hero-image
HOME
hero-image
project-highlight-image

Truss Design Project

hero-image
Riley Ovalle

Project Timeline

Oct 2024 - Nov-2024

OVERVIEW

Designed, analyzed, and fabricated a 3D-printed truss to span a 150 mm gap and withstand a target vertical point load of 200 N. The design is a modified King Post truss, optimized by reducing the length of compressive members to minimize buckling. Comprehensive structural analysis predicted a failure load of 982.349 N. Experimental testing confirmed the design's superior performance, achieving an ultimate failure load of 1339.4 N. The final truss weighed 0.1136 kilograms and surpassed the predicted strength-to-weight ratio of 910.1.

HighlightS

  • Engineered a highly efficient truss design by splitting key diagonal members to reduce their length, preventing a King Post design's failure due to buckling.
  • Optimized member geometry using a dog bone design to increase the cross-sectional area at connections.
  • Specifically made compressive members thicker by 6mm to significantly increase the Moment of Inertia against buckling.
  • The design failed at a load of 1339.4 N, significantly surpassing the analytically predicted failure load of 982.3 N. Exceeded theoretical performance by 36%

SKILLS

Structural Analysis 3D Modeling Failure PredictionForce Analysis Factor of Safety Calculation
lowinertia
Portfolio Builder for Engineers
Created by Aram Lee
© 2025 Low Inertia. All rights reserved.