Tech Directions - April 2008 - (Page 13)

A Bridge to the Future By Richard Anderson andersonr@darlington.k12.wi.us C AREER and technical education (CTE) has a promising future at Darlington (WI) High School. Take one look at the picture of my students in front of their project and you can see that. How did they come to this point in their education? They said, yes! Yes, we will take on the bridge project. What followed was a real-world, projectbased learning opportunity involving higher-level thinking skills that are at the core of CTE at my school. would cross a dry ravine leading to the 4,000 square foot “cabin” he was building outside of town. Reception to this project by my building trades students was typical. We began by writing down the customer’s needs. The list was long and detailed, containing over 35 specifics, from function to appearance—like having a 10' square enve- model looked great, and we started detailed drawings using AutoCAD. The bridge deck would be supported by five 8" × 12" beams measuring 44' in length. We would make each beam by laminating five 2" × 12" treated planks together. The rest of the bridge would consist of rough-sawn wood, with oak planks, 2" × 8", for the deck. Walls would be 6" × 6" pine, trusses How It Came About What led my students to the bridge? A local citizen approached me at the beginning of the school year wanting to know if I had any students who would have an interest in building a covered bridge for him. When he showed me what he had in mind I said, “Wow!” and told him that I would check with my students. The reason for the “wow”? The painting he had brought along showed a timber-framed covered bridge; he wanted it to be able to support a fully loaded truck! He wanted it 10' wide × 44' long. It Richard Anderson is wood technology instructor, Darlington (WI) High School. Foamcore model of the bridge lope of clearance through the bridge to accommodate vehicles—to the 812 pitch of the roof and 11° slant out of the side walls. Practice— Then, the Real Thing To give the project three dimensions, we began with construction of a small model using foamcore. The 2" × 6"s bolted together and placed 2' on center. The roof sheathing would be 1" × 8" pine boards covered with architectural shingles. As the blueprints progressed, we began to fully realize the physical size and weight of the materials we would work with. The timbers were fresh sawn and would be “green,” each 12' long 6"× 6" would weigh in www.techdirections.com CONTRUCTION 13 http://www.techdirections.com

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Tech Directions - April 2008 Technically Speaking Contents Direct from Washington The News Report Technology's Past Technology Today Mastering Computers A Bridge to the Future Aeronautics Study Takes Off! Glider Design for Beginners Project Engineer in the Heavy Construction Industry for Renewable Energy Annual Buyers' Guide More than Fun

Tech Directions - April 2008

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