Practice IB Design Technology (First Exam 2027) Topic B3.2 Structural Systems Application and Selection with authentic exam-style questions for both SL and HL students. This question bank focuses on the exact syllabus content for B3.2 Structural Systems Application and Selection and mirrors Paper 1, 2 style where relevant.
Get instant solutions, detailed explanations, and build confidence with questions aligned to IB examiner expectations.
Refer to Figure 1. Describe the direction and location of the key forces acting on the cantilever beam.
Refer to Figure 1. Explain two ways to increase the structural rigidity of the cantilever beam.
Refer to Figure 2. Identify the region of the graph that represents plastic deformation.
Refer to Figure 2. Calculate the Young’s Modulus if a tensile stress of 2000 MPa causes a strain of 0.01.
Refer to Figure 3. Suggest one likely cause of the bridge’s structural failure.
Refer to Figure 3. Explain how applying a safety factor (SF) during design could have prevented this failure.
What is the purpose of diagrammatically representing forces within structures?
Bridgeworks Steel supplies the beams for a new road viaduct. Figure 3 shows one of its welded steel plate girders being lifted into position at night. The girder has the cross-sectional shape of a capital letter I, made up of a central vertical web with a horizontal flange along the top and another along the bottom. The straight runs of the viaduct use girders of this section. The viaduct also includes a curved off-ramp, and for that section the engineers are considering a box beam of the same cross-sectional area instead, on the grounds that a vehicle travelling around a curve loads the beam differently.
Figure 3: A steel plate girder being lifted into position on the viaduct at night
State the name given to the two horizontal parts of the I-beam in Figure 3.
Outline why the I-beam has the greatest strength of the beam designs of similar cross-sectional area.
Evaluate the use of a box beam rather than an I-beam for the curved off-ramp.
Which of the following factors would most influence the factor of safety for the gear set shown?
Designers must consider how structural systems behave under load and how to ensure safety and durability. The following figures illustrate different real-world structures.
Figure 1: A stone arch bridge over a river
Refer to Figure 1. Identify the type of force primarily resisted by the stone arch bridge.
Refer to Figure 1. State one advantage of using an arch structure in bridge design.
Figure 2: A collapsed bookshelf with books scattered on the floor
Refer to Figure 2. Suggest two possible reasons for the failure of the bookshelf.
Refer to Figure 2. Explain how a designer could modify the design to improve structural performance.
Figure 3: A scaffolding structure assembled at a construction site
Refer to Figure 3. Explain four reasons why scaffolding is constructed using modular components.
With reference to all three figures, evaluate how understanding structural systems can help prevent failure in both permanent and temporary structures.