STEEL
BRIDGE
Mariel Sturm
Steel Bridge Chair
E-mail
2007 Performance
4th
Place Overall
1st Place in Poster Display
3rd Place in Efficiency
Past Bridges:
2007 Bridge Pics
2006 Bridge Pics
2005 Bridge Pics
2004 Bridge Pics
2006 Steel Bridge Rules
2007 Steel Bridge Rules
2008 Steel Bridge Rules
The Challenge
Civil Engineering students are challenged to an inter-collegiate competition that includes design, fabrication
and construction of a steel bridge. Participating students gain practical experience in structural design,
fabrication processes, construction planning, organization and teamwork. The competition is a scaled simulation
of a representation structural engineering project.
Award Categories Include
Stiffness
Lightness
Construction Speed
Aesthetics
Efficiency
Economy
The Rules
The rules of the competition accommodate a large variety of design and allow innovation. Designers must consider carefully
the comparative advantages of various alternatives. For example, a truss bridge may be stiffer than a girder bridge but slower
to construct.
The Steel Bridge-Building Competition provides design and construction planning experience, an opportunity to learn fabrication
procedures, and excitement of competing against students from other colleges and universities.
The design, fabrication, assembly, and presentation of the steel bridge requires commitment and dedication involved.
The design stage can start as early as May. The key is the dedicated faculty, professionals, and student members who
devote their time and knowledge. We acknowledge and applaud their effforts.
The Design
Preparation for the Steel Bridge competition starts as early as May when initial designs are presented. Team members discuss
how to improve a teammate's design. This process continues throughout the fall semester until a final design which produces
the desired results is agreed upon. The design process involves the use of computer models to predict a bridge's behavior
according to competition specifications.
Bridge designs usually develop from a suggestion proposed by a team member. The team member makes his presentation at
the weekly team meeting which usually consists of a simple sketch on the blackboard and his reasoning for his thought. Then
the rest of the team will throw out suggestions to improve the idea and tell that member why or why not the idea is good.
At the next meeting, the same student will make another presentation using the ideas and suggestions given to him by his
teammates. Another round robin session will begin where the other teammates give suggestions. If the idea has some potential,
the bridge design is thrown into STAAD (a computer program that will measure deflection and compute compressive and
tensile forces in the members) so more information can be determined.
From here on, the design becomes a trial and error process. Results are generated from STAAD and modifications are made.
Modifications usually consist of the addition or subtractions of members and the use of different grade/stock of steel. This
process continues until the design yields desirable results. Modifications can even occur during fabrication, or even up until
the day before competition!!
