Wimpy Radar Antenna: Reinforced Tower Test, Analyze & Improve
Students examine bending and torsion in an antenna towerCopyright Pixabay http://pixabay.com/p-625032/?no_redirect
Students reinforce an antenna tower made from foam insulation so that it can withstand a 480 N-cm bending moment (torque) and a 280 N-cm twisting moment (torque) with minimal deflection. During one class period, students discuss the problem, run the initial bending and torsion tests and graph the results. During the following class periods, students design, construct and test sturdier towers, and graph the results.
Evaluation of the effect of torsional forces on objects such as building support beams or machine parts (by civil and mechanical engineers, respectively) is extremely important in making sure that structures and machines do not fail. Understanding how torsion affects objects helps engineers design structures that are safe and sound.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Understand the concept of a moment (torque) of a force and learn how to calculate moments.
- Understand how moments (torque) ("turning forces") create bending and torsion loads on structures; understand the effects of bending and torsion loads, and gain some appreciation of how engineers can design structures to resist bending and torsion.