Ask A Scientist© Engineering Archive

Index Key:   ENG002
Author:      anthony
Subject:     Geometric figures - bridges
Text:        What is the strongest geometric shape when it comes to bridges? 

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      samb
Text:        Now you are getting into the kind of specificity that is 
necessary.  Woods greatest strength is against compression along the growth 
axis.  The way trees grow is the best evidence for this fact.  So the 
strongest figure out of wood would be one which carries most of the load as 
compression and not bending of the members and is stable.  Anything built out 
of triangles would be able to transfer a force in almost direction into forces 
along the sides without collapsing the figure.  Some other kind of material 
might indicate a different kind of figure.