Bridge Repair Research

Purpose
Gain knowledge about structure so your repair has maximum efficiency.

I know some of you still need to finish your saw cuts but these need to wait till I'm back Monday.  Our next step is to do some research on how to repair your structures. 


Procedure
Do everything in your notebook on a new page.

1. Read http://www.howstuffworks.com/bridge.htm 
2. Watch:
1. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/howstuffworks/3920-transportation-video.htm
2. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/19206-understanding-bridges-the-complexity-of-construction-video.htm
3. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/19205-understanding-bridges-lifelines-that-bring-us-together-video.htm
4. feel free to watch other HSW (how stuff works) bridge related videos, don't get to off track... remember your goal
3. Define the terms listed:
1. tension
2. compression
3. structural shapes
4. elasticity
5. plasticity
6. brittleness
4. Draw pictures that visually display the meaning of each term.

Congratulations you should now have a good general understanding of bridges, how they work, what some of the forces on bridges are and some properties of building materials.  All of this is important to understand so you can design and construct the most effective repair possible.  I would recommend you continue to research structural shapes, materials, and concepts.