The main object of every structure challenge is for the team to build a structure (or structures) to a certain specification and to test that structure (or structures) at the tournament on a structure tester. The specifications and scoring may change each year but the basic principle remains – you have to build a structure that supports weight.
If you are new to the structure challenge then you may have never seen a structure tester.
In the photo notice four 4″ x 4″ posts at the corners sticking out above the red and white painted cardboard decoration. These are safety posts designed to keep the weight stack from falling more than a few inches when the structure being tested fails. Note the pipe extending from the middle of the tester base. This is a safety pipe over which the weights are placed. Its purpose is to keep the weight stack from tipping over when the the structure fails.
If you look around you can find ideas about what structures look like. Driving down the road it’s common to see cell phone towers, power cable towers, water towers, and all other sorts of towers.
There are common elements in each of these structures. There are vertical or almost vertical pieces extending from the ground to the top (columns) that are designed to hold weight and there are pieces less than are less than vertical that do not contact the ground but run between the columns (braces).
