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Steel Bridge

  • The Steel Bridge Team builds a 18-20 ft long and 2-4 ft tall steel bridge 

    • ​Designed to withstand a series of loading conditions (such as being able to support 2000 pounds in the middle of its span) without large displacements

    • Shape and design is entirely open-ended as long as the steel used to construct the bridge fits the competition-prescribed standards

  • Roles on the team mostly encompass design and construction work

    • Completing and testing design involves using computer programs such as SAP and AutoCAD

    • Constructing the bridge involves learning various construction techniques such as welding and drilling

    • There are also fundraising, administration, financial, and steel ordering roles in addition to design and construction roles

  • Bridge is tested at the annual Great Lakes Regional Conference competition that takes place in the spring of each school year

    • Design phase of the project usually lasts the fall semester, while the spring semester is focused on the construction phase

    • The bridge must be able to be assembled and disassembled at will

    • At the competition, the bridge is competed in three events that ultimately decide the overall score - construction speed, lateral displacement under load conditions, and vertical displacement under load conditions

      • Aesthetics of the bridge and creativity also play a roll in the overall score

  • Leader of 2014-2015 Steel Bridge Team: Brody Kelley (bkelley5@nd.edu)

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