2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Implementation of a Hands-On Timber Truss Design Project in Structural Analysis

Presented at Committee on Effective Teaching Presents: Models, Models, & More Models

Many undergraduate civil engineering programs do not offer timber design courses in their curriculum. However, timber design is commonly used for low-to-midrise buildings, pedestrian bridges, and residential construction. The timber design and construction industry that produces these projects benefits from civil engineering programs including timber design in their curriculum. Exposure to timber design offers students entering the field greater knowledge and confidence with the material. To provide students with the opportunity to understand the fundamentals of timber design and construction without introducing an additional required course into the curriculum, a hands-on engineering design project was implemented in an undergraduate structural analysis course. In this project, students worked in teams to design, analyze, construct, and test a 16-ft long timber truss. Students learned the basics of approximate analysis, design of axial wooden members and connections, and principles of timber construction. The engineering design project has been included in the structural analysis course since 2017. This paper presents the six-year evolution of the engineering design project, student feedback on the structural analysis course, and student performance data from the course and on the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Exam. Although the engineering design project took a significant amount of time and resources within the structural analysis course, it was a great opportunity for civil engineering students to solve a well-defined design problem and gain exposure to timber design. Student feedback showed the timber truss design project was a great hands-on learning experience, which allowed the students to apply their structural analysis knowledge within the engineering design process. The student performance in the course and on the FE exam demonstrated that the course did not have an adverse effect on achievement of the course objectives for structural analysis.

Authors

Dr. Kevin Francis McMullen http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-2820-7682 United States Military Academy [biography]

Kevin McMullen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut. His research interest areas include bridge engineering, protective structures, and engineering education.
Mr. Adrian Biggerstaff, P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0717-9368 Stanford University [biography]

Lieutenant Adrian Biggerstaff is an Assistant Professor at the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. from the United States Military Academy, and M.S. degrees from Stanford University and Missouri University of Science and Technology. He
Dr. Christopher H. Conley [biography]

Chris Conley is a semi-retired engineering educator. He has served on the faculties of four institutions over the last three decades. He has also had the good fortune to work as a researcher at four federal laboratories.
Col. Jakob C. Bruhl, P.E. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1645-4520 United States Military Academy [biography]

Colonel Jakob Bruhl is an Associate Professor and Civil Engineering Program Director at the United States Military Academy, West Point, NY. He received his B.S. from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, M.S. Degrees from the University of Missouri at Rolla and the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign, and Ph.D. from Purdue University. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Missouri. His research interests include resilient infrastructure, protective structures, and engineering education.
Kevin Arnett
Paul Moody
Col. Aaron T. Hill Jr. http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-2441-4094 United States Military Academy [biography]

Colonel Aaron Hill is an Assistant Professor and Design Group Director in the Department of Civil & Mechanical Engineering at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from West Point, a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Missouri S&T, a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. Aaron has served in the military for 24 years as an Engineer Officer with assignments around the world to include Afghanistan, Egypt, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Virginia and a Project Management Professional. Aaron’s primary areas of research are engineering education, the behavior of steel structures, and blast. Aaron mentors students by serving as an advisor for capstone projects and through service as an Officer Representative for Women’s Volleyball and Men’s Basketball. His passion for teaching and developing tomorrow’s leaders resulted in his selection for the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers New Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2013 Outstanding Young Alumni Award for the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech.
Lynden Damon Crosbie

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