Student ProjectsSteel Bridge Team
Project Manager
Jocelyn Luevanos
American Society of Civil Engineers
Amount Requested
$5,000
Summary
The Steel Bridge Team provides hands-on design, calculation, and building experience. Jointly provided by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the American Institute for Steel Construction, this competition encourages students to push the boundaries of material use and structural engineering by designing a 20-foot bridge capable of holding 2,500 lb using as little material as possible. Completing this task requires students to learn the fundamental skills needed to create a sustainable, cost-efficient, and constructable design. Beyond developing technical skills using CAD, Revit, SAP2000, and other calculations for final deliverables, members gain a greater understanding of how to apply in-class theory to real-world problems and work as a team with other engineers to create the final deliverables. This year our goal would be to produce a series of calculations, structural plans, a competition poster and presentation, and a bridge to bring to the 2027 ASCE Western Great Lakes Student Symposium.
Planned Activities/Investments
This year will focus on building the foundational design and build skills needed to compete. Fall quarter will focus on teaching team members to design and weld steel connections. Meeting times will be divided between build practice and design and software workshops. Winter quarter will be spent fully assembling final deliverables, including final construction documents, structural plans, load calculations, cost estimates, the final report, and the parts of the bridge. Spring quarter meetings will be dedicated to practicing assembly and presentation skills for the conference and traveling to compete at the 2027 ASCE Western Great Lakes Student Symposium.
Impact
This project will greatly enhance the engineering education of students who choose to participate. Team members will learn in-demand drafting, design, and cost estimating software such as Revit, SAP2000, and Excel. Students will also develop teamwork, technical writing, and presentation skills through the final report and presentation deliverable requirements. We will take attendance at all events and document the design and construction process in a shared drive for all members of the team and NUASCE as a whole to be able to access and learn from. The team also plans to participate in the annual E-Week design showcase in spring to share what they have learned throughout the process.
Deliverables
The major deliverables for the Steel Bridge project include a steel bridge, a set of construction documents including structural drawings, an estimation of the load capacity of the final bridge, an itemized budget, a report of the design process, and a presentation slide deck. The bridge members will be prefabricated at Northwestern, but must be assembled on site as a part of the competition. The presentation will be given at the competition and highlight key findings of the design process and final report.
Sustainability
This initial grant will help procure the necessary equipment to fabricate and assemble the final bridge. Once the assembly equipment and personal protective equipment have been purchased, we will be able to use it for years to come. We also estimate that approximately 50% of the steel we purchase will be able to be reused after the competition, for practice, workshops, or future bridges, since it is a highly reusable and recyclable material.
Budget Overview
- Personal Protective Equipment (Face shields, gloves, hard hats, goggles): $500
- Design Programs: $150
- Assembly Equipment (Drills, wrenches): $500
- Round-Trip Flights to Conference in North Dakota (5 members): $2000
- Hotel for Conference (5 members): $600
- Conference Registration Fees (5 members): $750
- U-Haul (for transportation of poster split with other competition teams): $500
Total Budget Amount: $5,000
Faculty Adviser/Department
Eric Garcia/Civil and Environmental Engineering