Lakehead’s Steel Bridge Team places first at regionals

Steel bridge competition participants.

Steel bridge competition participants came to Lakehead University for the regional competition.

March 20, 2015 – Thunder Bay, ON

Lakehead’s Steel Bridge Team came first in the ASCE/AISC Student Steel Bridge Competition held at the CJ Sanders Fieldhouse earlier this month.

The bridge took second place for display, first for lightness, third for construction speed, first for stiffness,  first for construction economy (based on construction time and bridge weight) and first for structural efficiency (based on bridge weight to stiffness ratio) - placing first overall.

“Starting and completing a complex project under a tight timeline was an exhilarating challenge,” said Adam Petrycki, a fourth-year Civil Engineering student who was a part of the team. “As a group we tackled a problem and over the course of the project we delivered a winning solution.

“Being involved in all stages of the project – design, analysis, fabrication, construction and competition – gave us experience in solving a wide variety of problems. It also provided us with a strong sense of ownership. When we erected, weighed and loaded our bridge in the competition we all knew we had lived Lakehead’s motto, ‘Ad Augusta per Angusta,’ meaning Achievement through effort,” Petrycki said.

He teamed up with fourth-year Civil Engineering students Mauricio Aristizabal, Myles Fadden, Codey Munshaw, and Xerxes Unwala. The team received guidance from faculty advisor Dr. Tony Gillies and technologist support from Conrad Hagstrom and Kailash Bhatia.

“Lakehead University has established a reputation for excellence since we started competing in 1998,” Dr. Gillies said.

“I was particularly proud of the efforts of the students, who placed first in front of the home supporters.  Hosting the event requires approximately 30 judges and most were past bridge team members.  They travelled from across North America and even from Abu Dhabi to be part of the competition.  This is when you really understand what it means to be a proud Lakehead Alumnus,” he said.

The mission of the American Society of Civil Engineers/American Institute of Steel Construction Student Steel Bridge Competition (SSBC) is to supplement the education of civil engineering students with a comprehensive, student-driven project experience from conception and design through fabrication, erection, and testing, culminating in a steel structure that meets client specifications and optimizes performance and economy.

The SSBC increases awareness of real-world engineering issues such as spatial constraints, material properties, strength, serviceability, fabrication and erection processes, safety, esthetics, and cost. Success in inter-collegiate competition requires effective teamwork and project management. Future engineers are stimulated to innovate, practice professionalism, and use structural steel efficiently.

 The bridge is designed and the components fabricated at the University by the students prior to the competition.  The competition begins with the bridge pieces laid out in the construction yard.  The spectators watch as the teams assemble their bridges as quickly as possible across a simulated river.  After construction, each assembled bridge is weighed to determine the lightest bridge in the competition. 

To test strength and stiffness each bridge is then loaded using 25lb lengths of steel angle to simulate a loaded truck crossing the bridge with a total of 2,500 lbs of weight.  The placement of the loading was determined by the roll of a dice.  The team had to design their bridge by examining multiple possible load cases, similar to traffic crossing a bridge. 

Overall Ranking at Regional Competition

1)     Lakehead University

2)    Iowa State University

3)    University of Wisconsin, Platteville

 

The Lakehead team now moves on to the US National Competition at University of Missouri Kansas City in May.

 

 

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Media: For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media Relations Officer, at (807) 343-8177, or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.

 

 

In 2015, Lakehead University will celebrate 50 years of exceptional education. Guided by its Strategic Plan (2013-2018), Lakehead is known for providing an education focused on independent thinking, unconventional scholarship, and a close sense of community. About 9,700 full-time equivalent students and 2,000 faculty and staff learn and work in ten faculties at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university: home to Ontario’s newest Faculty of Law in 44 years, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, and faculties of Engineering, Business Administration, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Social Sciences & Humanities, Science & Environmental Studies, Natural Resources Management, Education, and Graduate Studies.

 

Maclean’s 2015 University Rankings places Lakehead University 2nd in Ontario and among Canada’s Top 10 undergraduate universities, and 1st among Ontario’s undergraduate universities for Total Research Dollars, Social Sciences & Humanities Grants, and Library Expenses. In 2014, Re$earch Infosource ranked Lakehead 2nd in Ontario and 3rd among Canada’s undergraduate universities.

 

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