WEEK  ONE  –  COMPRESSION  CHALLENGE  

636535  –  Isaac  X.  Mercado  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aim:  The  challenge  presented  to  us  in  tutorial  was  to  construct  the  tallest  tower  possible  with  the  supplied  equipment  within  a  two-­‐hour  period.  

 

Equipment:    

v Small  wooden  block  v Elastic  bands  (optional)  

 

In  accordance  with  the  main  theme  of  compression,  the  structure  had  to  utilise  mass  in  order  to  create  a  freestanding  structure.  Within  my  group,  we  could  only  construct  a  small  structure  that  primarily  relied  on  thick  columns  and  walls,  which  could  accommodate  for  larger  masses.  We  chose  to  use  the  basic  box  wall  structure.    

 

One  of  the  major  issues  we  ran  into  with  a  box  shaped  structure  was  the  potential  of  not  being  able  to  have  a  roof.  Ultimately,  elastic  bands  were  used  to  create  compressed  larger  slabs  of  wood,  which  we  draped  over  the  structure  to  create  the  roof.    

 

Our  walls  were  constructed  using  the  basic  brick  layout,  which  worked  well  in  having  a  much  better  interconnected  and  solidified  wall  that  benefitted  us  during  the  weight-­‐testing  period.    

 

 

WEEK  ONE  –  COMPRESSION  CHALLENGE  

636535  –  Isaac  X.  Mercado  

 

 

 

During  the  testing  period,  much  of  weights  used  on  the  structure  had  a  large  even  surface  thus  the  walls  worked  effectively  and  had  the  ability  to  withstand  the  pressure.  However,  if  the  mass  of  the  weights  stayed  the  same  but  were  centralised  on  the  structure,  it  may  have  collapsed.    

 

Due  to  the  thickness  of  the  structure,  the  material  efficiency  was  quite  low.  Our  team  used  plenty  of  bricks  and  questions  were  raised  as  to  whether  or  not  some  could  be  taken  away  as  they  served  no  purpose.    

 

Upon  observation  of  other  structures  from  the  other  groups,  it  was  evident  that  circular  domes  would  have  been  much  easier  to  help  with  our  roofing  systems.  Also,  understanding  centre  of  gravity  and  how  the  using  the  technique  displayed  in  another  group  helped  create  a  much  more  efficient  tower.