Journal 2

Journal Week Two

Summary of activity: In this weeks tutorial we attempted to

construct tall structural frames out of balsa wood which we had obtained the previous week. The aim was to observe structural

processes in place.

By Lachlan Hine #640 990

First we brainstormed what the best ideas for frames were. After debating the merits of a rectangular design we realised that this form of design would use too much of the limited supply of balsa wood which we had. We soon realised that the best option was to incorporate triangles into the design, as they not only used little amounts of balsa, but they were also a very strong and structurally sound shape (Figure A). The next decision we made was to build upwards in a prism like shape (Figure B), as it was a quick way to get height quickly in a reasonably strongly structured way. As a way to preserve the supply of wood we joined two pieces together so that the sides of the prisms was two lengths long (Figures C & D). In hindsight this was most likely the best option, however it worked and held the weight of the structure above it. B  

A  

C  

D  

Overall  the  balsa  wood  was  a  surprisingly  good  material,  as  it  was  lightweight  whilst  also  being  able  to  support  the  weight  of  other  pieces  above  it.  However,  if  any  pressure  was  placed  upon  the  piece  of  wood  it  was  very  likely  that  it  would  snap,  which  is  definitely  a  flaw  in  its  capabiliBes.  However,  during  this  acBvity  we  did  not  have  to  place  any  weights  onto  our  structure;  as  such  the  briDleness  of  the  balsa  was  not  an  issue  for  us.    As  can  be  seen  in  Figure  E  (Things,  2011),  Balsa  Wood  can  be  rather  flexible,  which  we  found  out  as  a  group  throughout  the  course  of  the  acBvity.  In  turn,  this  also          helped  us  to  assess  Balsa  Wood  as  a  very  efficient  material  when  building  to  scale  models  of  designs.        

E  

Bibliography

Things 2011, Bending Balsa Wood, photograph, viewed 19 August 2013, <

http://www.dollshouseforum.com/building-dolls-houses/13722-bending-balsa-wood.html>