Popsicle Stick Tower Challenge

We took 5 days to design and test our Popsicle Stick Tower, using the ideas we learnt during Unit 4 about Architectural Design.

The Challenge was to make a Tower using only 60 popsicle sticks, wood glue, and tape.

The Goal was to support 10 textbooks with the Tower we made.

Below is a quick picture overview of the design process and outcome.

(Click on the sides to see more pictures)

Want to know more? Read on!

Popsicle Stick Tower Challenge

Google Sketch-Up

After we picked the best sketch, we had to design it in Google Sketch-Up as practice for making technical drawings.

The final sketches with explanations and annotations are shown below.

(Please click on the pictures to read the full write-up)

Testing Time!

After we were done with the Google Sketch-Up, we had to make the prototype.

The pictures below show the building process and the problems we encountered along the way.

(Please put your mouse above the larger picture to read the descriptions.)

Assembling the Tower - The Basics First we cut the V-shaped grooves in the popsicle sticks to create the basic support structure. After that we stuck the popsicle sticks together with the wood glue and secure it with clips while it dries so that it will form a strong bond and make a better tower.	Assembling the Tower - Making Levels After making the basic structure, we started stacking the support structures together to create the height for the tower.	Assembling the Tower - The sides After the basic structure was made, we supported the other side with popsicle sticks, attaching it with wood glue.
The Final Tower Because we did not have enough time, so we only made 2 levels, and supported it with a cube structure.	The Final Tower Photo taken from a different angle, rotated 90 degrees.	The Final Tower Photo taken from top view.
Testing the Tower 1st textbook... Passed!	Testing the Tower 2nd textbook... Passed!	Testing the Tower 3rd textbook... Passed! Unfortunately the tower could not support more than 3 textbooks and it broke.

Reflections...

Our Tower managed to support 3 out of 10 books. If we were given another chance, we would redesign the Tower in the following ways...

We would use triangle supports for the sides instead of square supports
We would use diagonal supports across the interior of the tower, rather than horizontal supports
We would make bigger V-shaped grooves so the popsicle sticks can interlock better
We would make sure the structure is stable on its own first without glue, so that we know the joints are strong. If we depend on glue to hold the structure togetherr, it will be weaker and break more easily.
We should check to make sure all the popsicle sticks used will help to distribute the weight of the books, and that we don't waste the popsicle sticks.
We should try to make a tower with a broader base so that the weight of the books is distributed better and the structure is more stable.

Final Tower This is the final tower as designed in Google Sketch-Up, this is the side view.	Final Tower Final tower from top view.	Final Tower Final tower from the other side view, rotated 90 degrees.
Step 1 - Tower Support The tower supports are built like asterisks because we learnt in Unit 4 that triangles are stronger as supports, hence we were trying to create a support structure with as many triangles as possible to increase the strength of the tower so that it can support more books. An asterisk creates support from 3 sides, with a spacing of 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 45 degrees.	Step 2 - Building the Tower After we created the supports, we decided to stack it up so that it will become a tower. the supports will stack at the points the red arrow points at. This will give it 4 points of support, which is stable because 3 points is the minimum amount for stability.	Step 3 - Supporting the other side For the other exposed side we decided to use overlapping vertical supports to support the structure from the sides. This also creates a square frame of support which is strong but might be unstable from shear forces. This is prevented by the asterisk structure from the other side which prevents the square structure from collapsing sideways.
Step 4 - Finishing the Top We used a straight interlocking horizontal bar to support the top of the tower to give it maximum strength so that it is supported from all 4 sides.	Points of Connection We used interlocking grooves by cutting off a V-shape from the corner from the popsicle sticks in order for the sticks to lock with each other. This gives it physical support rather than just relying on glue and tape, which can be weak as they are secondary methods of supporting the structure.

First Sketches

I made 3 sketches for the tower, the first one on the left is Sketch A, the middle one is Sketch B, and the one on the right is Sketch C.

Sketch A was supposed to use a square as the basic unit, and just keep stacking it to make a tower. However, that is not a good idea as square designs will be weak to shear force and will become unstable easily. The basic unit is also 2D instead of 3D so it will not be tall enough.

Sketch B used 3 of the square units to make a star shape as a new basic unit, and this time there was vertical ice cream sticks for height. The structure is better because it is now taller and can become a tower. It also is flat on top, so there is a place to put the books on. However, it still uses squares instead of triangles, so it can break apart quite easily if it gets shaken sideways.

Sketch C combines both Sketch A and Sketch B to make a reinforced cube structure as the basic unit. It adds a flat square on the top of the star shape, so that there will be stability. It also gives the structure some triangle corners of support, making it the most stable sketch and the best design so far.

Hence, we chose Sketch C to make in the Google Sketch-Up, because it was the best sketch that we had.