After winning the regionals, students are primed for the national steel bridge competition
There are many student competitions in the College of Engineering and in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and they are so good for the students who get involved.
This year UC Davis won the steel bridge division at the American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-Pacific Regional Competition for Concrete Canoes and Steel Bridges, hosted by California State University, Sacramento, on April 9-10.
The team now gets ready for the National Steel Bridge Competition in Orlando, Fla., on May 29-30. Seven students are going with two staff advisers. A few other students have been involved throughout the year, but the number going to Florida was restricted for cost reasons, plus the fact that these seven, led by co-leaders Liz Rider and John Ruzic, did 99 percent of the work.
Students race to beat the clock to construct their designed and fabricated steel bridge. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis photo)
The object is to build a scaled-down steel bridge to specifications that best meet a variety of scoring categories, including aesthetics, weight, stiffness, construction speed and economy, and structural efficiency.
Rules are different every year
Work for everyone started with studying the specific rules, which are different every year so you can't do much design until the rules come out in August.
For this bridge, design and drawing were completed early in fall quarter, and then materials were ordered. Fabrication began after Thanksgiving.
Fabrication includes machining of parts and then welding everything together. The team tries to get the bridge finished three weeks before the regionals and then loads it with 2,500 pounds (a small car) to see how much it bends, since stiffness is one of the biggest contest measurements.
After the team corrected any problems with the construction, they practiced the assembly process to get the time down to a minimum. The builders were chosen by the group, and it is usually the reward for those that did most of the fabrication work.
"It's up to the students completely, so if they don't have the drive and enthusiasm we won't have a great bridge."
Bill Sluis, staff adviser to the Steel Bridge Team
As part of the contest challenge, students are restricted from certain areas under and near the bridge that comprise an imaginary wetlands area that is to be preserved. They also are penalized for any tools dropped or missteps. The team usually practices at least 50 times, creating a tightly choreographed ballet of bridge building. This years' time is less than 10 minutes.
Steep learning curve
Quite a learning curve exists for all the parts of this competition, and we are doing very well now. I attribute our success to students with a drive for excellence who have grouped together and who have looked to train younger students to carry the load in future years. It's up to the students completely, so if they don't have the drive and enthusiasm we won't have a great bridge.
It is really a fun project and just right for an organized group. It means a heavy commitment of time for the students though, but what else is there to do on a weekend?
UC Davis students have been participating in this competition for about 10 years and have gone to the nationals twice before. Last year was our best finish when we placed fifth at the competition in Golden, Colo.
We have smart students at UC Davis and good staff to help them with the practical things like welding and faculty members that offer theoretical and software support. This year's bridge is very good and I expect a top-three finish. We'll see…