How High Can You Build It
by Curt Weldon
February 19, 2008
Mr. Weldon’s Introduction to CAD (Computer-Aided Drafting) class was presented with a problem solving activity that would challenge the student’s creativity and knowledge of the engineering field. The Problem was to design and build the tallest paper tower possible out of a regular 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper and 10” of tape.
Students were first divided into teams of two and presented with their first challenge. The teams then had one hour to construct a tower that was free-standing and over 40” tall. The challenge was not to make the best looking tower, but to build a tower that meets the requirement of 40” in height.
On day two the teams were brought together to form one team and were given their second problem. This time the team had to construct the tallest paper tower possible out of the same identical materials. The purpose was to bring the best of all designs together into one final SUPER TOWER. With the new team and multiple ideas the team first encountered their first obstacle. Who’s in Charge? Like all good organizations there needs to be a leader, one who can manage the team, evaluate ideas, take responsibility and guide the team through the project. This was evident on day one which saw the team venture off on several different missions with no guidance or set goals. The team finally realized that nothing was getting accomplished and they had to reorganize and refocus on the task at hand. They came back together and divided the team into two groups with each focused on a specific part of the tower.
Chavis Nioce and Bryce Olson were given the task of designing the base while the other group designed the tower itself. Chavis and Bryce focused on designing the base of the tower and their initial idea started with a three legged support system to their final choice of a triangular base. The other half of the team consisting of Krystle Guy, Larissa Schilling, Brenton Wright and Macheala Hedrick focused on the tower system. They first started with the idea of making a tubular system, but found that rolling the paper out perfectly was too difficult. They then decided to use a triangular design, and a tapering segmented system that was easy to design, construct, assemble and utilize all the paper.
The design process started with simple sketches that were then converted to CAD drawings. These CAD drawings allowed the team to calculate the amount of area, size and angles of each individual part giving them the accuracy needed to utilize all the paper. These drawings gave them the accuracy needed to construct their tower to a height of 72.25 inches. This team designed and built the tallest tower to date in any of Mr. Weldon’s classes.
STUDENT COMMENTS
Chavis Nioce
“Our first ideas were good we thought, until we tried to construct
them and realized we had more problems then we thought.”
“The teamwork started slow because we didn’t talk much, but at the
end the tower started to look better because we expressed our
thoughts to the team and listened to each others ideas before
making a decision”.
Larissa Schilling
“I was amazed at our capabilities.”
“This activity was challenging yet an enjoyable experience.”
“Our class did a good job at working together”
Krystle Guy
“I had fun because I enjoy working with my hands.”
“We should do it more often”
Brenton Wright
“We achieved our goal of building a tower that was over 72” and the
best part of the project was our teamwork.”
“The teamwork was fantastic”
“The teamwork was the best part of the project and beating Mr.
Weldon’s height.”
Macheala Hedrick
“The hardest part of the project was how to communicate with all
your teammates.”
“Like listening and shutting up to let other members talk.”
