Each week, engineering students are at work building a 20-foot-long steel bridge.
Steel Bridge Club is a team of students that participates in the annual Student Steel Bridge Competition. The competition is organized by the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), a not-for-profit technical institute and trade association dedicated to “serving the structural steel design community and construction industry in the United States,” according to the AISC website.
The University of Idaho Steel Bridge Club student chapter has been participating in the competition for over 20 years. Each year AISC releases a new set of rules that the team uses to design their steel bridge. Students must create the physical pieces and practice efficient assembly to prepare for the competition where the bridge will be load-tested and judged by assembly time, weight and aesthetics.
Photo courtesy of Gabe Brandt
Gabe Brandt, treasurer of Steel Bridge Club, said the rules are the hardest part of the project. “Anyone can build a bridge that stands but now it’s like we’re building a bridge with our hands tied behind our backs,” Brandt said. “That’s where the real engineering challenge comes.”
The team begins the project at the start of fall semester and meets weekly until the regional competition in the spring.
Students first design the bridge using a structural engineering software, SAP2000, that tests the bridge’s strength under loads. They then build a scale model on a design software, Civil3D, to create building plans. The team references this model when building the physical components.
Once the steel is delivered, the students begin fabrication. There are also specific rules for the individual components of the bridge.
“We have to make sure we design all of our pieces to be able to be rapidly assembled, and still meet the requirements of being bolted connections that fit inside the given dimensions,” Tommy Dittman, club member, said.
Students gain hands-on experience building physical models of their designs, learning how to cut, drill and weld steel.
“One of the coolest things about this club is how we relate the engineering theory and design principles that we learn in classes to a physical product, that we are then able to test,” Julian Collins, this year’s Steel Bridge Club team captain, said.
The 2023 Pacific Northwest regional competition will be hosted by Montana State University in Bozeman, Mont. from April 14–15. The UI student chapter will compete against teams from schools in Montana, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia and Washington. The top teams from the regional competitions are invited to the national finals to be held in June.
The last three competitions have been canceled or held virtually due to the pandemic. Dittman looks forward to participating in Bozeman at the regional competition this spring. “It’s exciting to actually be able to go and compete with other schools,” Dittman said.
“…we relate the engineering theory and design principles that we learn in classes to a physical product, that we are then able to test.”
Collins also noted his excitement toward competing in person this year. “I think I can speak for the rest of the team in saying that keeps us motivated to stay on top of our design and fabrication work,” Collins said.
Brandt said a great reason to join Steel Bridge Club is to gain engineering experience and to learn important skills in metal fabrication. “We always need people to join because we need hands on the project,” Brandt said.
“Because we’re a smaller team we, as a club, are constantly learning and passing on knowledge relating to engineering design or metalworking skills, so even if you’re not a structures-related engineering student, we’ll get you on the same page as everyone else!” Collins said.
