Year 7 Technology · 2026
Week 9 · Lesson 17

Reinforcement & lamination

Week 9 · 75 minutes · Year 7 Technology (Mandatory) · Bridge It

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🎯 Learning intentions

  • I can identify the highest-stress members in my bridge.
  • I can reinforce them using gusset plates or lamination.
  • I can explain why doubling a member increases its load capacity non-linearly.

✅ Success criteria

  • At least 2 members are reinforced (laminated or gusseted).
  • I can point to the high-stress areas on my bridge and explain why.
  • Build journal photo 6 shows reinforcements clearly.

Do Now · 5 min

Press gently on different parts of your bridge. Where does it feel weakest? Record in journal: "Weakest point: ___. How I know: ___."

I Do · ~10 min Teacher demonstration

Teacher demo — two reinforcement techniques.

  1. Lamination — glue two sticks together side-by-side. A laminated member is 2× thicker but more than 2× stronger for bending. Takes 20 min PVA set.
  2. Gusset plate — cut a small piece (~15 mm square) of stick or card and glue across a joint. Spreads the load over more glue area.
Engineer's rule of thumb: stiffness of a beam goes up with the CUBE of its depth. So doubling depth ≈ 8× stiffer. That's why I-beams and laminated members are so strong for their weight.

We Do · ~15 min Guided practice

Together — identify 3 members on a model bridge that would benefit most from reinforcement:

You Do · ~35 min Independent pair work

Reinforce your bridge (35 min).

  1. Decide with your partner which 2–3 members to reinforce.
  2. Choose lamination or gusset for each.
  3. Cut additional sticks or card pieces.
  4. Apply PVA. Clamp with tape.
  5. Take photo 6 showing reinforcements.
  6. Document in journal: "We reinforced ___. Technique: ___. Why: ___."

Differentiation

🪜Support

Pre-cut gusset plates provided. Teacher helps identify weakest points.

🎯Core

Identify 2 points + reinforce with partner.

🚀Extension

Make reinforcement decisions based on your force diagram from L13. Predict which reinforcement will have the biggest impact at test time.

Exit Ticket · 5 min

  1. Where did you reinforce?
  2. Did you use lamination, gusset, or both?
  3. What do you expect to happen at the load test now?

📚 Resources for this lesson

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