[Adam Freeman]

Originally Posted by Chris Fultz

If you are using a pneumatic, remember that you need to determine the vertical component of the force, based on the angle it contacts the bridge.
(i.e. 50 pounds at a 45 degree angle is only about 35 pounds vertical).

I think what Chris explained here is one of the biggest reasons why many teams bridge manipulators do not function as well as required.

We saw lots of pneumatic manipulators at Waterford that originally did not take into account the breakdown of horizontal and vertical components of force being applied to the bridge.