Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Steel Bridge Design Team placed second place overall at this year’s Regional Competition. By doing so the team qualified for the National Competition held May 27-28 at Brigham Young University-Utah. The regional awards received are shown below:
- Overall- 2nd Place
- Construction Speed- 2nd Place
- Efficiency- 2nd Place
- Stiffness- 2nd Place
- Economy- 2nd Place
- Lightness- 3rd Place
- Aesthetics- 4th Place
The national competition was held at Brigham Young University in Utah. Over 45 teams from around the world qualified including teams from China, Canada, and Mexico. The event was held over two days consisting of a day of display and another of construction and the loading portions of the competition.
The day of display allows for teams to inspect each others bridges, coordinate with other teams about their experiences, as well as acquire ideas for following competitions. The second day includes each team to construct their bridge as fast and efficient as possible. After the bridge is constructed it is put to the test with 2500 pounds being placed in a specific locations. This is the moment everyone is waiting for. You are holding your breath, hoping your bridge holds the weight without deflecting to the point of disqualification. As soon as the weight is on, it is a race to take the weight off. When the weight is off, everyone on the team will give a sigh of relief because their competition is complete.
Throughout this experience, the Missouri S&T team learned about new construction methods, fabrication techniques, types of bridges and so much more all while on the 6 day journey across the country together.
