and build the most efficient cell phone tower. Verizon will assess your tower’s design by using the Tower Efficiency equation to hold a single point mass. Tower Efficiency = mass held by tower / mass of tower Limits and Constraints 8” Tall (1/4” tolerance allowed) Only provided glue may be used 3” Minimum width (1/4” tolerance allowed) 4” Maximum width (1/4 ” tolerance allowed) The finished tower may not weigh more than 18 grams Must have 4 horizontal supports on the top and bottom of the structure Guidelines The mass of the tower will be recorded before testing. When the testing device is ready, the student team will begin to apply the load to the tower at the rate he or she chooses. The testing device will record the load. The tower supporting the greatest load with the best efficiency will be the winner. The following equation will be used to determine the efficiency Tower Efficiency = mass held by tower / mass of tower Neat, quality sketches must be submitted and approved before selecting the final design. Sketches must show a side view Your design plan must be signed off on by the instructor before the start of construction. Structures will not be tested if: excessive use of glue (coating of beams, large glue joints) The final design package MUST be turned in for your structure to be tested Materials 180 linear inches of balsa wood (5 x 36” sticks) One 3”x 5” index card “Gusset Plate” Tools Balsa Cutter Straight pins (to hold wood in place while glue dries) Clothespins (to hold sides together during final assembly) Sandpaper Tower Score Grading Top 6: 100, 99, 98, 87, 96, 95% Middle 8: 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82% Bottom 6: 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71% Structure above 18 grams: 55% Grading Criteria:
Problem You have been contracted by Verizon Wireless to design and build the most efficient cell phone tower. Verizon will assess your tower’s design by using the Tower Efficiency equation to hold a single point mass. Tower Efficiency = mass held by tower / mass of tower Limits and Constraints 8” Tall (1/4” tolerance allowed) Only provided glue may be used 3” Minimum width (1/4” tolerance allowed) 4” Maximum width (1/4 ” tolerance allowed) The finished tower may not weigh more than 18 grams Must have 4 horizontal supports on the top and bottom of the structure Guidelines The mass of the tower will be recorded before testing. When the testing device is ready, the student team will begin to apply the load to the tower at the rate he or she chooses. The testing device will record the load. The tower supporting the greatest load with the best efficiency will be the winner. The following equation will be used to determine the efficiency Tower Efficiency = mass held by tower / mass of tower Neat, quality sketches must be submitted and approved before selecting the final design. Sketches must show a side view Your design plan must be signed off on by the instructor before the start of construction. Structures will not be tested if: excessive use of glue (coating of beams, large glue joints) The final design package MUST be turned in for your structure to be tested Materials 180 linear inches of balsa wood (5 x 36” sticks) One 3”x 5” index card “Gusset Plate” Tools Balsa Cutter Straight pins (to hold wood in place while glue dries) Clothespins (to hold sides together during final assembly) Sandpaper Tower Score Grading Top 6: 100, 99, 98, 87, 96, 95% Middle 8: 89, 88, 87, 86, 85, 84, 83, 82% Bottom 6: 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71% Structure above 18 grams: 55% Grading Criteria:
Strength_Tower.docx