2005 Steel Bridge Competition
Congratulations 2005 Steel Bridge Team,
First Place Overall at Regionals
Headed to Nationals in Orlando, Florida
May 27 – 28, 2005
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team competed on January 15, 2005 in Austin, Tx and won 1st place overall and picked up first place awards in Speed, Aesthetics, Construction Cost, and in Deflection and third place in Lightness.
The team competed against Lamar University, University of Houston, Texas A&M – College Station, Universidad La Salle, UNA de Mexico, Texas Tech University, UT – Arlington, UT – San Antonio, UT- El Paso, UT – Austin,
Team members include:
Thomas Tiffin, Anthony Gavlik, Justin Wiatrek, Brian McFall,
Dustin Croft, Chuck Reed, and Johnny Contreras.
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team would like to thank the following sponsors for their help in getting the team to the Regional Competition:
Western Steel - Corpus Christi, Tx
BC Oilfield Services, Inc. – Victoria, Tx
Kotara Manufacturing, Inc. – Kosciusko, Tx
McCoy’s Building Supply Centers – Kingsville, Tx
TAMUK Agriculture & Human Sciences – Kingsville, Tx
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team will be going to Nationals in Orlando, Florida and will need monetary donations to be able to get there. To donate please contact the team at tamuk_steel_bridge@yahoo.com or refer to the bottom of this website.
Some Information about the 2005 Steel Bridge Competition
Introduction:
Steel bridge competition is an event that allows Civil Engineering students the opportunity to apply their knowledge about steel design and fabrication to be able to compete against other Engineering students from other Universities. The project also allows the students to work as a team to be able to accomplish many tasks that all together result in a finished product called a “Steel Bridge”.
The Steel Bridge Competition:
Once a team has developed a bridge according to the rules set by the sponsor, The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the bridge is entered into competition. At this competition the team must assemble their bridge, and load it with weights in specified locations. During the assembly and loading many calculations are being made which are set out by the rules and then all of the bridges are compared to each other and ranked. The top overall winners of the competition will then advance to the Nationals.
The 2005 Steel Bridge Beginning:
The 2005 steel bridge began with the result of last years success at the regional competition, second place overall, which allowed the team to advance to nationals. At the National competition the team placed twenty–eighth out of forty-four teams.
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team then reviewed the information that was brought back from the previous competition and determined that a bridge must have a low deflection, be lightweight, and be able to be assembled quickly to be able to be competitive. The 2005 Steel Bridge Team then reviewed the new set of rules that govern the competition. In these rules the team learned what was able to done and what cannot be done. The rules also outlined that the bridge this year is a skewed single span bridge that spans approximately 21’ and will need to hold 2500 lbs spread out in three locations. Any one member can be a maximum size of 3’6” by 6” by 6” resulting in many pieces.
The Design:
The design of the 2005 steel bridge is a simple truss for the decking support and the super structure which is strong and lightweight and allows the members to be assembled quickly. The bridge incorporated the use of a super structure this year, which allows the deflection of the bridge at the center to be reduced.
The Materials:
The materials that the 2005 Steel Bridge will use include various sizes of square tubing, angle, rod, and flat plate with all being made from steel. The materials will be welded together in various combinations to form individual members that meet the rules specified.
The Connections:
The connections that connect each member to another one is a simple slip connection. This connection is formed by taking a large square tube and fitting a smaller tube inside it and leaving it sticking out. The mating side is formed by the larger square tube. With the connections between the two members being like this it allowed the use of one fastener and it is put into a shear position. The result of placing the fastener in this position means that the tightness of the nut on the bolt is not critical. Overall this connection in combination with the truss design allows the bridge to be constructed at the competition quickly.
The Fabrication:
The fabrication of the 2005 Steel Bridge was done by the team members. Most of the fabrication took place in the Agricultural Shop located on the Texas A & M University – Kingsville campus with everyone following the rules and regulations that are in place in the shop. The team used CADD drawings of each bridge member to be able to cut, bend, and weld the individual materials to each other to form each member.
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team:
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team is composed of seven Civil Engineering students ranging from seniors to freshmen. These same students currently take classes and participate in the Student Chapter ASCE Organization at the University. The team leaders were members of the 2004 Steel Bridge Team that went to the Regional and National Competitions.
How does the 2005 Bridge Team get to the Competition?
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team will perform many hours of hard work to be able to keep costs to a minimum; however, everyone knows that to be able to do anything it costs money. This money will be used to cover the expenses of fabrication and finishing, as well as the transportation, registration, and hotel rooms for approximately thirty students at the Regional Competition. Donations in the form of monetary and/or materials and products will be greatly appreciated with any amount of donation being given will result in the reduction of the costs that the individual students will have to incur. For more information about donating to the 2005 steel bridge team please refer to the “Donations” section and the Donation Form or contact the team by e-mail which is covered in the “For More Information” section.
Donations:
Donations of monetary and/or materials and products are appreciated. The amount of any monetary donation is not set and the team will greatly appreciate any amount that can be given. For all donators that give $150.00 or more their name will be placed on the back of the competition t-shirt and on the poster that will be present during the times that the bridge is on display. If willing to provide any materials and/or products please contact the 2005 Steel Bridge Team. Donations of any amount and type will have their names and / or logos placed on the competition boxes that will be used to transport the bridge and will be present inside the competition area. Group donations also welcomed. For time constraints the team requests that donations are sent by May 1, 2005.
To donate to the 2005 Steel Bridge Competition Team please contact the team by e-mail at tamuk_steel_bridge@yahoo.com , Thank you.
For More Information:
For any questions and/or requests for more information about the competition please contact the TAMUK 2005 Steel Bridge Team at the following:
E-mail address: tamuk_steel_bridge@yahoo.com
Mailing address: Civil Engineering
MSC 194 700 University
Kingsville TX, 78363-8202
For more information about the Steel Bridge Competition rules please refer to the following website:
http://www.aisc.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Learning_Opportunities/
University_Programs/AISC_Student_Steel_Bridge_Competition/Default329.htm
For pictures of last years National Steel Bridge Competition please refer to the following website:
The 2005 Steel Bridge Team Members