Make It Bridge Challenge: Kennesaw Mountain Bridge

Hello! My name is Viktor, I am 17 years old, and I am going into my senior year at Hillgrove High School. For my project, I decided to combine the unique opportunities of 3d printing recycled materials into strong bridge components with technology to monitor the structural integrity of the bridge and promote safety. The purpose of this bridge is to allow both animals and pedestrians to cross busy highways or roads.

Autodesk Fusion 360

Autodesk TinkerCAD

Adobe Illustrator

Blender

Before I started modeling the bridge, I drew out several design ideas on paper and made a list of the features I wanted it to have. The features included columns resembling trees, bird homes, trash cans (including recycling), and fake leaves on the railing and side for aesthetic purposes. I wanted the bridge to cross over a road to allow animals to walk over and avoid being hurt or killed on the road. I also wanted humans to be able to use the bridge, which led to my location being by a hiking trail which crossed a road near Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Since the road is being widened, there are more cars on the road, decreased visibility, and an increased risk of drivers hitting animals. To prevent this, a noise wall can be built, similar to those found on highways. An additional benefit of this would be less sound disturbing animals. Then, a bridge can be built going over the wall to allow animals and hikers to cross.

To start turning my ideas into a reality, I first used Fusion 360, a software by Autodesk, to create a model of the bridge. I used Adobe Illustrate to create tree-like pillars in a 2d format, and then used fusion 360 to make them 3d by using the import svg and extrude tools. I used the same method for the decorative leaves on the railing. I created 7 different leaves and individually imported, aligned, and extruded them at different heights to create a variety of leaves and add more detail. Next, I mirrored the design to make it symmetrical, and mirrored everything once again to add leaves to the opposite railing.

I used Tinkercad to quickly and easily create a trash can for the bridge. Tinkercad's easy drag and drop parts combined with it's hole feature made the trashcan model take only a few minutes. I added cabinets in between the trash cans, and created slanted parts above the cabinets to hold informative signs about the bridge and local wildlife. I then exported the trashcan parts by color as an STL to later import into Blender.

To add visual appeal to my project, I used Blender. I imported each component from Fusion 360 into Blender and used the Shading tab to add color to it. Next, I imported the trash can I designed from earler and placed it on top of the bridge. I then mirrored it to the other side to retain the symmetrical look of the bridge. I once again used the shading tab to add color to the objects. Then I created bushes and leaves on the ground for decoration. Lastly, I created a camera, adjusted to focal length and distance, and screen shot the render to have a smaller file size.

Various technology is incorporated into the bridge to maintain safety and deepen the relationship between humans and nature. On the safety side, strain gauges, load cells, and crack detectors allow for data about the bridge's structural integrity to be collected. These sensors allow for early detection of structural issues which can save money on repair costs and keep the general population safe. To deepen the relationship between humans and nature, the cabinets in between the trash cans have food for animals such as seeds for birds, and they contain supplies to pick up waste from pets. Cameras will be placed to monitor both day time and night time activities of animals. These cameras could be accessible on the Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield Park website to allow people to observe and learn about the animals.