A team of civil engineering students will travel to the University of Maryland this weekend to compete in the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) regional steel bridge competition.
Juniors Kory Fish, Joseph Liparela, Jared Shoemaker, Gavin Warner and Kimberly Schafstall; and seniors Andrew Westermann, Matthew Melvin, Douglas Litchfield and Francis D'Aurora have worked together since September in the designing and building of the bridge.
D'Aurora, president of the club, explained, "The process began in the fall (semester) when students learn about the club through classes and the ASCE."
Once the students organized themselves into a group, they began designing their bridge according to specific guidelines given by ASCE. They used the program STAAD-PRO to calculate the forces applied to the different parts of the structure, D'Aurora stated. He adds that the program is more helpful than the popular drafting program, AUTO-CAD, which is meant only for the layout and design of a structure.
While designing the bridge, students took into account the aesthetics of the structure and the construction involved. "The actual construction part is kind of tricky, since we don't take any technical courses in welding or machining," said Melvin.
"But with the help of our sponsors, Penn State faculty and old-fashioned trial and error, we've figured it out," added D'Aurora.
In the past, Penn State has placed high in the competition. However, D'Aurora recalled last year, "We had some communication problems throughout the design and building process, it goes to show just how important communication is in a team project like this."
The ASCE judges the bridges on an "estimating scale," or how much it would cost to build the bridge in the real world. All bridges begin at the same cost and are adjusted depending on the success of the design. If a bridge meets the weight requirement, is constructed properly and is structurally adequate, the original "bid" is lowered, making the bridge more affordable in the competition. If the bridge does not meet the standards required by the competition, the original "bid" is raised, making it less affordable. D'Aurora explained, "At the end, the lowest bid win, just like in the real world."
Teams who are successful in their regional competitions will travel to California State University in Northridge on May 25 and 26 for the 2007 National Student Steel Bridge Competition.