This album highlights the Popsicle Stick Bridge that I entered into the Seattle ASCE Younger Member Forum’s Popsicle Stick Bridge Competition in 2009. This particular entry swept all first place prizes in every category: efficiency, aesthetics, and poster. It’s 30 inches long, 11 inches tall, 5 inches wide, weighs just under…
The 100 stick popsicle bridge challenge is on. This Howe Truss bridge uses 99 popsicle sticks, spans 21 inches, and holds 200+ pounds. It’s efficiency score is 678. This is an updated version of my old “Popsicle Bridge #3” which was the same length, but slightly different in construction.
Here is a short, fun video showing creative bridge designs from very limited supplies. These bridges were required to be under 5oz in weight, but only had to span 8 inches. I like this video because it is pretty clear why each bridge failed. Can you see a major design issue that could be improved … Read more
Have you ever wondered what type of bridge is the strongest? I definitely did, and that is why I created this popsicle bridge kit to compare and contrast three types of bridges to see which one can hold the most weight. This is a very interesting project and was a lot of fun to make … Read more
Here is a sneak peak at one of my newest creations: a model suspension bridge made from popsicle sticks and parachute cord. This bridge was created as part of a custom project I was contracted to design. While I had been thinking about building a kit/blueprints for a popsicle stick suspension bridge, I had not been able to create one simple enough to replicate easily. However, I found a way to construct one with a simple method and this is the result.
This is a great opportunity to learn principles of engineering and physics while having lots of fun. This popsicle bridge kit allows you to construct a Howe Truss Bridge which really works. Not only does this bridge work, but it can hold some serious weight. Put a load of 100 pounds on it, no problems. And if you spread the load out along the entire span, this little bridge can hold 140+ pounds of force.
This is quite an interesting popsicle bridge video. The maker claims it is the “ultimate popsicle bridge design” because it held 600 pounds. He also states in the description that he spent a large amount of time optimizing the Warren Truss. This is also probably part of his “ultimate design” claim…
Here is a collection of the best of the web on Popsicle Stick Bridges. Digital Structures – Popsicle Bridges Building a Popsicle-Stick Bridge (Web Archive)
Here is a video from youtube that is a young man giving advice on building popsicle stick bridges after building one of his own. I like his thought process although I don’t necessarily agree with everything he says. What do you think? Notice when he says he sacrificed making triangles to add beauty to the … Read more
At our college earlier this year, we had to build a bridge using popsicle sticks within one hour. We were provided with about 60 sticks, a cushion of office pins and a tube of super-glue. I have attached a picture of the bridge we constructed, that eventually won the first place. I’m sorry I don’t have a better picture to show you.