Steel Bridge

Project goal: To design and build a steel bridge with a span of 18 feet able to sustain a load of 2,500 pounds at varying locations along its span. The bridge designed is the team’s entry in the 2018 National Student Steel Bridge Competition organized by the American Society of Civil Engineers and the American Institute of Steel Construction. To simulate construction at a smaller scale,the bridge is broken up into members that fit within a box measuring 36 inches by 6 inches by 4 inches. Members are fabricated and assembled over a river on a mock construction site. Structural analysis software is used to model the bridge iteratively before selecting a final design for construction. The strength of the connections was calculated and subsequently verified through strain testing of sample specimens. The bridge, and bridges designed by the other 18 universities in the Pacific Southwest region involved in the competition, is judged according to criteria that include self-weight, stiffness, structural efficiency and construction economy.