Regional steel bridge competition kicks off Thursday

Submitted by Marmian Grimes
Phone: (907) 474-7902
03/29/07

Civil engineering students from 13 universities will gather at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Patty Center April 12-14 for the 2007 American Society of Civil Engineers Pacific Northwest Regional Conference and Steel Bridge competition. The competition gives civil engineering students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience as they design, fabricate and construct a steel bridge.

The contest requires students to design and build a 20-foot steel bridge capable of supporting 2,500 pounds. They must strictly adhere to a set of complicated rules in the bridge’s design and assembly. The teams are then judged on how quickly they can assemble their bridge, as well as the aesthetics of the structure and its construction economy, lightness, stiffness and structural efficiency.

The winner and first runner-up in the regional competition are invited to compete at the national competition, which will take place at California State University May 25-26. The UAF team has competed at the national level a number of times with an impressive success rate, including taking first in 1993, fourth in 1995, tying for first in 1996, and placing sixth in 2003 and 2005.

This year, UAF will not compete in the regional competition, but will host the event for the first time. The UAF civil engineering students, who would typically be constructing a bridge, are busy building the testing equipment to be used for weighing and loading the bridges. In past competitions, bathroom scales were used for weighing the bridge. This year, students have created a new weighing system with new frame and loading design. UAF students have also designed a new technique for loading the bridges hydraulically rather than manually.

The conference and steel bridge competition will also include a research paper contest, a survey competition and an industry fair. Typically, a concrete canoe race is part of the annual festivities. However, to fit the Alaskan climate, the canoe race has been changed to a concrete snowshoe race.

Universities attending this year’s regional conference include: University of Alaska Anchorage, Boise State University, University of British Colombia, University of Idaho, Idaho State University, Montana State University, Montana Tech, Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, University of Portland, Portland State University, Washington State University and University of Washington.

The competition is sponsored in part by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Steel Construction.

Editors: Visit the UAF ASCE conference website www.uaf.edu/cem/steelbridge for a complete list of events and schedule.

CONTACT: Leroy Hulsey, associate professor of civil engineering, at (907) 474-7816 or (907) 460-8993 or via e-mail at ffjlh@uaf.edu. Marmian Grimes, UAF public information officer, at (907) 474-7902 or via e-mail at marmian.grimes@uaf.edu.