Intercollegiate Competitions

Steel Bridge 2009

In April of 2009, a group of Bucknell Civil Engineers participated in the 2009 National Student Steel Bridge Competition sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and thew American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

Background

Bucknell's participation in the Steel Bridge Competition was the first since 1995, nearly a 15 year hiatus. This year, the regional competition was held at the University of Delaware where both the concrete canoe and steel bridge competitions ran simultaneously. Bucknell's Bridge Team was one of ten that competed in the region for a chance to move on to nationals which were to be held at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. Schools in the competiton included Penn State, The University of Delaware, Drexel, Temple, Widener, Swathmore, Lehigh, Lafayette, and The University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown.

Problem Statement

Each year the steel bridge committee publishes a new set of rules, regulations, and guidelines for the competition. This year's problem statement required that a deck bridge (meaning no superstructure above the top deck) be constructed over a theoretical river and floodway. The bridge was also to include a 3ft. space clear of any structural members down the center of the bridge under the decking surface.

Design and Fabrication

Unlike many of the Steel Bridge Teams around the nations, Bucknell's team took on the task of designing and fabricating the entire bridge in a little over 3 months. Another unique aspect of Bucknell's bridge was that it was entirely fabricated by the steel bridge team out of cold formed steel. This means that the members of the team cut, bent, grinded, and welded every single member that was used in their bridge with no help from professional fabricators.