Pasta Bridge Project The spaghetti bridge project is meant to test student's abilities in designing & building a bridge from materials they have at hand, in this case spaghetti. In this project the students will design a bridge that measures 14 inches long, approximately 3 inches (or the width of a lasagna noodle, and 12 inches high measured from the bottom pf the pier to the top of the bridge structure using just spaghetti and paste made from flour or corn starch mixed with water. Objective:

Using the skills learned in class this year, design a pasta bridge using any of the methods available: Pen & Pencil Drawings or a CAD (AutoCAD or Solidworks) program. And use those plans to construct a bridge from pasta. You may use any bridge design you want but you must build it to the exact dimensions listed below. Also you may NOT use any artificial adhesives in the building of the bridge. If you need to glue the material you may use a paste made from flour or corn starch and water.

Materials:

The bridge must be constructed entirely from pasta. You may NOT use any other materials in the building of the bridge structure. You may use any combination of pasta in the building. You may use any material, Foam Board, Foam or Cardboard as the base on which the bridge is fastened thus providing a firm base to support the structure that you are building. Something to cut the pasta with. A Knife, X-Acto Knife, or razer knife.

Bridge Specifications:

The Support Base:

Length - 16 inches Width - 6 inches The bridge should be affixed to a base that will support the structure and hold the piers in place. You may ONLY use a glue to fasten the piers to the base to provide a firm support for the bridge structure.

The Bridge:

Length - 14 inches Width - 3 inches or the average width of a lasagna noodle. Height - 12 inches measured from the base of the pier to the top of the bridge structure.

Glue/Paste:

Since glue is prohibited in the construction of the bridge, you may make a paste from flour or corn starch mixed with water. It should be the consistency of toothpaste.

Process: Research bridge designs that you may want to use. Once you have a design that you like, design it using any method listed above. After the designs are complete, get your pasta. Separate the pasta by types and how you plan to use them Some pasta you may want to cook until tender so you can cut it easily or shape it, other pasta you may want to keep hard based upon its usage in the design. Build the bridge starting with the piers. Fasten the piers to the Base board with any type of regular Glue. ( Again this is the only time glue is allowed ) Working from the ground up, build the bridge. Allow time for the soft pasta to harden You MAY combine the types of pasta to give greater rigidity, or to strengthen the pieces.

You may use the paste where necessary to help hold the pasta pieces together Allow time for the materials to dry or harden. The proceed to the next part. When complete your bridge should stand on it own and be able to support the weight of 16 oz. object Grading:

The grade will be based upon the following: 1. Completion of the designs properly dimensioned & Labeled 2. Bill of Materials presented as shown: Type of Pasta Angel Hair Lasagna Angel Hair Ziti

30 pts 20 pts

Bill of Materials Quantity How each piece was used 30 pcs. Pier Support 6 pcs Road Bed 12 pcs. Road Deck Cables 30 pcs. Outer Shell of Piers

3. Completion of Bridge Model 4. Aesthetics 5. Holds the assigned weight Total Due Date:

15 pts. 10 pts. 15 pts. 100 pts.

The Due Date of the Project will be May 31st during the assigned class period. If you have any questions about the project, refer to the Design & Construction of a Spaghetti Bridge sheet.