Definition of the Problem
January 12th, 2007 marked the collapse of the Madison suspension bridge. The Madison bridge facilitated transportation over the James River for commuters going to and from the city of Angels. However, the high amount of traffic on the bridge was not anticipated and the design proved to be insufficient. The materials used for the main support cables were not strong enough to support the weight that travelled across the bridge. A stronger, more stable bridge is required to support the amount of traffic that crosses the James river. Now that the Madison bridge debris has been cleared, a new design is needed.


Constraints
Constraints:
The third step of the design project encourages the team members to choose their own constraints and some of which have already been provided by our instructor. The constraints obviously limited us to the budget, kind of materials the group wants to use in the project, and it also organized the Time schedule of the project.
Price: The total budget of the project should be limited to $40. The Finance manager should decide the amount of money each group member has to pay in order to buy the materials.
Materials: No prefabricated or model kits can be used in the construction. It should be originally constructed with all the materials purchased within the budget limit. ·
Time Schedule: The Preliminary Report should be completed and turned in by Tuesday, October 9, 2007. A gant chart is necessary so that everyone is aware of their duties and the group’s schedule. The final report is due on Monday, 19 Nov, 2007.


Criteria
Project 1: Suspension Bridge
The Mason Bridge which we will be constructing will use the suspension design, used in places where the longest bridge is a necessity such as, the Golden Gate Bridge. The factors that we will need to apply to our decision are, weight, cost of materials, sturdiness, and maintenance cost. The size of the bridge and type of materials used will affect other criteria, and therefore must be decided first.

Project 2: Phonograph
For an alternative project, we will be constructing a Phonograph similar to Thomas Edison's original design. While building this device, certain criteria must be kept: cost of materials, produces audible sound, and works similarly compared to Edison's prototype.

Research:
The most important step of design Project is to research. As soon as the group decided the two final alternatives for the project, the group members decided to find enough information about each of the alternatives. We researched the various components of both alternatives which included cost of materials, actual design, and structure. The group also investigated the details about the two designs to grasp the theoretical understanding of each object so that we can better analyze the conclusions with logical thinking and mutual ideas. We found many sources for our research which included:
Stores
In stores, we looked at the materials we need to buy and their prices to estimate the total amount. We collected the prices and then compared it to our own budget. Based on the prices in market, the group decided to adjust the list of materials for each design to match the budget.
Internet
We searched several websites and got tons of information about the design and basic structure for our chosen alternatives. Some of the websites we searched are given as under:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phonograph · http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_bridge · http://www.ushistory.net/phono.html · http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/scientists/edison/phonograph_1 · http://www.matsuo-bridge.co.jp/english/bridges/basics/suspension.shtm · http://www.inventionfactory.com/history/RHAbridg/sbtd/
These all websites we found very informative and useful. We then looked forward outside the internet world and searched the libraries.
Library
The libraries did not prove to be the strong objective for the source of information. We visited couple of libraries and found out that many of the information we want is not available. However, we found many books which provide detail information about the designs and structures of our objects.
Professor
The Professor obviously provided us with many information and suggestions. We consulted our English professor, Mr. Thompson to help us with the writings and designs.
Books
Lack of time did not let us read the entire books but we tried to take out as much information as we can through some engineering books and diaries. One of the books that we found more useful was named, “Engineering Design” written by George Dieter. The book explains many important concepts and processes required in Engineering designs and construction.