Civil · Structural Design
Load-Tested Model Truss Tower (Instrumented)
Intermediate 5 weeks 35-55 hours
Design, build, and load-test a model tower/truss with strain measurement to failure. Compare measured capacity to hand calculations and FEA. Classic structural portfolio project done rigorously.
Major
Civil
Focus area
Structural Design
Total hours
35-55 hours
What you'll need
- load cell 5kg with HX711 amplifier weight sensor kit
- Arduino Uno R3 ATmega328P microcontroller board
- balsa wood strips and sheets pack
- calibration weight set for testing
- digital caliper 6 inch stainless steel measuring tool
- wood glue and spring clamp set
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Steps
- Design the tower and calculate member forces by hand and in FEA.
- Build the tower from balsa strips and measure it with calipers.
- Set up the load cell and a loading platform on top of the tower.
- Add weight in steps until failure and record load at every step.
- Compare measured capacity to your hand calculation and FEA.
- Document the failure mode and results for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Model tower build
- load-to-failure curves
- strain data
- calculation comparison
- failure analysis
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Designed and built a load-tested model truss tower using Structural analysis, load testing, strain measurement
Applied FEA validation and technical reporting to implement, test, and validate the system end-to-end
Skills you'll show off
Structural analysisload testingstrain measurementFEA validationtechnical reporting